Hilton Garden Inn under consideration along Sweetwater Ranch Boulevard in Estero
After a pause during final approval in 2020 and then the Covid-19 pandemic, a Hilton Garden Inn is coming back up for consideration in Estero.
An Ohio-based company proposes a five-story, 115 room hotel on a 2.16-acre parcel at 8009 Sweetwater Ranch Blvd. Coconut Estero Investment Partners LLC adjusted its plans to meet 2021 Village of Estero Land Development Code (LDC) and reduced the number of off-site parking it wants in order to satisfy village planners.
If approved by the Planning Zoning and Design Board, the more than 70,800 square-foot-hotel will be located at the southwest corner of Via Villagio and Sweetwater Ranch Boulevard adjacent to the Estero Fire Station, within the Coconut Point Mixed Use Planned Development. The board will consider the proposed hotel Tuesday, Nov. 14 at its regular meeting.
Coconut Estero Investment Partners paid $1.425 million for the property in August 2018, according to property records.
What stalled the project before COVID?
The Village Council approved the hotel use and deviations for the building height and architectural features in 2018. The owner and council didn't agree on the deviations at the time and the application was put on hold because of COVID.
Since then, "we have met or exceeded all those deviations," Shawn Boysko, Design Build Manager from Hilliard, Ohio-based Equity Construction, told the board during a workshop Oct. 10.
"We worked hard the past year to try to gain everybody's acceptance of what we think the best solution is, and this is what we think is the best solution," Boysko said.
Boysko laid out four updated items since 2020 including an updated traffic impact study, electric vehicle charges, building colorization; mid-block charging and off-street parking; five stories instead of seven; additional landscaping.
Parking across the street at Marketplace at Coconut Point, which is under development, was a sticking point for board member Jim Wallace. He wanted assurances that the spaces will be designed and marked for employees only.
" Absolutely yes," Boysko said. The company reduced the number of off-property parking spaces to 15 from 50.
The hotel has South Florida Water Management approval that is still valid, Boysko said.
Hilton Garden Inn – what are they? Amenities in Estero
Considered a mid-scale hotel brand, Hilton Garden Inns are known to have porte-cochere, a front desk, a garden-themed lobby lounge, and a bar-restaurant area, plus, a Pavilion Pantry, which is a 24-hour convenience market with snacks, beverages, and microwavable items.
Hilton Garden Inns are independently owned and operated under franchise agreements and usually located in key destination areas such as business districts and airports. The proposed Estero location is 12 miles southwest of Southwest Florida International Airport.
Amenities will include a fitness center, meeting rooms, pool with patio, casual dining, bar with outdoor lounge, port cochere and public bike racks, according to a site plan by Naples- and Fort Myers-based civil engineer Hole Montes Inc, now part of Bowman.
Village staff is recommending approval of the Development Order for the hotel with eight stipulations, according to planning documents.
They include that a sidewalk connection be made including crosswalks to the offsite parking lot; specifics about pool fencing and generator and trash bin enclosure height; lighting fixtures that comply with the LDC; monument sign that meets the Coconut Point design pattern; and added water quality treatment volume based on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection designation of Halfway Creek as impaired for nutrients.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Estero may see new Hilton Garden Inn near Sweetwater Ranch
