Columbus City Council tonight is expected to approve legislation prohibiting the construction of extended-stay hotels in districts zoned for manufacturing. Neighbors where such hotels are located oppose the projects because developers avoid rezoning requirements and the facilities operate like residential apartments. Scott Messer, director of the Department of Building and Zoning Services, says the legislation closes loopholes in the zoning code
But Messer says the handful of extended-stay hotels under construction or in the planning stages would be grandfathered in.
City planners say the projects could erode the manufacturing base by making employers operating next to residential hotels fearful of complaints. A representative of local builders told Council during a recent public hearing the industry does not oppose the legislation.