A Florence-based hospitality company wants to bring two new hotels to Boone County, pending approval from the county’s planning commission and fiscal court.
Athena Hospitality Group, in conjunction with Bowling Green, Kentucky-based Arnold Consulting Engineering Services Inc., presented two different hotel concept development plans to the Boone County Planning Commission over the past few weeks.
One hotel plan was approved by the planning commission, placing its fate in the hands of the fiscal court — which has all final decision-making power on zone changes in unincorporated Boone County — while the other is making its way through the planning commission’s recommendation process.
Athena Hospitality owns and operates several hotels throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana and New Jersey. The firm’s portfolio includes hotel brands from some of largest hospitality companies in the world, including Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Choice Hotels and Wyndham.
The first property Athena Hospitality seeks to develop is located at is 56-58 Cavalier Drive in Florence, which is currently a grassy field. The property was purchased by the firm for $926,000 in April 2023, according to Boone County property records. The vacant property is surrounded by other hotels, including Days Inn, Courtyard Cincinnati and Extended Stay America.
Athena Hospitality wants to develop a 50,645 square foot, four-story, 122-room hotel on the site. There is no reported hotel brand for the prospective development at this time. In order to proceed, Athena Hospitality needs the land’s zoning designation to change from Suburban Residential Two/Planned Development to Office Two/Planned Development.
On March 19, during a planning commission’s technical design and review committee meeting, Boone County planner Lauren Elliott said Athena Hospitality revised aspects of its concept development plan to include specific amenities.
“The plan was revised to add an open space feature, in this case, the gazebo, to create a sidewalk connection between the gazebo and the parking lots and building,” she said.
After passing through the technical design and review committee, the zoning map amendment will be heard by the full planning commission at its next meeting on Wednesday, April 2.
The second property Athena Hospitality wants to develop is a 3.7-acre plot located along Frogtown Connector Road, just north of a Pilot Travel Center and east of the First Church of Christ. Athena Hospitality purchased the land in October 2022 for $675,000, according to Boone County property records. The property is located near two other hotels: Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn.
Provided planning commission documents outlined Athena Hospitality’s intentions to construct a four-story, 73,275-square-foot hotel with 109 rooms. Similar to the Cavalier Drive property, Athena Hospitality is seeking a zoning map amendment from the planning commission to change the property’s zoning designation from “Commercial Four” to “Office Two.”
If finalized, the hotel will be a Home2 Suites by Hilton – an extended stay concept that caters to customers who plan on staying at the hotel for longer periods of time.
Boone County Zoning Administrator Michael Schwartz said the planning commission concluded that the proposed hotel was compatible with the property during a March 5 meeting.
“The proposed hotel is a use that is compatible with the area given the other existing hotels within the area, and the hotel will be constructed with similar materials and colors as the other existing hotels within the area,” Schwartz said.
The zone change request is now in the hands of the fiscal court, which will vote on whether to approve the planning commission’s recommendation.