HENDERSONVILLE – A developer wanting to build a four-story, extended-stay Wyndham Echo Suites brand hotel behind the Blue Ridge Mall answered questions from concerned residents living near the site on Jan. 29 at a neighborhood compatibility meeting at the City Operations Center.
Philip Cox of Mitch Cox Companies in Johnson City, Tennessee, and his team heard residents express their concerns over noise, possible crime, increased traffic and drainage issues. Cox said he and his staff took interest in the site after they got a call about a year ago from the Blue Ridge Mall Development Group, which is based out of Augusta, Georgia, he said. The mall and the 1.4-acre site for the hotel is owned by James Hull Jr.
“They were looking to develop some parcels they had at several of their malls. Hendersonville was a market that we were already actively involved in (Universal Lakewood Apartments), so they presented this location for us. We felt like it was a great fit for the market,” Cox said.
But many of the approximately 25 residents in attendance did not agree. Jim Thompson said his home is 401 feet from the site and said if it’s built it will “bring in trouble.”