Construction on a new hotel in Lakeshore is now one step closer to breaking ground.
The project received site plan approval for a six-story 105-room Holliday Inn Express on Amy Croft Dr. near Manning Rd. at a special meeting of council Monday night.
Developer David Petretta is excited to move to the final step before breaking ground on the $20-million project.
"It's been a huge demand for the area for some time. People have talked about this hotel for a very long time, so we're happy to be able to fulfill that need," he says.
Petretta says the two-acre chunk of land the hotel will sit on is just a fraction of what's to come for the 10-acre property.
"It's actually pretty rare that you can have three developers come together to develop an entire multi-mixed use facility. We'll have residential components, some retail, and some commercial components with the hotel," says Petretta. "It's really all happening at the same time so a lot of thought has gone into the engineering, storm water management and all those things."
He tells AM800 News, the last hurdle is getting the construction permits finalized.
"We hope to have an official ground-breaking in the next couple weeks and then we'll announce a potential opening date," he says.
Petretta says — if construction permits come in on time — the hotel should be opening its doors by the fall of 2020.