New 6-story hotel proposed for Pensacola bayfront clears final hurdle

A six-story hotel on Gregory Street that overlooks Bayfront Parkway cleared its final hurdle Tuesday with the Pensacola Planning Board unanimously approving the new building's design.

Commercial real estate development company Kerioth Corporation is proposing to build a six-story, 132-room Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel at 801 E. Gregory St.

The Pensacola City Council approved granting the project a license to use city right-of-way on 13th Avenue and DeLeon Street in October.

In terms of city board review, the final hurdle for the project came Tuesday with the planning board's aesthetic review of the proposed hotel. The location for the proposed hotel is in the Gateway Redevelopment District, which is one of the few districts in the city where buildings are subject to an aesthetic review by the planning board. Most other districts in the city that require aesthetic reviews are under the jurisdiction of the city's Architectural Review Board.

Board members approved the design of the hotel with the condition that a lighter blue color be used on the building. The main concern of the board members centered on a heritage tree on the property where new parking spaces are set to be built.

Kerioth CEO Clint Herring said they are awaiting the city arborist's opinion on the tree but believe after years of people parking on the tree's roots, the tree is in the process of dying "a slow death."

Previously: New 6-story hotel proposed for Pensacola bayfront wants public property for private parking

The board asked to be kept informed on the decision made about the tree.

With the planning board's approval, the project must go through the remaining city permitting process before construction can begin.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Homewood Suites by Hilton slated for downtown Pensacola