FARMVILLE — The path for a new hotel on South Main at the former site of St. John’s Lutheran Church has been made smooth and clear.

The planning commission and town council took care of the project’s height needs following a joint public hearing on the related zoning change.

Nobody spoke against removing the 35-foot height restriction in the B-4 zone. In fact, no citizens spoke at all during the public hearing. The planning commission and town council subsequently spoke with their motions, seconds and votes.

Removing that limitation will allow the developer, David Francis, of Francis Hospitality Inc., to add two stories, a third and fourth floor, to the project. Doing so would likely push the height to approximately 55 feet.

The height for any project in the B-4 zone is now up to the discretion of town council.

“The height restriction would still be left up to council based on plans being submitted,” Town Manager Gerald Spates explained during last week’s regular March monthly meeting.

Though his conditional use permit application used the word “motel” Francis told The Herald that motel and hotel are used interchangeably, “but technically it’s going to be a hotel because it’s going to be greater than three stories in height. Typically, anything above two stories is a hotel and two stories or lower is a motel.”

Such was the significance of town council’s decision.

Francis anticipates breaking ground in August for what he describes as a 75 to 85-room hotel that will likely employ approximately 25 people.

The 2.127-acre property fronts South Main Street to the east and Peery Drive to the west. Francis said his research told him there was room for another hotel in Farmville and he was “very surprised that I could find that site and it was right there on (US) 15 so I thought the location was just a phenomenal location.”

“I’m very excited about coming into Farmville,” Francis told The Herald. “I have an extensive hotel background. I’m actually building, in Lynchburg, Comfort Inn & Suites right now, and I’m the former owner of the Best Western in Lynchburg. I just recently sold that.”

The Farmville project, he said, just came together perfectly, between the interest rates, the available site, and the community’s capacity to support another hotel.
“Farmville just has a great feel to it,” the former Best Western International board of directors member, and former Best Western board chairman, said. “It’s hard to explain. It has good karma.”

Now the town also has the amended zoning needed for the project.

An associated B-4 zoning amendment made by town council, with the planning commission’s recommendation, saw the word “shall” replaced by the word “may.”

Now, a conditional use permit may be required for each use. Such a permit is no longer required.