The developer of SoHo Square expects to break ground a year from now on an upscale boutique hotel at the old Homewood City Hall site.
Scott Bryant of Cyprus Partners last month signed a contract with the City of Homewood to buy the property for $1.1 million, beating out other bidders for the highly coveted spot on 29th Avenue South in downtown Homewood.
Homewood City Councilwoman Allyn Krall, who serves on the facilities committee, said Bryant's proposal won out because it was the only one that didn't involve offices or condos, something downtown already has.
"A hotel is the missing piece of the pie in downtown Homewood," Krall said. "From what I've seen of the drawings Scott showed us, this hotel will be unique not only to Homewood but the entire area."
Bryant said Tuesday he has signed a tentative deal with the Winston Hotel Group and Starwood Hotels to bring a new concept called Aloft Hotels to the Homewood site. He said more details on the 106-room hotel including artist renderings will be released next week.
According to Starwood's Web site, the chain began building Aloft hotels earlier this year in mixed-use developments. The hotels feature "urban-inspired," loft-like guest rooms and focus on Generation X travelers, Starwood says.
Bryant said the hotel will be a perfect fit with SoHo Square, the $55 million development he opened last November with 72 condos and 13 specialty shops and restaurants. Tenants include Zoe's Kitchen, SoHo Sweets, Tria Market, Grey House Grille, Fusion Spa, Jackson's Bar & Bistro and Merle Norman.
The 45,000-square-foot development is already 85 percent leased with more shops opening this fall. Under the deal, Bryant will not get the deed for the Homewood site until Sept. 15, 2007, allowing the city to find a spot to relocate its Homewood Fire Station No. 1. Bryant then plans to get started on renovations, with the hotel tentatively set to open sometime in 2008.
Some city leaders see a hotel as enhancing SoHo Square, especially the new City Hall's floor of rental space that has attracted hundreds for events. The closest hotel is the Courtyard by Marriott along Lakeshore Drive.
Bryant proposed the idea two years ago when the city was considering uses for the old City Hall as well as other properties such as the fleet maintenance center and annexes off West Oxmoor Road. The city is considering buying land, some of which is owned by Cyprus Partners, along Central Avenue as a potential site for the fire station move. Homewood Fire Captain Rusty McCombs said a new fire station would require a 10,000-square-foot building.
Krall, the Homewood councilwoman, said Bryant's hotel project will be a catalyst for downtown's continued revitalization.
"We've got office buildings, shops and restaurants downtown, but this will draw more people to the city," she said. "A business traveler can bring along his wife and get a chance to eat, relax and shop at nice shops within walking distance of the hotel."
This would be the third project Bryant has undertaken in Homewood. In January, he began work on a $25 million complex with condominiums and shops at the corner of Broadway and Green Springs Highway. The project, called Broadway Park Condominiums, should be completed by next spring.
His firm last year bought a 1.3-acre parcel from the city between Broadway and old Broadway that terminated in front of a group of vacant apartments. Bryant said both apartment buildings, built in 1929, were torn down to make way for the development. Plans call for Broadway Place to have 68 condos and 10,000 to 12,000 square feet for shops.
All of the condos will have private balconies and patios, giving them more of a village look than SoHo, Bryant said. Bryant said the condo project is 60 percent leased. His Cyprus Partners is handling the sales.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006