N EWS
cmorrisroe@mountainx.com
by Carolyn Morrisroe
TALE OF TWO HOTELS
City passes projects under new policy
It’s been seven months since the city of Asheville altered its regulations to give City Council more oversight over large building and hotel projects, a policy shift born out of public outcry over the pace of downtown development. Since the change was adopted, City Council has considered two projects — both hotels — that qualified for Council review as a result of the policy revision. Both projects were approved. Xpress takes a closer look at these cases to see if the conversations around development have changed and what it looks like when hotels try to pass muster before Council. WINDS OF CHANGE Early in February, the Planning and Zoning Commission rejected a proposal to change the city’s ordinances to require Council review of more large-scale projects. It recommended Council deny the change based on concerns that healthy development would be curtailed, as developers would keep projects smaller to avoid hitting the threshold requiring public review. P&Z members also worried that developers would be confused about how to move projects forward, commenting that the proposed rules represented an overreaction to downtown development in general and hotels in particular. Chair Jeremy Goldstein expressed concern that the amendment would politicize the development process. But City Council unanimously approved the amendment on Feb. 14, changing the development review threshold in the Unified Development Ordinance. Under the new rules, anything over 100,000 square feet or 100 feet tall and lodging with 21 or more guest rooms requires a rezoning and City Council review. Prior to the vote, the Planning and Zoning Commission was responsible for approving most projects up to 175,000 square feet and 145 feet tall. A staff memo by Assistant Planning Director Alan Glines laid out the city’s reasoning behind changing the development review process, saying it allows greater development flexibility, leverages a higher quality of development and provides for early public input through neighborhood meetings. The ordinance change was the result of more than a year of review by city staff and public engagement efforts that included a forum, online survey 20
SEPT. 13 - 19, 2017
FILLING A VACANCY: On Aug. 22, City Council approved a five-story, 103-room hotel to be built on what’s currently a parking lot between Innsbruck Mall and Ingles on Tunnel Road in Asheville. It was the second project considered by Council under new rules for reviewing hotel developments. Photo by Carolyn Morrisroe and presentations to community stakeholder groups. HOTEL KRISH — 1500 TUNNEL ROAD The first project to come before City Council under the new guidelines was a five-story, 86-room, 42,200-squarefoot hotel at 1500 Tunnel Road in East Asheville. On July 25, Council approved conditional zoning for the plan for Hotel Krish put forth by Commodore Holdings and H.P. Patel in a 6-1 vote, with Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler voting against it without comment. The site of the proposed hotel was once a Days Inn that fell into disrepair and was foreclosed upon by the city, said attorney Lou Bissette, representing the owner. Bissette emphasized that the Patel family is local and that H.P. Patel is seen as a good small-business owner who treats his employees well. “This is not a national hospitality conglomerate. It’s H.P. Patel. He and his family have lived in this area and operated hotels in this area for decades,” he said. Patel explained that his parents immigrated to the U.S. in the 1960s and he grew up helping his dad run a hotel in Clayton, Ga. He said he only owns two hotels, a Days Inn across from the proposed Tunnel Road project and a Best Western down the street. “I live in Asheville, my kids go to school in Asheville. Asheville is my community just like it is yours, and I’m here for the long haul,” he said. Bissette made it clear that the hotel will not cater to luxury-seeking tourists, saying that it will feature accommodations
MOUNTAINX.COM
in the range of $90-$100 a night under the Tru by Hilton brand. Patel also endeavored to differentiate his project from the types of hotel developments that have drawn criticism elsewhere in the city. “I know there’s a lot of hesitation toward hotels, but this is not your typical downtown or Biltmore Village hotel. I am not a big-time developer like John McKibbon,” he said, referring to the developer of five upscale hotels in Asheville. “But I am rather, a local small-business owner hoping to successfully expand my business.” CANDLEWOOD SUITES — 49 TUNNEL ROAD The second hotel project considered by City Council under the new review process hit upon similar themes: a local owner building a modest hotel. At its Aug. 22 meeting, City Council approved a five-story, 103-room extended stay hotel at 49 Tunnel Road. The infill project will nestle among Innsbruck Mall, Ingles, McDonald’s and Mikado Japanese Restaurant on land that’s currently a parking lot. The project is required to include 15 percent open space, but after hearing concerns from the Planning and Zoning Commission, the developers increased the amount of plantings and included a small dog park, patio and green roof to bring the total to 19 percent open space. Marvin Mercer, the civil engineer on the project, said the owners and design team bumped up the greenery ratio specifically to help ensure the project passed City Council under its new review
process. “After much discussion and uncertainty about how hotels are going to be viewed coming through the city, we elected to sit back and say, ‘OK, we’ve got to meet all the open space,’” he said. Petitioner Twinkle Patel of Milestone 1 LLC (who said she is related to H.P. Patel through marriage but is not related to Shaunak Patel, who is mentioned in the sidebar “Embassy Suites lawsuit to get hearing this fall”) emphasized how local her family is. She said they have been very involved in the community of Maggie Valley, where her father-in-law operates a motel, and they love Asheville, coming to shop at Trader Joe’s and dine at Papa’s and Beer. “Approval of this project will enable my family to be Ashevilleans like you guys,” she said. Milestone Hospitality, of which Twinkle Patel is chief financial officer, owns or manages four hotels in Maggie Valley and one in Canton under the Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Best Western and Ramada brands. In an effort to evade criticisms that have plagued some of the big new projects in town, Twinkle Patel highlighted the project’s difference from hotels elsewhere in Asheville. “This isn’t an upscale hotel like the downtown hotels,” she said, adding that rates will average $81 nightly. Twinkle Patel also pointed out that the lodging will be extended stay, catering to a clientele who might conceivably feel more connected to Asheville than casual tourists. “Candlewood Suites is mostly for people who come to the area for work and stay long term,” she said. At the public hearing, several owners of nearby businesses came forward to speak in favor of the project. Victor Foo, owner of Mikado restaurant, said, “Not only will it bring more business to my restaurant, but it will make the area brighter, safer.” Steve Perkins of Telco Community Credit Union across the street said the hotel would bring jobs to the area. Attorney Joe McGuire, who is among the owners who sold the property, spoke highly of the Patel family and their plans for the site. “In terms of the place, this is a parking lot that doesn’t really add much to anything, and I think it’s been that way too long,” he said.