PHOENIX — Huey Lewis never dreamed the heart of rock and roll would land in Eloy.
But if a group of theme park imaginers get their way, you could easily grab a bite to eat in the Haight-Ashbury District, take a swing on the Grand Funk Railroad and check into the Hotel California (just don’t expect to check out), without venturing too far from Tucson.
Those are some of the attractions that could take shape at a large scale Rock‘n’ Roll theme park if the designers are able to convince state lawmakers to give them special taxing authority — a move they say would revolutionize tourism and growth in the corridor between Tucson and Phoenix.
The grandiose plan, announced Wednesday, would take 300 acres of privately owned land in Eloy, just east of where interstates 8 and 10 intersect, and transform them into a sprawling $800 million theme park dedicated to America’s Roll ‘n Roll history.
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Named “Decades,” the park would feature themed rides and attractions nestled in decade “lands” — the 60’s would reflect the British Invasion and Motown influence whereas the 80’s would emphasis the music video age.
Ideally completed by 2012, the park could handle a yearly attendance of more than 6 million people, its planners say, about as many visitors as Universal Studios in Orlando receives and 2 million more a year than San Diego’s Sea World attracts.
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