El Cajon officials are circulating a proposal that would replace the East County Performing Arts Center with a business class hotel and theater. Developer Neal Arthur wants to build a four star, four storey hotel on the site. The city has wanted a downtown hotel for a while and some within the government believe the time has come. Mayor, Mark Lewis explained that while the theater had been host to some fantastic performances in its heyday, it had become a challenge and those days had passed.