Feb. 15–NEW ALBANY — In the 1800s, pioneers passed through New Albany on their way out west, following the paths that American bison used to take to reach the Illinois prairie. Before that, the same route was used by Native Americans.
Today, the trail, called the Buffalo Trace, is now a highway, and the centuries of people traveling along it will finally have a place to stay.
City of New Albany and project officials broke ground on a Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott: one of the first buildings to be constructed for the Summit Springs development off of State Street and along an extended West Daisy Lane.
The 90-room hotel, which will employ over 100 people, should be completed by the end of the year, according to Lloyd Abdoo, one of the members of Floyd Host, LLC, the company that owns the hotel. Larry Wilder is also listed as a registered agent of Floyd Host.
The Marriott will be Floyd County's fourth mainstream hotel, joining the Holiday Inn and Best Western Plus in downtown New Albany and the Red Roof Inn in Georgetown, according to Luanne Mattson, the director of communications for the Clark-Floyd Counties Convention & Tourism Bureau. That's significant because after the expanded Kentucky International Convention Center opens up in Louisville, visitors unable to find rooms in Louisville will be turning to Southern Indiana for places to stay. But most hotels are currently concentrated in Clark County.
"Our mission at SoIn tourism is to put us on the map," Mattson said. "So this new addition means that more people can stay in Floyd County and visit the surrounding areas — Clark County included, Corydon and Harrison County included."
Mayor Jeff Gahan, who attended and spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, said in a statement to the News and Tribune sent after the event that the hotel will also increase recreation opportunities for the city, as well as events, such as softball tournaments. He said it will provide a place to stay for tourists visiting the area for existing events, such as Little League baseball games, as well as current attractions like the River Run Family Waterpark.
But visitors aren't the only people the hotel is meant to serve.
Hotel with a cause
Abdoo has been in the hotel business since the 1960s, and owns, manages and is affiliated with so many that it's difficult for him to say just how many he's involved in. (He settles on "several").
Abode started the process of bringing a hotel to New Albany because he wanted to give cancer patients visiting the Baptist Health Floyd Cancer Center a place to stay.
"My wife and I are both cancer survivors, and I had a family member that had cancer, and we thought it would be really nice to have an affordable suite for cancer patient families to stay in while they were being treated," he said.
Twenty-six suites in the hotel will contain features that will accommodate cancer patients and their families, particularly their need to be in a sterile environment, but still alongside their loved ones.
The suites will be available to them at a discounted rate.
Joint effort
Bringing the hotel to New Albany was possible through the combined powers of several parties — a "community effort" according to Abdoo.
He had to find developers who could host the project, which he discovered in the Summit Springs, LLC. Kelley Dental Lab owners, Pat and Pam Kelley, as well as Neace Ventures owner John Neace and his real estate division's managing director, Israel Snider are all part of the LLC.
From there, Abdoo sought the City of New Albany's support through $3 million to $3.5 million in improvements to the area, including the extension of West Daisy Lane and the addition of sidewalks, utilities, a retaining wall and an additional right-turn lane onto State Street leading to Interstate 265.
"This project couldn't have been built without the city investing $3 million in infrastructure," Abdoo said.
So far, the Summit Springs development has only one other confirmed business: a Taco Bell restaurant. The $30 million first phase of the project is supposed to include another hotel, two more restaurants and one medical office building.
The project has met some opposition over the years: neighbors complained of changes to plans for the development, as well as the clearing of trees along the project's area. But last spring, the city allowed the development to move forward as long as the developers brought the second phase of their plans back to the city for approval. Pat Kelley said that he would be focusing on completing the first phase before bringing the second back to the city.
The city's infrastructure improvements to West Daisy Lane, which will be paid for with tax revenue generated by the development, are almost finished. The only thing left to do is the addition of another layer of asphalt to the road, which won't be laid until business development is complete.
The sidewalk installed by the city extends from the Burger King at the foot of the development to the spot where the hotel will be. Along the path, one area will be home to two buffaloes carved from limestone — meant to commemorate the people who passed the hill for centuries as they made their way other places.
Danielle Grady is the business and economic development reporter at the News and Tribune. Contact her via email at danielle.grady@newsandtribune.com or by phone at 812-206-2137. Follow her on Twitter: @dgrady1222.
