By Sam Prickett
After adjusting to local concerns and criticism, plans for a new, full-service hotel in Homewood are moving forward.
The four-and-a-half-star hotel – as well as an accompanying spa – is slated to be built on the corner of 28th Avenue South and 18th Street South, the former location of Hatfield Auto, Little Professor Bookstore and Wolf Camera. Capstone Companies founder Michael Mouron bought the property last year and announced his plans to build the hotel in April.
Initially, Mouron said he had intended for the space to be dedicated to single-story retail businesses, because there would be enough parking spaces to attract regional and national retailers.
But once he bought the property, Mouron cooled on the idea.
“I began to think that just to do one-story retail, and to surround that with a sea of parking would just have been an inappropriate use for too valuable a piece of property,” he said. “It would have just continued the long, low retail stretch (on 18th Street), and I thought there needed to be more of an anchor in that important location.” He was inspired by the impact the Grand Bohemian Hotel has had on Mountain Brook since it opened in 2015, and he said he was motivated to build “the equivalent of that” in Homewood.
The hotel is planned to be part of Hilton’s “Curio Collection,” an upscale brand launched by the hotel chain in 2014. There are more than 30 Curio Collection hotels worldwide.
Mouron’s initial plan for the hotel featured a two-story section and a seven-story section, which included 127 rooms, a restaurant and a bar. That design was unanimously rejected by the Homewood Planning Commission on July 11 due to concerns that the structure was too tall and did not allow for enough parking for restaurant patrons.
In response, Mouron altered the design of the hotel to five stories, with the changed layout actually increasing the hotel’s capacity to 129 rooms. It’s now a similar height to the SoHo development just a few blocks away, Mouron said. The parking issue, meanwhile, is being addressed by plans to buy a lot on the corner of 27th Avenue South and 18th Place South.
Those changes led to the project being approved by the Homewood Planning Commission on Aug. 1. Following that, the plans advanced to the Homewood City Council’s Planning and Development Committee, which unanimously approved the site plan. The next step, Mouron said, will come from a vote to rezone the property, on which the council as a whole will vote Sept. 11.
The planned development won’t just benefit those staying at the hotel. The restaurant and bar will be open to the public, as will the planned full-service spa, which will be built on the location of the former Wolf Camera. Mouron said he had hoped to avoid tearing down the existing building, but his plans for the spa probably will require a two-story building.
Mouron said he believes there is strong demand for a spa in Homewood.
“I’m very excited about bringing a full-service spa to the Over the Mountain communities, and I think it will prove to be a very popular amenity … . It will go a long way as far as setting the tone as far as the quality and sophistication that I expect out of the hotel,” he said.
Greening the City
Mouron said he also is aware of the movement to increase green space in Homewood. In recent months, the community activist group Homewood GreenSpace Initiative has been gathering support for a “greening” plan for the city’s downtown area. Mouron said he plans for the hotel to contribute to that movement.
Mouron said that, if his company had built retail, “what it would have been was probably retail pulled right up to the sidewalk, with parking behind it. There would have been little opportunity for significant green space,” he said.
“By doing the hotel and spa, as I’m planning on doing, and pulling elements of that building back (from the sidewalk), then I really have pockets where I can do more intense green space and landscaping, and I think become more of a green anchor.” The spa, for instance, will have a landscaped courtyard in front, thanks to city plans to add diagonal street parking to 18th Street.
“There will be this nice, big development with a good bit of green, and I think that’ll be a very positive and appropriate front door for Homewood,” Mouron said.
Economic Impact
Mouron also hopes to emphasize the economic impact the proposed hotel will have on the city. According to a post on the Friends of Homewood Hotel Facebook page, organized by Mouron to keep Homewood business owners and residents updated on the project’s progress, the hotel will employ approximately 57 full-time employees “as well as an undetermined number of part-time employees.” The project is also estimated to generate $750,000 in tax revenue for the city annually.
The Facebook page also emphasizes the new customers the hotel will attract to other local businesses.
“I think it’s a great addition to the central business district,” said Andrea Snyder, owner of local restaurant Urban Cookhouse, in a video posted to the page. “I’m excited about all the customers it’s going to bring to the area, and I’m proud to be a part of Homewood, where we are progressive and forward-thinking.”
Construction on the hotel and spa will likely begin in February or March of next year, Mouron said, with a planned opening of spring 2019. ❖