MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - At the last Planning Commission meeting on January 11th, 2016, a public hearing was held regarding a Special Use Permit request by David Wespiser from Hotel Development Services located in Ohio to construct a 4-story hotel, Courtyard by Marriott in Meridian Township.

It was requested to construct approximate 67,000 square feet, 99-rooms hotel on the south side of Jolly Oak Road, west of Meridian Crossing Drive, in the remaining condominium unit at the Meridian Crossing Shopping Center.

This site would include meeting areas, dining and reception lounges, indoor swimming pool, fitness, hotel rooms, bike parking and 99 parking spaces.

The Commissioners agreed that it is a very straight forward and great project for the Township, which can provide places to people visiting for businesses near the highway.

The only concern about this project was the traffic along Jolly Road and Okemos Road. The Ingham County Road Department did not take the traffic as an issue, but since there is already some traffic issues during AM and PM peak hours by Jolly Road and Okemos Road, Planning Commissioner John Scott-Craig talked about future traffic issues during the HOMTV Post Script interview after the meeting.

"Traffic problem doesn't arrive from the actual hotel site, but when the traffic turn into the Jolly or Okemos Road, it's when the problem occurs. There is another hotel that's been planned adjacent to that site and there's a large housing development that's going in behind that, so as the more developments take place, they are going to generate more traffic," said Commissioner John Scott-Craig, but other than that, he stated that this project does not have much variances, and it is a good project for the area.

The Planning Commission will move forward with this project expeditiously, decide the Special Use Permit to allow for the construction of the hotel and will make a recommendation to the Township Board regarding the Special Use Permit for a structure greater than 25,000 square feet in gross floor area.