By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
Plans for a third hotel in the West End Pointe Addition south of Interstate 40 moved a step closer to reality this week.
The Yukon Planning Commission, at its July 8 meeting inside the Centennial Building, voted 5-0 to recommend approval of a planned unit development and final plat replat for property at 1609 West End Pointe Drive east of Garth Brooks Boulevard. The Yukon City Council will consider the recommendation at an upcoming meeting.
Final approval of the PUD will allow for a lot split so owner and developer Manish Patel can develop two hotels on that parcel, according to project engineer Jason Emmett of Cedar Creek Consulting.
Patel, of Norman, said it will be a four-story “extended-stay” hotel he anticipates will be 55 to 60 feet high.
“We’re looking at Candlewood Suites right now,” Patel told planning commissioners.
“Hopefully we can get it open in late 2020.”
The extended-stay hotel will be built behind Logan’s Roadhouse and Hibdon Tires Plus.
Construction already is well underway on Patel’s 96-unit Avid Hotel on West End Pointe just south of his 81-unit Holiday Inn Express at 700 Shedeck Parkway.
“That hopefully will be opening before the end of the year,” Patel said.
Planning Commissioner Robert Davis asked Patel about the occupancy rate at the Holiday Inn Express.
“Right now, it’s not where we’d like it because we’re going through a massive renovation,” Patel responded. “We’re doing a $2.5 million renovation on that property because our license has come up for renewal with corporate and we want to keep it. We’ve been running around 80 percent for the last seven, eight years.”
Davis asked Patel if he was relying on Yukon’s proposed new water park and future development to the west.
“No,” the hotel owner replied. “That’s going to be an added bonus for us. We’ve got 10 years of track history on what Yukon’s done for us, so we feel it’s a good location.
“It’s easier for us to manage three properties in one area.”
Planning Commissioner Bill Baker asked about the Avid Hotel now under construction behind Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse. Avid Hotels is InterContinential Hotels Group (IHG)’s newest brand.
“There’s only three in the world right now – all three are in Oklahoma,” Patel said. “They’ve got 180 of these licenses signed off in the U.S. and only 12 or 13 are under construction right now.”
Yukon’s 46,000 square foot Avid Hotel will feature an outdoor pool and rooms will have 55-inch televisions. This new hotel will be geared toward travelers and have many technology features to target the “younger crowd,” Patel told the Yukon Progress.
NEW COMMISSIONER
Near the end of Monday night’s meeting, Planning Commission Chairman Larry Taylor welcomed newly appointed commissioner Jeff Geis and thanked him for serving.
“I appreciate everyone here and I’m excited to be part of this,” Geis said. “Yukon is a great place.”
Geis was appointed to the five-member planning commission by new at-large Yukon City Council Member Jeff Wootton, who attended Monday night’s meeting.
“I appreciate all the hard work that you guys do,” Wootton told commissioners.
