Hilton seeks space in Belmont: Planners to review second hotel proposal, Marriott under construction

Both the Hilton and Marriott hotels, targeted toward business travelers, came in late last year and highlighted a revitalized market in Belmont. On Tuesday, the Planning Commission will review the suggested specs of the five-story Hilton Homewood Suites at 1201 Shoreway Road.

The 1-acre former Empire Lumber site is sandwiched between two existing hotels with a Motel 6 to the north and an Extended Stay America to the south. Community Development Director Carlos de Melo, who previously noted the city hadn’t received a new hotel proposal in several years before two came around the same time, said the property at the Highway 101 frontage road is a great locale for this type of amenity.

“It has great freeway visibility, there’s other hotels there, it’s a great match,” de Melo said. “It’s going to be a solid addition to the hotel portfolio in Belmont.”

Site owner BPR Properties submitted the proposal that includes a 62,640-square-foot hotel surrounded by a 73-space surface parking lot. In addition to the 96 guest rooms, the hotel would include a meeting room, breakfast area, exercise room and lobby on the ground floor. The second floor would include a 4,553-square-foot outdoor terrace as well as an indoor pool and spa. The remaining upper floors would have 24 rooms per level, according to a staff report.

Both the Hilton Homewood Suites and the Marriott Springhill Suites tend to cater to business travelers and, with the Bay Area’s booming job market, both developers as well as the city could stand to profit.

Belmont has a 10 percent hotel tax, although de Melo said he couldn’t estimate how much the Hilton project might contribute to the city, as it would depend on occupancy as well as room prices. However, the new building with its reassessed property value and transient occupancy taxes could undoubtedly offer more to the city than a vacant lumberyard.

“It’s certainly a solid revenue project for the city,” de Melo said. “It’s something that’s not out of character with what’s expected to be in that area of the city so it’s a great complementary use.”

Ultimately, the City Council must decide whether to permit the development, as creating a new hotel will require a general plan amendment and rezoning. The Planning Commission on Tuesday will consider making recommendations on whether the council should approve the project, which also requires a parking variance.

Per the city’s code, the 96-hotel room would be required to offer one parking space per room. But as it’s on a relatively small 1-acre parcel, the developer is seeking permission to construct just 73 spaces, de Melo said.

He noted hotels typically run around 75 percent occupancy and both the Marriott and Hilton developers indicated a shift in how visitors are getting around.

“More and more we’re hearing from hotel developers that there’s less reliance on a car, especially for business hotels. People typically use things like Uber and Lift and shuttles or carpooling. So the strict requirement of a one-to-one space for each room, is not generally the norm,” de Melo said.

A parking study, along with other impact-related documents, are open for public comment and will be reviewed alongside the proposed building design by the commission Tuesday. Depending on how the hearing goes, de Melo said the council might consider the proposal as early as next month. Developer BPR Properties indicated the company is eager to proceed with constructing the new Hilton hotel, de Melo said, adding the Marriott project is expected to open in summer 2017.

The Planning Commission meets 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 21, at City Hall, 1 Twin Pines Lane, Belmont. Visit belmont.gov for more information.

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

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