New Hotel For Blue Jays Under Review By Dunedin City Commission

DUNEDIN, FL — They have a new spring training stadium and player development clubhouse with all the state-of-the-art bells and whistles a team could want.

Now the Toronto Blue Jays want a new hotel to serve as a dormitory for players and staff when the team comes to Dunedin for spring training from February to April.

The Dunedin City Commission is currently reviewing plans by Dunedin-based Coastal ICF Construction Services development group and Grant Street Partners to build a three-story, 51-room hotel on the Dunedin Causeway, known at The J Hotel.

The boutique hotel will have two stories of guest rooms over ground-floor parking and meeting space and swimming pool on 85 acres at 85-acre parcel at 491 Causeway Blvd. Dunedin-based SDG Architecture is designing the facility.

The property currently has a car wash and small outbuilding, which would be demolished to make room for the new hotel. The developer also has a contract to purchase a piece of vacant property to the west for future expansion.

Developer Doug Anderson told commissioners that eventually the team wants a 75-room hotel but, because of the need to finish the facility by early 2023, the hotel will initially have 51 rooms.

He said the Blue Jays want to stay in Dunedin and spend their money in the city that's supported them all these years.

"They want to be good neighbors because they are so invested in the city," Anderson said.

Charlie Wilson, general manager of minor league operations for the Blue Jays, said it will be the "best dormitory/hotel in all of professional baseball," provide a comfortable place to stay near the TD Ballpark with a small number of rooms available to the public once the team returns to Montreal.

The hotel is part of a 25-year agreement between the city and the Blue Jays to keep Dunedin the team's spring training home.

Dunedin has been the spring training home of the Toronto Blue Jays and headquarters for the minor league Dunedin Blue Jays since the ball club was founded in 1977.

In March, the team unveiled its new 115,000-square-foot state-of-the-art Player Development Complex, which will house the Major and Minor League Blue Jays for the first time.

Sitting on a 65-acre site in Dunedin, the complex features six full fields, two half fields, 20 gang mounds, 12 covered batting cages, a 155- by 150-foot covered turf practice field and a 6.79-degree, 168-foot-long speed hill.

This came on the heels of the opening of the renovated TD Ballpark in February 2020.

Seating at the Dunedin stadium was expanded from 5,500 seats to 8,500, including 6,500 fixed seats. The majority of those seats were added down the left-field line. A small infield diamond and bullpen were removed to accommodate a grandstand structure and bar area.

Other additions include a boardwalk that wraps around the entire outfield to allow for 360-degree access around the stadium, a new boardwalk in right field, a large group section in the right field corner giving a ground-level view from the outfield, a new Jays Shop, a kids' zone (Junior Jays Zone) in the concourse along the left field side, an air-conditioned bar along the third baseline, an outdoor bar in right field, a barbecue tent, and renovated bathrooms, concessions and suites.

The hotel is the final piece of the agreement between the city and team.

Related stories:

• Blue Jays Unveil State-Of-Art Training Complex In Dunedin
• Blue Jays Celebrate Opening Of Renovated Stadium At Season Opener