Big Step Forward for Proposed Manistee Beachfront Hotel

PUD application approved

By Lynda Wheatley | May 22, 2021

The latest on the contentious development of the proposed Hampton Inn near First Street Beach in Manistee: It’s moving forward, confirms city planning assistant Nancy Baker — despite a last-ditch effort by a group of Manistee residents who have written dozens of letters and, less than a week before a special planning commission meeting to discuss the planned unit development application, launched a petition asking city officials to postpone their vote.

The Manistee Planning commission approved the application at the May 20 hearing.

Plans for the 101 S. Lakeshore Dr. property, where the longtime Lakeshore Motel sits now, call for a five-story structure, with 101 rooms, top-floor restaurant, an outdoor spa, patio, firepits, and recreation area.

Plans for the proposed hotel previously called for 108 rooms, a rooftop bar, and a larger sign — all of which Suburban Inns, the Michigan-based company that will own and operate the hotel, adjusted in the revised site plan.

Critics of the development have cited concerns regarding traffic, parking, blocked water views, pressure on the city sewer system, and light pollution.

The developers of the project produced a video that was released to the public the day before the hearing by the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce, which supports the development. The video used virtual reality software and scanning technology that, said the chamber in a news release, “captures the size and outline of the existing trees, and gives the view real-life sight lines of the proposed project,” showing viewers how the hotel would appear from a variety of different vantage points.

You can watch the video here: streamable.com/uvhogf