Plans for a 160-room hotel in downtown Blue Ridge were heard during a “Community Input Session” hosted by the developer Tuesday, April 7.
Rich Chism of Heron Hotels out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, spoke briefly of his plans to develop 6.43 acres at 260 East Main Street.
The session was advertised on a drop-in basis until 7:30 p.m. that evening on the “Blue Ridge Hotel” Facebook page.
“I have the property under contract to develop it as a hotel, but the seller has got some real concerns about the city’s stormwater in this creek on the property and the erosion that has taken place,” Chism told the 20 or so people who were present.
In addition to the hotel, Chism’s plans also include a second phase for a five-story “workforce housing” complex with 6,000 square feet of retail space.
“I have heard from a lot of people that it’s real difficult for the work force to find housing in Blue Ridge,” Chism said. Chism said that development would require a 23-feet height variance. The hotel development would require an 8-feet height variance.
When questioned about the proposed heights, he said “it becomes unaffordable” to build out as opposed to upward.
The hotel plans also include a 5,000 square-foot event space and enough parking for the amount of rooms, Chism said.
“What you see here is an effort to have a project that looks historic … this idea is that it will look like an old warehouse product that has been restored,” Chism said.
A rezoning and conditional use permit will be necessary first, he said of the property. The parcel is currently zoned for industrial use.
At the time of publication, no applications for rezoning or permitting have been submitted to the city.
A timeline for the project displayed at the session shows an application date set for April 27, and a Blue Ridge Development Team meeting May 20.
Questions asked of Chism regarded infrastructure, supporting existing businesses, parking and protecting trout streams.