A Conway city board heard proposal for new hotel in March. What’s happening now?
Conway has taken no further action on a proposed hotel along the city’s riverwalk since it was first introduced during a city meeting in March.
The lack of movement has led to speculation on social media about what’s happening with the proposal and whether the city is moving forward with the hotel.
Architect and developer of the project, Stephen Ramos, presented his plans for the proposed development during a Community Appearance Board Meeting on March 25. The application sent to the board is one of the first few steps in the process to get approval for the project.
The 69-room hotel, if approved, would be built at 320 Kingston St. in Conway and would consist of four floors, with the first one incorporating a restaurant and other commercial space.
As for when the proposal appears before the board again for final review, it depends on the developer, city spokesperson June Wood told The Sun News.
“We review plans and work with them as they are submitted,” Wood said.
Ramos did not immediately respond to The Sun News’ request for comment about his timeline to submit additional plans.
What are the proposed plans?
Hotel Conway — the name Ramos has assigned to the development for now — has a similar aesthetic to other buildings in Conway.
Ramos said during the meeting that he took notice of certain details of other buildings in Conway’s Historic District, including the brick structures and arched windows. The hotel follows a similar style, especially with its ground floor modeled after other storefronts.
“You’ll see in the hotel we’re proposing — we’re really looking at those buildings for inspiration,” Ramos said during the meeting.
The hotel would have a courtyard on the riverwalk side that could be used for weddings or other events. The plans also include a ballroom that could accommodate about 100 people. The second, third and fourth floors would be where guests would stay, with 23 rooms on each floor.
Next steps for the proposed hotel
There have been no updates as to when the board will discuss Ramos’ proposal next.
The Community Appearance Board’s role during the review is to provide feedback to the developer about the project’s design. Members of the board during the meeting said they were pleased with its aesthetics and hoped to see more on other detailing in the future.
But they expressed concerns over parking for the hotel.
The City of Conway Unified Development Standard does not require the hotel to have onsite parking. That means the board cannot factor it into their final decision of whether the plans are approved.
If the plans are approved, the hotel would have an offsite parking lot off of Highway 905. The city would develop a public parking lot with plans to repair the former Trestle Bridge area to help connect it to the hotel.
Ramos also had plans in the proposal to incorporate street parking in front of the hotel for people who are unloading or are there for the restaurant.
