City OKs Tamiami Trail hotel plans

City staff believes a new hotel at 1425 S. Tamiami Trail can benefit the property owner, surrounding residents and the city as a whole.

It took some time to get there, though. Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based developer Daus Investments originally submitted plans for a Four Points by Sheraton hotel in May 2016. The company bought the property, currently a Baymont Inn and Suites, in March of that same year for $6.5 million.

The plans for the site will retain the same number of rooms, 99, that currently exist. The building footprint will be expanded, though, renovating the hotel from a three-story to a five-story structure. The developer said the renovations, estimated at $9 million, would add meeting space and an internal restaurant.

After a brief discussion at Monday’s City Commission meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve the major conditional use necessary to proceed with the development.

Throughout the review process for the proposal, people living nearby have questioned how the project would affect their neighborhoods. During a 2016 community workshop, residents pressed for details about parking, noise, light and landscaping.

The developer pledged to keep working with neighbors as it produced more detailed plans. By the time the project went to the planning board for review last month, though, there remained some lingering concerns from two residents living nearby the property.

Resident Mary Pryce, who lives on Floyd Street, said she was concerned about the landscaping plan. She feared there wouldn’t be sufficient buffering separating the activity on the property from the single-family homes across the street. She and another neighboring resident, Christine McCrenzee, also expressed concern about drainage.

But the project did gain support from other nearby stakeholders. The owners of Midtown Plaza, the shopping center to the north, offered their endorsement. So did the Arlington Park Neighborhood Association, which wrote a letter stating the developer had worked to address community concerns.

“We feel this project will result in a quality upscale hotel facility to replace the existing dated facility,” the letter stated. “Further, we believe the project will serve as a community asset for both our city and the nearby hospital.”

At Monday’s meeting, Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch was hesitant to OK the plans without another public hearing. She asked staff and the developer one final time about the issues residents have raised since spring 2016.

Engineer Ron Edenfield answered those questions on behalf of Daus Investments. He said the company believes it has nearly unanimous support from neighbors. City Chief Planner Lucia Panica added that staff had worked closely with the developer to address potential issues.

“We have a final end product we really support,” Panica said.