The Observer Newspapers |Hotel will Jump Start Downtown Development

August 8 , 2008

Hotel will Jump Start Downtown Development

To the editor:

I just got back from having diner at Anita's. As I was driving home, I tried to envision what the Diamond Properties hotel would look like when it is done. Then I compared that mental picture to what currently sits on the land. The contrast between these two images is truly dramatic.

I remember earlier this year when JPI submitted its proposal to build hundreds of apartments downtown. For reasons we may never fully know or understand, JPI pulled the plug.

Now Diamond Properties comes before the town with a plan to build a hotel—a plan that was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission, a plan that includes conservative estimates of annual tax revenue to the town of more than $700,000, a plan that has been modified numerous times to try and meet the expectations and requirements that a project like this rightfully has.

Make no mistake. The actual construction phase of a project like this will be a headache for many people. However, in this case the payoff for the inconvenience will be almost immediate and could be no more than two years away.

We must not let another opportunity slip through our fingers. Now is the time for the Town Council to make its contribution and keep this project moving forward when the Council considers the plan at the public hearing scheduled for Aug. 12. I am cautiously optimistic that they will follow the recommendations of town staff, the Planning Commission and everyone who has expressed their support for this project.

No matter how you feel about this project, I hope many of you will take the time to evaluate what is being proposed and let the mayor and Town Council know your opinion.

John Neil

Herndon