Route 17 Hotel OK'd Despite Flooding Concerns

Home 2 Suites by Hilton got the approval from the Planning Board Thursday night to move forward with plans to convert an office building on Route 17 at Ottawa into a 145-unit hotel.

But the town planners said residents' list of concerns, largely focusing on flooding and traffic, must be met. 

Many residents and members of the board had concerns regarding how the hotel could affect the neighborhood. One of the main concerns was flooding —there have been some problems at the parking lot area and part of Ottawa which borders the property on the south side, residents said. 

The site plan engineer, Craig Stires, provided some detail as to how they may address the drainage at the site but told Planning Board members a full design had yet to be created.

Henry Dobelaar, chairman of the Planning Board said he was unsatisfied with the lack of plans for the drainage. The board agreed to approve the site plan provided the applicant work with the borough and its engineer on a drainage design that will resolve the area’s problems.

The building’s height will not change and the only addition to the building will be at the ground level where a 72 by 28 foot area would be constructed for an indoor pool.  In addition to the hotel units there will be about 9,000 square feet for office space and there will be no restaurant in the building, explained Neil Tanis, the project’s architect.

There were some concerns from the board regarding how deliveries would be made as there was not an area indicated for a loading dock. However Tanis suggested there will be an access door to the pool area that can be used for deliveries of pool equipment and food items.

Stires explained that the parking area will be resigned as they are looking to reduce the number of spaces down to 210, claiming that only one spot per unit would be needed as well as a designated number of spots for office space and other needs. By doing so he explained that they could add additional landscape to the property to “soften” the look and “enhance the neighborhood.

This landscaping plan includes a 20-foot area of trees and greenery at the back of the property to create a buffer zone between the parking lot and the rear of the properties along Hillside Avenue. One resident suggested the hotel build a fence as a border instead however it was stated that this could create another issue as many of those homes already have fences they may not wish to remove.

The Planning Board also put in a condition that the dumpster area located at the back corner of the property be fenced in and locked. In addition, the timing of when garbage can be collected must be changed to daytime hours so that neighboring residents are not disturbed by the noise of garbage trucks in the middle of the night.

To eliminate residents’ concerns  for traffic on Ottawa Avenue, the Planning Board put in the condition that there be no right hand turn access from the exit on to the residential street.

The two driveways that currently exist on Route 17 will remain, and are to be used as the main access points to the site for motorists, Stires explained.