Developers moving ahead with Canton hotel projects

Construction is underway at the site of the Hilton Garden Inn project on Royall Street (photo taken in May 2018). Michelle Stark photo

Although it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing to this point, the development teams behind Canton’s two newest hotel proposals remain committed to their respective projects and are forging ahead with construction plans after a series of unexpected delays.

Both proposed hotels — a Hilton Garden Inn on Royall Street and a Best Western on Turnpike Street — have been successful in securing the necessary local approvals but have been slowed by a variety of factors, including site work challenges and design changes.

Of the two projects, the Hilton Garden Inn is the further along, albeit more than a year behind the original timeline outlined by the hotel’s owner at a ceremonial groundbreaking in October 2017. During that event, David Roedel, CEO of the New Hampshire-based Roedel Companies, projected that vertical construction would commence by April 2018 with an opening planned for sometime this spring.

The new projected opening date, according to Roedel, is the summer of 2020, although the company is “consistently looking for ways in which to speed up the process.”

“The foundation is now underway,” Roedel said in an email last week. “Once complete, it will be surveyed and approved by the town and then a building permit will be issued.”

Roedel said plans still call for the construction of a 138-room hotel with “modern, deluxe event space and a signature, concept restaurant.” The restaurant, which does not yet have a name, will be bar centric and feature “classic American fare.” Additionally, there will be three “upscale private dinning rooms” that will also be used for boardrooms.

“Both the restaurant and event space will spill onto a beautiful courtyard area with fire pits, soft and dining seating with the option of live outdoor music and outdoor bar service,” said Roedel.

Spearheaded by Boston Mutual Life Insurance Co. in partnership with Roedel Companies, the new Hilton Garden Inn will be situated on a three-acre parcel nestled between Boston Mutual’s headquarters and the former Reebok property — and just down the road from Homewood Suites, another Hilton branded hotel property. Roedel Companies will construct, own and operate the new hotel while Boston Mutual will retain ownership of the land under a separate subsidiary.

With regard to the recent construction delays, Roedel said the site work package proved to be more extensive than originally thought, causing delays into the summer of 2018. “At that point,” he said, “permanent bank financing was delayed due to market conditions, but the construction debt was closed in the fall.”

Meanwhile, about five miles south of the Hilton Garden Inn site — near the Stoughton end of the Route 138 corridor — plans are still underway to construct a Best Western hotel on land behind Prestige Car Wash & Gas at 925 Turnpike Street. The developers are Ronen and Nir Drory of Titanium Group LLC, who also own Prestige.

Besides the hotel, Titanium has also secured approval to construct an automotive repair garage and collision center on the south side of the parcel. The Best Western will be built on the north side and is expected to consist of 90 rooms — down from the 100 originally proposed — as well as a restaurant.

The site itself has been the subject of numerous failed development attempts over the years, including a regional headquarters for General Motors, a warehouse facility, a multi-purpose “sports bubble,” and a basketball facility proposed by former Boston Celtic Dana Barros that was instead constructed just a few miles south on Route 138 in Stoughton.

In each of these instances, the applicant received the necessary approvals but encountered financial obstacles. This time, however, both Titanium Group and the hotel operator are sufficiently motivated and have the resources to make it work, according to Paul Schneiders, attorney for the developer.

Originally proposed more than two and a half years ago, the project encountered delays during the permitting process as the zoning board awaited a written commitment from a reputable hotel operator, which turned out to be Best Western. The ZBA had also objected to the operator’s preference to build an extended stay model and included, as a condition of the site plan approval, that the hotel be built as a standard model without containing kitchenettes in the rooms.

According to Schneiders, one of the primary reasons for the construction delay since his clients obtained the approvals has been the shift from extended stay to standard, which requires a change in footprint and an updating of plans. Schneiders said they will be going back to the ZBA for approval of these modifications; however, they are already on the clock, so to speak, after receiving a six-month extension last month on a variance for lot size. (The 10-acre requirement for hotels has since been reduced to two acres by a vote at town meeting, but the original variance was granted prior to the bylaw changes, thus necessitating an extension.)

Under current state law, only one six-month extension can be granted for variances and the approved permits must be utilized during that period; otherwise the developer would have to start over and re-file. In the meantime, the developer must show demonstrable progress and there has to be a reasonable continuation of the project. “You can’t just start it and walk away from it,” Schneiders explained.

In the case of this project, Schneiders said his client is likely starting with the collision center and has already pulled the foundation permit for that structure. The team will then seek approval for a modified hotel footprint before moving on to the construction phase for that portion of the project.

While it is not likely to be finished overnight, Schneiders expressed confidence that a Best Western would indeed be coming to that property sometime in the foreseeable future. “I think Best Western is committed and I think [Titanium Group] is committed,” he said.

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