By Kristina Dufresne
Paris, Tenn.-A new Hampton Inn in Paris is one step closer.
The Paris Municipal Regional Planning Commission approved site plans for the Hampton Inn to be constructed at 1540 Mineral Wells Ave. in Paris, adjacent to Premier Nissan.
The site plan was submitted by VRL Hotels and Patrick Smith of L.I. Smith and Associates of Paris said the conceptual plans are under review by the Hilton company, but the new hotel will be one of the new branding concepts employed by Hilton. He said the Hampton Inn in Paris will be unique in that it will be one of the first new Hampton concepts.
Smith said, “Details are being reviewed, some modification may be done and we are nearly complete with construction level documents. Documents won’t be final until the building is constructed.”
The proposed hotel will consist of 12,911 sq. ft. with 72 rooms in a four story structure. City staff said the proposed site plan meets all parking requirements, however, there are additional parking spaces that vary from the 200 square foot spaces addressed in the city ordinance.
Due to the nature of the development being a hotel and the fact that this community experiences a lot of “boat trailer” traffic due to our proximity to the lake, there are additional spaces that are geared toward vehicles with boat trailers.
Smith told planners, “One the things the Developer wants is a row of parking to cater to boat trailers due to all the fishing tournaments Paris hosts.” He said that is one of the big reasons Paris needs a hotel in the local community: to accommodate all the tourists that come to the area, especially with all the fishing tournaments”
One of the issues of visiting fishermen is lack of space for their boats, he said, noting the Developer wants to fill that need. He said the developer also wants to utilize local tradesmen in the building project.
In November, the Paris City Commission approved rezoning of the parcel to allow the hotel construction.
Conceptual drawing provided by L.I. Smith and Associates.