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IN~EK OF JULY 20. 1998 Marriott to m tax breaks -fc r, conference center Cabarms officials appear headed to- ward approving a tax incentive pack- age that will seal the deal for a pro- posed $40 million Marriott Confer- ence Center at Kings Grant, as well as creating the possibility for a second golf course nearby. County commissioners expressed support recently for a plan to increase the local occupancy tax to 5% from the existing 3% and rebate part of those funds to Bethesda, Md.-based Marriott Conference Centers Inc. for the planned 300-room hotel. The tax rebate would extend for five years, according to the package en- dorsed this month by the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bu- reau. Besides helping to recruit Marriott, .the tax increase will help pay for eventual expansion of public meeting space at the site to 86,000 square feet, says Mark Shore, Convention and Vis- itors Bureau executive director. The hotel incentive package also is likely to include a partial sales tax re- bate for the conference center. County commissioners may vote on the proposal as soon as Aug. 17, says Sue Casper, county board chairwom- an. "I'm very much encouraged.". Commissioner Ken. Mills, a vocal critic of incentives for Marriott this past spring, says he likes the new pro- posal because it doesn't rely on gener- al public funds. Rather, the Marriott incentives will be paid essentially by people who stay at the hotel. "If they want to (raise the funds) themselves, that's fine. with me." Casper stresses that neither the size of the rebate nor the amount of the occu- pancy tax increase have yet been ap- proved. Nevertheless, Ules July 10 discussions .......... among county, city and local t6urism officials, along with Kings Grant de- veloper Landex Inc., incentive issue toward resolution, says Concord Mayor George Liles. "I feel a lot' better about (the Marriott project) than I did before last Friday." · As an outgrowth of those talks, Liles confirms that Marriott and city offi- cials have at least broached the idea of a second city golf course near the hotel, which is planned for a site next the Region DAVID HARRIS to Rocky River Golf Club at Concord. In time, the conference center may require as many as 20,000 tee times a year, more than Rocky River can pm- vide. "We have made inquiries and will be in position to aqquire land for an- other golf course -- if they say 'yes, we're coming' and 'yes, we can guar- antee 20,000 rounds,' "Liles says. "But there's no any agreement on that at all at this point. It's just a possibili- ty. It isn't in our letter of understand- ing.'' have moved the F-[