The Topock66 Story
The old Topock Marina became Topock66. It took a phone call in 2004, a seawall, a flood-plain study and a run of permits to get from one to the other.
The owner, Chet Hitt, tells it on the Topock66 Story page. Here is the route, one mile marker at a time.
14999 Historic Route 66, Topock, AZ 86436
2004: A phone call about the marina
Chet Hitt got a call. The Topock Marina, where his family had a vacation home, had been sold to a developer who planned a private marina and condominiums.
He offered to buy it himself if the buyer could not close escrow in 30 days. The deal fell through, and he ended up owning a marina and restaurant.
Then he built a team to run the restaurant, the bar, the retail store, the gasoline and the mobile home park.
2008: The old bar slides toward the river
The old restaurant and bar was sliding into the river. A new seawall and river walk meant a two-year permit process with the Army Corps of Engineers.
2010: The old marina comes down
The old Topock Marina was demolished, in the words of the Topock66 Story, “after 50 years as a tradition on the River.”
Then FEMA found that part of the site sat in a federal flood plain. That meant two more years of re-engineering before anything new could go up.
The bar menu card reads “EST 1950.”
2011: Seawall approved, building begins
The seawall was approved and construction began on the new Topock66 Spa & Resort, starting with the restaurant, the bar and the retail space.
On July 19th the first phase of Topock66 opened to the public.
The place today
The roof sign, the mural, the bar under the truss and the river out back.
Still on the property
“Today we couldn’t be prouder of our food, our staff and our customer service.”
You can usually find Chet Hitt on the property. Stop in for breakfast on the restaurant side, book one of the rooms with balconies, or put a boat in at the marina and launch ramp.
Hospitality Investment Group, LLC d/b/a Topock66 Spa & Resort