SOUTHLAKE--A zoning change and site plan for a 161,000-square-foot hotel, conference center and indoor race track facility got a thumbs up from the Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 9.
The next stop will be the City Council on Aug. 21 for the first of two readings.The city's second hotel is proposed on 15.5 acres at the northwest corner of Kimball Avenue and Texas 114.The facility would have 175 rooms, a 23,000-square-foot conference center and a 48,000-square-foot indoor race track with electric cars, said Jeff Medici, of C.H.O.C. Development, the developer of the project. There would also be a standalone, high-end restaurant.The race cars would be capable of speeds up to 40 mph and the drivers would wear flame retardant suits and helmets just like professionals. Medici envisions the race track being used by companies for team-building exercises during the week and parties on the weekend."Our primary customer is, we feel, going to be the corporate traveler," Medici said. "We do think that this site is a very good site for a five-story hotel."Other features include a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, a ballroom and meeting space for wedding receptions, conventions or corporate meetings.However, property owners on Cherry Lane just to the west aren't jumping on board.Southlake resident John Reynal said he's concerned about noise from late-night parties and live outdoor concerts spilling over to his rental property that backs up to the site. He said his duplex is popular with single mothers who want to keep their children in Carroll ISD."This is a convention center. It's a one-trick amusement park," Reynal told commissioners. "No one's going to want to rent next to the back of a bar."Cherry Lane resident Kimberly Harris submitted a letter opposing the project."We don't want the added traffic headaches and we don't want people to be able to see into our backyards from their hotel rooms," Harris said. "This would be an eyesore and ruin the pleasant appearance and quiet surroundings of the area."Medici already agreed to move a dumpster so it doesn't back up to the homes and said the tree buffer should be thick enough to prevent any line of sight into the homes."For our neighbors on Cherry Lane, we are willing to do whatever we can do to alleviate some of their concerns," he said.Several other residents submitted cards or spoke in support of the project.Commissioners want more architectural enhancements on the west side of the five-story tower so it doesn't look like a big red cube as people drive eastbound on the highway."I'm pretty sure that's going to come up at council," Commissioner Michael Springer said.Assisted living centerJust to the north, commissioners unanimously approved a zoning change, site plan and replat for Silver Ridge Assisted Living on 5 acres on Kirkwood Boulevard just east of Gateway Church. The 33,713-square-foot facility will have three separate buildings for assisted living, memory care and a respite care/chapel.The assisted living component will have 30 beds in 24 rooms. The memory care facility will have 22 beds in 14 rooms with a secured outdoor courtyard.It will overlook the lake to the east with trails and a gazebo.Business partners David Keener and Keith Kithsiri decided to build the facility after their personal experience with Alzheimer's disease.Both Kithsiri's parents developed memory problems at the same time, sending him on a frantic search for a facility."Most of them I wouldn't consider putting my parents in," he told commissioners. "I was lucky enough to quit my job and take care of my parents for six years with my sister."When they died, he met Keener, whose dad had been diagnosed.From there, Kithsiri said it became his life's work to make sure seniors receive "compassionate care." They've already opened one facility in Colleyville, where Keener's father is living, and they have another under construction in that city.Carroll administration buildingCommissioners also approved a site plan for the renovation of the old Carroll Middle School into the new Carroll administration building at 1101 E. Dove Road.The $5.1 million remodel includes a new entrance and canopy in front of the building, a service yard with a driveway on the west side and a loading dock on the east side with another driveway.Workers have started gutting the building and the school district plans to finish by December, said Derek Citty, associate superintendent of administrative services. That way, administrators could move over the winter break from the current office, 3051 Dove Road in Grapevine, to the new office.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
