Downtown Columbia hotel owners share concerns over AC Marriott plan

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Downtown Columbia hotel owners shared concerns Tuesday over a prospective hotel.

The owners of the Broadway Hotel and the Tiger Hotel want more solutions to the parking situation surrounding a new prospective AC Marriott planning to be built at Hitt and Cherry Streets.

"With lots of local businesses, buying spaces in there, whether it's for their employees or, you know, just having hourly metered spaces for their for their patrons, when you're taking, you know more than a third of the spaces away from, from that lot, it's going to have a big effect," said Glyn Laverick, the Tiger Hotel owner.

The AC Marriott developers want 99 of the 176 spots in the 10th and Cherry Street parking garage, for its 140 hotel rooms.

For comparison, the Tiger Hotel has 49 spaces in the 8th and Cherry Street parking garage for its 62 hotel rooms.

The Broadway Hotel has 107 parking spots in the Short Street garage for its 114 hotel rooms.

"To jump to the front of the line here and displace existing holders, I still think downtown businesses will be less than happy about that," said David Parmley, the Broadway Hotel owner.

Data from the Parking Advisory Commission on garage occupancy shows from March 8 to May 26, the 10th and Cherry St. garage only averaged 100% occupancy once, on April 11.

"You know, we're not asking for public subsidies here but the parking is really a key," said Jack Cardetti, who represented the new hotel developers at the Columbia City Council meeting Monday.

The city council pushed back the vote for the hotel's parking to Aug. 16.