By TINA ALVEY
The Register-Herald
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — City officials have approved a site plan for a new lodging establishment just across from Cinema 8 in the Gateway Commons shopping complex.
Zoning officer Chuck Smith reported to city council Tuesday evening that the anticipated four-story Tru by Hilton hotel will boast 84 rooms and an indoor pool. He said the developer also intends to construct a sidewalk that will connect to an existing sidewalk at Grand Furniture.
Launched earlier this year, the Tru by Hilton brand is described on the Hilton website as “a back-to-basics experience with soul.” It is touted as being “surprisingly affordable.”
When the brand launched in January, an article in USA Today characterized Tru by Hilton as “a new affordable brand, targeting younger travelers.”
Also on the drawing board in the Gateway Commons complex is a major addition to the existing Lewisburg Baptist Church. Smith said the 37,000-square-foot expansion will house such facilities as classrooms, gymnasiums, day care accommodations and “lots of parking.”
Blasting continues on the plot popularly known as “the rockpile,” just south of Gateway Commons. Don Huber, the entrepreneur who is trying to contour the stubbornly stony parcel with an eye toward future development, hopes to complete blasting by the end of the year, according to Smith.
Now that the blasting crew is nearing the front of the property, along U.S. Route 219 just north of Lewisburg’s downtown commercial district, some traffic stoppages have become necessary, Smith said. The relatively brief traffic interruptions on the busy stretch of highway usually occur around 4:30 p.m., he added.
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