Aug. 05–Plans for a new hotel in Brunswick that have been in the works for nearly 15 years are beginning to come to fruition.

Construction of a four-story, 93-room Holiday Inn Express at Brunswick Crossing on the corner of Lander Creek Drive and Jefferson Pike will likely begin in the next couple of months, according to the city's planning and zoning department. Plans for the hotel — which will be double the size of the city's only other existing hotel — were approved in 2002 by the Brunswick City Council. Developers are eying an opening date for the hotel next summer.

The addition to the city, the new hotel will accommodate previously underserved populations of travelers, said Bruce Dell, planning and zoning administrator for the City of Brunswick. Besides the Travel Lodge in Brunswick, the city's visitors usually must stay in Charles Town or Frederick.

"It's gonna be for tourists," Dell said. "It's gonna be for people that ride their bikes on the C&O Canal. It's gonna be for people passing through and possibly going to the casino in Charles Town. It could be for people that are coming in for something in Frederick. This could be overflow."

Wedding guests, Hallowed Ground Trail hikers and business travelers affiliated with the railroad will also be served by the new hotel, said Dan Snyder, HOA secretary of Brunswick Crossing.

Snyder said the residents of Brunswick Crossing are looking forward to having a hotel with amenities like a pool and a gym close by.

Brunswick Mayor Jeff Snoots said he's excited about the prospect of the hotel enhancing life for the city's residents. Having a larger hotel will allow the city to host more events and sports tournaments, such as Little League baseball and softball.

"Hosting tournaments and having facilities for overnight stays enhances more opportunities," Snoots said.

A 2002 annexation allowed for the construction of 1,505 homes at Brunswick Crossing, 210,000 square feet of commercial space on 22 acres and 95,000 square feet of general office and medical space on 5.6 acres.

The hotel project was allotted 81,000 square feet of space on 4.7 acres. The hotel's actual construction plans will take up 54,000 square feet on 2.4 acres.

As part of the annexation agreement, the developers of Brunswick Crossing, Frederick-based Pleasants Development, helped fund the city's water and sewer upgrades.

"They actually were involved with upgrading our waste water treatment plant," Dell said. "They built the 1-million-gallon water tank. All that was part of this development."

Construction on the residential portion of the development began in 2009. Today, over 500 units have been built.

It took close to 15 years for the project's developer to find a hotel chain to sign on to the location, Dell said.

About a year ago, Weis Market opened a store at Brunswick Crossing. The shopping center also has a Verizon store, a Hair Cuttery, a Papa Johns and a restaurant called Asia Star. There is still space available for more businesses.

Snyder said, "activity breeds activity" and the hotel's presence will bring with it more growth for the city.

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