Prospect Park hotel to start construction
The four-star hotel will receive a 4,000 square foot extension and is aimed to host hospital patients and visiting University faculty.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the size of the new hotel. The Hilton was approved for a 4,000-square-foot extension last week.
CPM Development will begin construction of a four-star hotel next week in Prospect Park, though the building will be bigger than developers originally planned.
After a meeting with the Minneapolis City Planning Commission earlier this month, CPM earned approval to build a 4,000-square-foot extension to a Hilton DoubleTree hotel going up on the intersection of Huron Boulevard Southeast and Essex Street Southeast. Some harbor concerns that the extended-stay establishment may not be the best addition to the surrounding community.
The hotel is intended to primarily host University of Minnesota faculty and staff as well as extended-stay guests visiting the University’s new Ambulatory Care Center, CPM owner Daniel Oberpriller said.
The city’s 10-day discussion period ended last week, giving CPM the go-ahead to begin construction, said Minneapolis City Planner Aaron Hanauer.
The hotel won’t host any additional businesses, but it will provide its own Hilton restaurant for guests, Oberpriller said.
The hotel will also serve University of Minnesota Medical Center visitors, said Richard Bolan, Humphrey School of Public Affairs land use
planning emeritus professor.
Still, Bolan said he doesn’t think the hotel will get much use from visiting faculty members and researchers, who usually tend to stay in less expensive areas.
“It doesn’t have to be a four- or five-star hotel,” Bolan said. “They’re not looking for entertainment, but a decent meal at a moderate price.”
University officials like Capital Planning and Project Management Planning Director Monique MacKenzie are worried the hotel will block traffic traveling along Huron Boulevard Southeast, a street that leads to the freeway.
“We’re not convinced that the city has done enough to consider the impacts on transportation in the area,” she said.
Bolan said he thinks the DoubleTree will be competitive with the Commons Hotel along Washington Avenue Southeast because the latter may attract visiting researchers who want to stay closer to the Green Line light rail and the University’s science and engineering buildings.
But the hotel likely won’t house visiting faculty members working on the West Bank campus, Bolan said, because they’re more likely to stay at the nearby Courtyard Marriott hotel.
Still, he said he thinks CPM sees the hotel as a safe investment.
“They probably see a future for at least five years because they will want to make their money back,” he said, adding that visitors will probably go to cheaper restaurants nearby before paying for hotel meals.
Construction on the hotel is expected to be completed by fall of next year, Oberpriller said.
Reported by: MNDaily.com
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the size of the new hotel. The Hilton was approved for a 4,000-square-foot extension last week.
CPM Development will begin construction of a four-star hotel next week in Prospect Park, though the building will be bigger than developers originally planned.
After a meeting with the Minneapolis City Planning Commission earlier this month, CPM earned approval to build a 4,000-square-foot extension to a Hilton DoubleTree hotel going up on the intersection of Huron Boulevard Southeast and Essex Street Southeast. Some harbor concerns that the extended-stay establishment may not be the best addition to the surrounding community.
The hotel is intended to primarily host University of Minnesota faculty and staff as well as extended-stay guests visiting the University’s new Ambulatory Care Center, CPM owner Daniel Oberpriller said.
The city’s 10-day discussion period ended last week, giving CPM the go-ahead to begin construction, said Minneapolis City Planner Aaron Hanauer.
The hotel won’t host any additional businesses, but it will provide its own Hilton restaurant for guests, Oberpriller said.
The hotel will also serve University of Minnesota Medical Center visitors, said Richard Bolan, Humphrey School of Public Affairs land use
planning emeritus professor.
Still, Bolan said he doesn’t think the hotel will get much use from visiting faculty members and researchers, who usually tend to stay in less expensive areas.
“It doesn’t have to be a four- or five-star hotel,” Bolan said. “They’re not looking for entertainment, but a decent meal at a moderate price.”
University officials like Capital Planning and Project Management Planning Director Monique MacKenzie are worried the hotel will block traffic traveling along Huron Boulevard Southeast, a street that leads to the freeway.
“We’re not convinced that the city has done enough to consider the impacts on transportation in the area,” she said.
Bolan said he thinks the DoubleTree will be competitive with the Commons Hotel along Washington Avenue Southeast because the latter may attract visiting researchers who want to stay closer to the Green Line light rail and the University’s science and engineering buildings.
But the hotel likely won’t house visiting faculty members working on the West Bank campus, Bolan said, because they’re more likely to stay at the nearby Courtyard Marriott hotel.
Still, he said he thinks CPM sees the hotel as a safe investment.
“They probably see a future for at least five years because they will want to make their money back,” he said, adding that visitors will probably go to cheaper restaurants nearby before paying for hotel meals.
Construction on the hotel is expected to be completed by fall of next year, Oberpriller said.
Reported by: MNDaily.com
