Four Hotels planned for Brunswick County

Northern Brunswick County is hoping to give Wilmington's hotel industry some competition with more than 400 new rooms within the next year or more.

Developers are planning four new hotels along the growing U.S. 17 corridor south of Wilmington. Two have received municipal approval and expect to break ground within the next few months.

The proposals are for a Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Waterford, a Comfort Suites in Magnolia Greens, a Best Western in West Gate and a Hampton Inn in Brunswick Forest.

The commercial and residential growth around Leland is a natural precursor to hotels in this underserved area, said Steven Arp, manager of Success Properties LLC, which is planning the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites.

"I think it also complements the downtown (Wilmington) area," he said. "Wilmington continues to grow and so do the snarls of the traffic. If I'm going to be going downtown (for business) it's a hop, skip and a jump away."

An official from InterContinental Hotels Group, which owns the Holiday Inn Express brand, said the company considers Leland an "emerging growth market."

"There are corporate and civic demand drivers in the market, including Verizon, the Wilmington Port Authority, Cape Fear Hospital and Cape Fear Community College, that we expect to drive business to the hotel," said Caroline Sanfilippo, coordinator of corporate communications for IHG.

The town of Belville has approved a 101-room, three-story Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites for the Waterford area off Gregory Road, Arp said. He expects construction to start this spring with an estimated opening of spring 2009.

The 56,300-square-foot, all-brick hotel will feature a two-story atrium and an outdoor, heated pool recessed into the building for year-round swimming, he said.

Bert Exum, Waterford's developer, is selling 2.5 acres to Arp's group for the hotel. Both said they expect the real estate transaction to close today.

The other three planned hotels are all in the town of Leland.

Officials have approved plans for a 106-room, three-story Comfort Suites to be located at 1020 Grandiflora Drive in Magnolia Greens. Leland Holdings LLC expects to open the 57,042-square-foot hotel in spring 2009, said Rex Thomas, a Raleigh-based consultant on the project.

Sankey Properties LLC of Clarkton is proposing a 100-room, five-story Best Western in the West Gate community on Towne Lake Drive. The plan has been before Leland's Technical Review Committee but has not yet been approved by town officials.

"We don't think there are any outstanding issues there that we haven't addressed or can't be addressed easily," said Mike McLeod, the Hampstead-based architect for the project, adding that the developer is still waiting for Best Western to sign off on the proposal.

The proposed hotel will have a stone or brick base with stucco on its upper exterior, he said.

The developer is also proposing a separate 5,524-square-foot restaurant on the site, according to plans filed with Leland. McLeod said his client is seeking a familiar franchise with casual, sit-down family dining, such as IHOP.

He added that the "new town environment out there" and proximity to Wilmington attracted his client.

Several Leland officials said they have talked to representatives from Brunswick Forest about a proposal for a Hampton Inn within the community, although they have not received any submissions on the project. A site plan on Brunswick Forest's Web site shows the proposed hotel to be located near the Lanvale Road Extension entrance to the community at the intersection with Brunswick Village Boulevard.

Hampton Inn has committed to be part of the 160-acre The Villages at Brunswick Forest, the commercial area of Brunswick Forest, said Karen Cerrati, account supervisor with Spirer Communications, the Hilton Head, S.C.-based advertising agency representing Brunswick Forest. The hotel will have 100 rooms, she added.

Judy Royal: 343-2019

judy.royal@starnewsonline.com

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