Hotel proposal before Board of Trustees Friday

The feasibility of a six-story hotel and two office buildings on campus will be voted on by the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees Friday in a special session.

Lodgco Management, LLC, has proposed the construction of three buildings on CMU property, said Director of Media Relations Steve Smith.

“Special sessions happen when there is a need for them. It’s not a real regular thing,” he said. “But my understanding is that the developer is working under a timeline and would like to hear an answer whether it’s CMU or elsewhere.”

Trustees will meet in the Bovee University Center’s President’s Room at 5:30 p.m. to begin the discussion.

The proposed site is located on 12 acres, west of the office buildings in the Center for Applied Research and Technology along West Campus Drive. CMU would lease the land to Lodgco and charge “modest rent” from the developers for the 50-year agreement.

If approved, the six-story building would hold 140 rooms and house a national chain. It would also feature an indoor pool, conference area and restaurant.

Lodgco, based in Mount Pleasant, owns six Michigan hotels, including three Hampton Inns in Mount Pleasant, Midland and Okemos. It also owns Springhill Suites in Midland, Fairfield Inn in Battle Creek and Courtyard by Marriott in Traverse City.

The name of the national chain for the proposed hotel has not yet been announced, Smith said.

Lodgco would lease property to erect two other buildings that would hold medical, research and technology tenants, according to the proposal.

“We need to take a look if there are benefits to the university,” Smith said. “The way the Center for Applied Research and Technology is set up, it’s designed to make land available for entrepreneurs who are interested in establishing a business there. The upside to the university and to CART in particular would be the revenue from the taxes that would be placed on the business.”

Tom Myers, president of Alta Construction Co., 5000 E. Airport Road, a building partner with Lodgco, said the project must be approved before bidding begins.

“I’m a contractor and I build hotels, so I’m assuming I’d get the opportunity to bid on it,” he said.

CART is part of Michigan’s SmartZone program, which encourages the development of science and technology rather than traditional manufacturing. It was designated such in April 2001.

“That’s how it all started out,” Smith said.

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