The Whitewater Planning and Architectural Review Commission approved a proposal to develop a hotel on Whitewater’s west side.
If approved, a 45 ft. tall, three-story, 70-room  Fairfield by Marriott hotel will  be built at 1260 W. Main St., south of the former Sentry grocery store.
Troy Hoekstra is the real estate developer and managing partner for Whitewater Hotel Partners (WWHP) who proposed the project.
WWHP plans to purchase the property, currently owned by the Whitewater Foundation, discussed at the Sept. 11 Planning Commission meeting.
Whitewater City Planner and Neighborhood Services director Christine Munz-Pritchard said the city’s involvement going forward is limited to regulatory matters.
“This is not a city-run project, rather a private developer,” Munz-Pritchard said, “In general, the city can guide development through land uses, zoning and city code.”
WWHP hopes to begin construction by the end of the year. The approval to build the hotel is contingent on concerns addressed in the city’s reports, mostly related to fire and engineering safety and the complications with two-way traffic around the hotel.
The commission also raised the issue of parking space and traffic between the hotel and the neighboring WalMart, which will be addressed as the project advances.
Guests at the hotel are expected to park in a lot south of the hotel or between the two buildings, said Scott England of DJR Architecture.