Special exception granted for six-story hotel

March 7, 2008

Special exception granted for six-story hotel

By Leah Square
leah.square@mcherald.com

Members of the Ridgeland Planning and Zoning Board voted Thursday to recommend that city officials approve a special exception and conditional use permit for a six-story hotel.

In a unanimous decision, the zoning board recommended the petition for Hyatt Place Hotel be approved by the Board of Aldermen. The earliest aldermen can consider Hyatt’s petition is March 18, at their regularly scheduled meeting, city Community Development Director Alan Hart has said.

Located in mixed-use development Renaissance at Colony Park, hotel construction is ongoing and is expected to be complete this fall.

The special exception and conditional use would allow developers to build the hotel higher than four stories tall, which is the maximum height allowance on a building in a C-4 zone.

Site plans for Hyatt were first approved by the zoning board in May 2006, but the meeting did not meet the criteria for a public hearing because there was no public notice -- making Thursday’s public hearing necessary.

Renaissance developer H.C. “Buster” Bailey said he was optimistic about the outcome of Thursday’s hearing since an exception was granted unanimously by the zoning board in 2006.