Potential 4-story hotel near Kohl's

124 units in an extended stay hotel

I’m working on a variety of reports, either partly written or on a list stashed in my brain (scary place for anything). But this morning, an eagle-eyed reader pointed me to this potential project, and I thought I'd better let you know asap.

It’s a product from Wyndham called Echo Suites and is touted as an extended stay hotel. The standard model seems to be four stories with 124 units.

HIX SNEDEKER IS BACK!

This is the developer from Alabama who built the Lafayette Promenade. This hotel is slated to occupy one of the pads in the development. You know where it is, that place on 287 near Walmart that beckons you to “promenade” around it in lovely surroundings like the parking lot of Kohl’s, Tractor Supply, and Les Schwarb Tires. Check out their client list.

Merriam-Webster tells us the meaning of the word promenade:

: a place for strolling

: a leisurely walk or ride especially in a public place for pleasure or display

: a ceremonious opening of a formal ball consisting of a grand march of all the guests

: a figure in a square dance in which couples move counterclockwise in a circle

Yes, I mocked it back then, and now they’ve given me a reason to do it again. Add it to all the ridiculous names we see, like Water’s Edge and Prairie View, that are not at the water’s edge or that have destroyed the very prairie they use for inspiration.

THE DEVELOPMENT IN 2015

I attended the first standing room only neighborhood meeting about this project back in 2015. What those attendees said they wanted, of course, never came to pass.

In the narrative for the development, dated 10/25/15, we found these words:

“We come from a small town and appreciate a community like Lafayette in their involved neighbors and interest in keeping the integrity of the town.”

Ending with this sentiment: “Lafayette is a growing community, in which we plan to become a part of, as a long term neighbor. We welcome the feedback of the community for our future development.”

Ouch, I almost rolled my eyes out of their sockets after revisiting those little gems.

WHERE IS THIS?

WHAT DO THEY WANT? BIG SURPRISE, IT’S A TALLER BUILDING

The proposal is for a 124-room hotel with a modification to the 35’ height limit to allow for a 48.5’ building at its tallest point.

LET’S REVISIT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Height is a hot button topic in Lafayette and we saw it mentioned in the comprehensive plan under the adaptable commercial land use category. Generally residents don’t want 4-story buildings. That update to the development code is happening right now.

Be prepared to engage when the public outreach of the code update happens. This is super important if you care about what Lafayette looks like going forward.

ON THE CITY WEBSITE

I discovered today that city staff have created pages for developments on the Lafayette Listens site. Here’s the Echo Suites page. You can sign up for notifications and it shows you which staff member is the lead on each project. It says the neighborhood meeting has already happened and now the project is in formal review by the planning staff before it goes to the Planning Commission and then the City Council.

Contact the Planning Department: developmentprojects@lafayetteco.gov

REAR VIEW

Want to offer more support? Awesome!