Developer proposes boutique hotel near Interstate 84 in Southington
SOUTHINGTON — For the second time in three years, a Hartford County developer is aiming to build a boutique hotel on an empty lot near Interstate 84.
Jaymin Mehta, the developer behind GLNK LLC, is seeking town approval to construct the 54-room hotel at 17 West St., according to an application filed with the town’s planning and zoning department.
The proposal marks the second time Mehta has sought to build a hotel on the one-acre site. In 2019, the developer submitted an application to construct a similar five-story hotel at the same location.
But archived meeting minutes show the proposal did not move forward at the time due to concerns among town officials about the building’s size and impact on the community.
The recently proposal is smaller than the hotel described in the original application, site plans show. The building would feature just three floors and about 22,600 square-feet of space.
According to the application, the 54 single-room units would each include either one or two beds. At least six of the hotel rooms will be accessible to people with disabilities, plans show.
If approved, the boutique hotel would feature a lounge, marketplace for sundries, small gym, laundry room and office space on the ground floor.
The building would be served by 55 parking spaces, including three spaces for people who have a disability. A traffic report filed with the town projected the hotel would generate about 430 vehicle trips a day.
“Based on our analysis, it is our professional opinion that the traffic volume associated with the proposed development can readily be accommodated by the existing roadway network,” traffic engineers with F.A. Hesketh & Associates wrote in the report.
The town’s conservation commission has already signed off on the project and the proposal has been endorsed by the fire department under the condition a fire hydrant is installed in front of the building, according to town documents.
The project, however, has faced some push back from local residents. Town documents show that at least three people have written to the town expressing concerns about the hotel.
Michael Scavetta, who lives in a home adjacent to the proposed site, told officials in an email that he was worried the building would not be a good fit for the largely-residential neighborhood.
“We understood when we bought the house something would be going on that lot but never in our wildest dreams would we imagine a hotel sleeping 54+ people,” he wrote.
The proposal is slated to go before the Southington Planning and Zoning Commission at 7 p.m on Tuesday. A representative for Mehta did not respond to a request for comment.
