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Hotels & Hospitality Development News in Central Florida

Deal with Belle Isle allows developer to move forward with new Wyndham Garden Hotel

Growthspotter
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This is the prototype for a 4-story Wyndham Garden hotel. Developer Thirumala Properties may have to tweak the design to comply with the city's height limit.

This is the prototype for a 4-story Wyndham Garden hotel. Developer Thirumala Properties may have to tweak the design to comply with the city's height limit. (Wyndham)

A three-year effort to bring a national hotel flag to Belle Isle is finally ready to bear fruit thanks to an agreement between the city and the developer.

Orlando hotelier JD Eligeti has filed construction plans with the city and St. Johns River Water Management District for the 110-room Wyndham Garden hotel at 2635 McCoy Rd. Eligeti purchased the nearly 10-acre site in 2016 for $1.2 million and sought approvals from the city for a hotel on the 5+ acres that were zoned for commercial use.

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“It started out as, they wanted to put a 5-story hotel there a few years ago and our Planning & Zoning board denied it,” City Manager Bob Francis explained. “Then they wanted wanted to put a park-n-fly and city denied that.”

Francis said the city wanted a 3-story height limit, but Eligeti said he couldn’t get a “good flag” with only three stories. Wyndham Garden is an upper midscale, select-service hotel with streamlined food and beverage and flexible meeting space.

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The owner agreed to donate nearly half the property to the city in order to buffer the residents from the 4-story Wyndham Garden hotel.

The owner agreed to donate nearly half the property to the city in order to buffer the residents from the 4-story Wyndham Garden hotel. (American Civil Engineering Co.)

“So we sat down and talked about it,” Francis said. “Early on that lot was split zoned, and he had opportunity to put some single family homes on back of that property. The city negotiated with the owner of the property and came up with a compromise that would allow him to get the four stories If he donated the rest of the land to the city.”

Eligeti agreed, and the land transacted on Oct. 3, providing the residents north of the project a 150-foot natural buffer from the hotel. Eligeti also must build a solid 8-foot high wall to separate the commercial property from the city-owned land.

“I would say this was a great compromise,” Francis said. “We have a need for hotel rooms with the way that Orlando is growing, and being right off the Beachline (Expressway) – it’s a great location.”

Now he’s waiting for final approvals for the building plans so he can start construction. Francis said the city set a strict height limitation of 48 feet for the building. Eligeti’s architect asked for an additional four feet for a parapet, but was denied.

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at lkinsler@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261, or tweet me at @LKinslerOGrowth. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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