Plans for a 120-room Holiday Inn Express on Hopmeadow Street received final approval this week from the Simsbury Zoning Commission, positioning the project as the first phase of a proposed mixed-use development near the International Skating Center of Connecticut.
Plans for a 120-room Holiday Inn Express on Hopmeadow Street received final approval this week from the Simsbury Zoning Commission, positioning the project as the first phase of a proposed mixed-use development near the International Skating Center of Connecticut.
The commission granted site plan approval during its Oct. 20 meeting for the three-story, 86,000-square-foot hotel, which will occupy roughly 7 acres of a 56-acre parcel between the Big Y supermarket and Dorset Crossing.
The property at 1503 Hopmeadow St. sits on Route 10, a corridor that town officials have identified as a priority for economic development.
Developer Adam Westhaver, who also serves as a principal of the International Skating Center, is under contract to purchase the land from its current owner, Bloomfield-based Riverbend Development LLC, and will oversee construction and management of the hotel.
Philip Doyle, of Landscape Architectural Design Associates, was named as the applicant in filings with the town.
According to a project narrative, the hotel will directly support activity at the skating center, which hosts tournaments that draw visiting teams to hotels outside Simsbury. Town planning staff said the project fills a longstanding gap in the local hospitality market.
The Holiday Inn Express will include an indoor pool, outdoor patio area and 142 parking spaces — with 88 at grade and 54 in an underground garage. Access will be provided through two driveways connecting to Dorset Crossing Drive, which links to Route 10 at a signalized intersection.
The development also requires approval from the Connecticut Office of State Traffic Administration.
Town staff described the hotel as “a critical winning component” for the long-term vision of the 56-acre parcel, which is expected to include additional restaurant, retail and commercial uses in later phases. Officials emphasized the need for coordinated master planning and infrastructure improvements to support the site’s full build-out.
If approved by state traffic officials, construction could begin once building permits are secured.
