Developer of Wyndham extended-stay hotel behind Blue Ridge Mall hears from residents

Dean Hensley, Hendersonville Times-News
·4 min read

HENDERSONVILLE - A developer wanting to build a four-story, extended-stay Wyndham Echo Suites brand hotel behind the Blue Ridge Mall answered questions from concerned residents living near the site on Jan. 29 at a neighborhood compatibility meeting at the City Operations Center.

Philip Cox of Mitch Cox Companies in Johnson City, Tennessee, and his team heard residents express their concerns over noise, possible crime, increased traffic and drainage issues. Cox said he and his staff took interest in the site after they got a call about a year ago from the Blue Ridge Mall Development Group, which is based out of Augusta, Georgia, he said. The mall and the 1.4-acre site for the hotel is owned by James Hull Jr.

Resident Jim Thompson speaks during a neighborhood compatibility meeting on Jan. 29 at the City Operations Center about a proposed hotel to be built behind Blue Ridge Mall.
Resident Jim Thompson speaks during a neighborhood compatibility meeting on Jan. 29 at the City Operations Center about a proposed hotel to be built behind Blue Ridge Mall.

"They were looking to develop some parcels they had at several of their malls. Hendersonville was a market that we were already actively involved in (Universal Lakewood Apartments), so they presented this location for us. We felt like it was a great fit for the market," Cox said.

But many of the approximately 25 residents in attendance did not agree. Jim Thompson said his home is 401 feet from the site and said if it's built it will "bring in trouble."

"Putting a real tall building in that area will block our view," he said. "And I don't see how you're going to get 124 parking places in that area. It is now a drainage problem. Right below you there's a lake, and every time it rains, it's a real problem."

Philip Cox, center, of Mitch Cox Companies, and his team listen as residents speak during a neighborhood compatibility meeting on Jan. 29 about a proposed hotel to be built behind Blue Ridge Mall.
Philip Cox, center, of Mitch Cox Companies, and his team listen as residents speak during a neighborhood compatibility meeting on Jan. 29 about a proposed hotel to be built behind Blue Ridge Mall.

Thompson did thank the developer for considering his hometown for the project but asked that it be built elsewhere in the city.

"We are thankful for your interest in Hendersonville, but we hope you'll look around. They are other places that won't disturb this many people," he said. "I'm retired. Everyone in here is over 55. We don't need the anxiousness that will shorten our lives."

One of the residents who lives on George Street, Kathy Kanupp, said she operates five hotels in the Hendersonville area and said she was actually in favor of the project.

More: Extended-stay, 4-story 124-room hotel proposed behind Hendersonville's Blue Ridge Mall

"The only concerns I have are about safety," she said. "You address there is not a problem with the homeless. Dude, I hear them all night long in the mall parking lot now. You are backing up basically to my property. Will there be a security fence from the back of the mall up to the Freeman Street area? Will you put a 12-foot privacy fence up or something?"

Cox said there would be a retaining wall and also a natural buffer of trees. As far as safety, Cox said all of his hotel properties "run a tight ship" and have staff on duty 24 hours a day.

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Longtime resident Leah Ryel lives right at the edge of where the hotel and its parking lot will be built.

"There must be a restrictive code limiting how close to an existing homeowners development a proposed hotel can be located," she said. "Surely it wouldn't be allowed to abut our backyard."

Cox said the preliminary site plan does meet those requirements. Other residents kept urging Cox to find another place in town, but he and his team reiterated the fact that they felt like this piece of property was the best fit for the market.

"This is the commercial corridor. That piece of property is going to get developed. If it's not a hotel, it's going to be something else, I assure you of that. This is your opportunity to work with the developers," he said.

Tyler Morrow, a planner with the city of Hendersonville, outlined all the steps in the project's process, and they were as follows:

  • Preliminary plan deadline is due the first Friday of the month, Feb. 2.

  • Meeting with the Tree Board on Feb. 20 at the City Operations Center.

  • Meeting with the Planning Board on March 14 at the City Operations Center.

  • Presentation to the City Council on April 4 at the City Operations Center.

"The Planning Board and Tree Board will both make recommendations that will be reviewed by City Council," Morrow said. "At both the Planning Board and City Council meetings, public comment will be heard on this item. City Council is the last step in the conditional rezoning process. City Council will review the project and the recommendations from the Tree Board and Planning Board and will give consideration to public comments before ultimately making the decision on rezoning."

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Residents in uproar over proposed hotel behind Blue Ridge Mall