GREENFIELD — Jobs and more tax revenue could come to the city if the hotel and retail complex on Mohawk Trail is completed.
A proposed hotel and retail business complex at 125 Mohawk Trail will be discussed by Planning Board Thursday night. The meeting at 7 p.m. is the next step in getting the 90-room four-story hotel in place of the closed Rodeway Inn at the site near the Route 2 rotary and could create more than 50 jobs in the city, according to the developer.
The project is being completed by the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group, which has properties in Hadley, Springfield and Ludlow.
Greenfield Director of Planning and Development Eric Twarog said the entire project will feature the hotel and one to four retail spaces in one complex, with another standalone retail location separate from the complex. The current structures at the property will be demolished as well, which is part of the plan.
Twarog said one of the retail spaces is expected to become a Dunkin’ Donuts with a drive-thru, while the standalone location could be a financial institution, though what company was not identified.
Pioneer Valley Hotel Group President Shardool Parmar said the hotel is expected to be about 56,000 square feet, while the retail space could be about another 10,000 square feet.
He said once completed, he expects the project to create 45 full-time equivalent jobs in the hotel and another 27 in the retail spaces.
Parmar said he couldn’t provide a total price of what the project will cost but Twarog said it is expected to cost $12 million. The location was originally purchased for $1.59 million.
Mayor William Martin said the city is not contributing any money to the project and that it is expected to produce additional tax revenue for Greenfield. He said the site is currently valued at $3.9 million and could increase to at least $8 million once completed, which Martin said could return an estimated $35,000 a year in taxes.
Parmar described the location near the rotary as ideal and feels “Franklin County has a lot of potential and growth.”
Parmar said they have been looking for a location in Greenfield for “about 20 years” before settling on the former Rodeway Inn location.
Twarog said the project has already received a positive recommendation from the Zoning Board of Appeals and received an order of conditions from the Conservation Commission.
If the Planning Board approves the project, Twarog said construction can start once the Massachusetts Department of Transportation gives approval to access at the location and building permits from the city are acquired.
Parmar said once construction begins, it could be completed in about 18 months.