Print Version
E-mail This StoryDespite some concerns from residents, The Colony City Council approved plans for a pair of hotels in The Cascades of The Colony development at its meeting Monday night.
With Council Members Joel Marks, Perry Schrag, and Kirk Mikulec absent, the remaining four councilmen voted in favor of the development and site plans for the hotels that are part of the 100-acre development between Memorial Drive and State Highway 121.
Plans are for two four-story hotels n a 104-room Fairfield Inn and a 102-room Residence Inn designed for longer stays n to be built on the interior of the development’s southeastern quadrant, adjacent to a traffic circle and a central park.
Ron Smith, a representative of the project’s architectural firm, spoke on behalf of his company and developer Jackson Shaw about the project. He addressed some concerns over parking and assured the council that the facility will have solid landscaping.
Smith said the Fairfield Inn will count on the economic drive of an on-site event center. The Residence Inn will cater to new employees moving into corporate jobs in nearby communities. He said the number of travelers will help the development attract a better brand of restaurant to other parts of the development.
“We are very fortunate to be getting these [hotel] brands to the Colony,” he said.
Several residents of nearby homes filed opposition forms with the city’s planning department.
“I believe the hotels will bring unwanted traffic and problems into our neighborhood, thus brining down property values,” wrote Michelle Parker of Copper Canyon Drive.
Smith pointed out that hotels generate less traffic than many other businesses, because hotel visitors come and go fewer times.
Director of Development Services Donna Bateman said some residents might be reacting to incorrect information about the distances from residences that came up during the process.
The council, were receptive to the details in the plan.
“Having spent a good number of nights in Fairfield Inns, this is a much better looking building than I’ve seen in the past,” said Council Member John Marshall.
