A roughly $30-million investment for a hotel project is being proposed in the Town of Tecumseh.
Petcon Realty Corp. is seeking to rezone a vacant piece of land on the south side of County Road 22, west of Sylvestre Drive, between Lesperance Road and Manning Road.
Petcon Realty Corp. owns just under 17 acres of land in that area.
According to a report from the Town of Tecumseh, the proposal calls for the construction of a five-storey hotel with 142-rooms, on-site amenities such as a pool and fitness facilities, 215 on-site parking spaces, and a separate commercial/retail building.
A franchise agreement has already been signed with the Marriott group for the extended stay hotel under the TownPlace Suites by Marriott brand.
David Petretta, owner of of Petcon Realty Corp., wants to free up more space for standard users at the Holiday Inn off Amy Croft Drive in Lakeshore, which currently has a large client base of extended stay users.
"We're expecting that's only going to continue based on the demand from the potentially the new battery plant and all the other growth in the city. So we'd like to have those extended stay users go to a specifically purposed hotel," he says. "That would support their needs in terms of kitchenettes and other uses, and then leave our other property for standard retail users who need it for one or two nights."
Petcon Realty Corp. is seeking to rezone a piece of land on the south side of County Road 22, west of Sylvestre Drive, in Tecumseh to allow for the development of a 142 room hotel on the property. (Photo: Town of Tecumseh)
Brian Hillman, Director Development Services for the Town of Tecumseh, says hotels add to the diversity of a community.
"The visitors to those hotels end up using other commercial establishments around them, it's a very valuable thing to have in your community," he says.
Hillman says it's a lovely commercial node at County Road 22 and Lesperance.
"There's some significant restaurants there and this will become quite walkable over time as the road infrastructure in this area starts to interconnect," he says." The area just to the south of the hotel is indentified for considerable residential development and these just add to the vibrancy of these neighbourhoods ultimately."
Preliminary site plan for a proposed 142 room hotel on the south side of County Road 22, west of Sylvestre Drive, in Tecumseh. (Photo: Town of Tecumseh)
A public meeting on the proposed hotel was held June 27 in Tecumseh. Council is expected to consider the rezoning application sometime in July, which would be followed by site plan approvals around the design, stormwater management and servicing details.
Hillman says they're pleased with the proposed development on this land, designated in the town's Official Plan.
"There has been sort of a sense that there's a need for hotels at the east end of the Windsor-Essex County area and he seems to agree with that. We're hoping to help facilitate and get him up to the point of getting the site constructed," he adds.
The hope is that all the necessary approvals are in place this coming fall, allowing construction to begin shortly after with the aim of opening the summer of 2025.