Town Council Advances Hotel Project

At its Monday night meeting the council approved a special-use permit for construction of the five-story 51,100 square foot hotel, temporarily called the Franklin Hotel.

The planned hotel will have 66 rooms and will be built in the place of the abandoned Carolina Trailways bus station on the corner of West Franklin and Kenan streets.

"One criticism of hotels in general is that they are mainly low-wage jobs," council member Bill Strom said at the Monday night meeting.

The project was proposed by two brothers from Greenville, Robert and Richard Capps.

Capps said the Franklin Hotel will employ about 30 to 35 staffers.

Design of the structure will be overseen by Chapel Hill architect Josh Gurlitz. "The town has given us great consideration, we've gone through many boards and commissions," he said.

Gurlitz added that the project is slated to begin in the spring and will take about a year to complete.

Developer Charlie Johnson of Johnson Company in Catawba, said, "(Gurlitz) is a great architect, he's local, and we like to keep business as local as possible."

Johnson, who has been developing hotels for 38 years, will oversee hotel furnishings, fixtures, equipment and interior design, as well as employee hiring.

At the meeting, council members addressed requirements and guidelines for construction of the hotel.

Some were concerned about whether the hotel would comply with the town's structure height, traffic and parking ordinances.

Concerns about the structure's compliance with height restrictions were the most prevalent.

But Gurlitz said developers have already taken height restrictions into consideration.

"We're actually located in a valley, so we probably will be lower than Top of the Hill," he said.

Gurlitz said the hotel will include an underground parking deck to ease traffic and parking problems.

Council members also expressed concerns about proper drainage at the site.

Council members added that the anticipated increase of pedestrian activity in the hotel area might aid in the approval of a previously rejected proposal for a midblock crosswalk.

Residents, who also had previously voiced concerns about the height of the building and traffic and parking problems, said some of their fears had been allayed. "I think we've already overcome that with the vote tonight," a Chapel Hill resident said.

The Capps brothers, Gurlitz and Johnson will make a collaborative decision about which contractor will complete construction of the hotel.

Gurlitz added that the hotel will include two meeting rooms, a catering kitchen and valet parking.

"It is really a wonderful challenge to work on as an architect."

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