AVALON – Avalon Borough Council heard from Planning and Zoning Board Engineer Joseph Maffei, June 14, concerning the planned consultant study of the borough’s boutique hotel overlay in the town’s business district.
In 2022, the board approved the hotel overlay as part of the borough’s Master Plan.
The concept of a boutique hotel outside Avalon’s designated hotel zone has been a recurring theme of Planning and Zoning Board agendas since 2016. The concept received no support from the board in 2016 and again in 2020.
Now, with concern that the business district needs rejuvenation, the boutique hotel concept is gaining new traction as a potential stimulus.
The issue has been a matter of intense interest for some members of the public, especially those who live in the area of the overlay.
The Planning and Zoning Board saw many issues with the boutique hotel concept and opted for a hotel and hospitality consultant to look at the issues and provide expert advice to the borough.
When the matter came before the council in December 2022, Mayor Martin Pagliughi said the town needed a broad look at its business district. He added that the consultant would more likely be an urban planner than a hospitality consultant.
When Maffei addressed the council June 14, however, he spoke of a study focused on the boutique hotel concept. Maffei had drafted the request for proposals (RFP) that was used to solicit consultants. The borough received two bids and may move ahead with one firm, but most likely nothing will be done until after the reorganization of the council in July.
Although some members of the public spoke out at the council meeting against a narrowly focused hospitality study, Council member Sam Wierman and Mayor-elect John McCorristin expressed support for the hospitality focused process being pursued by the Planning and Zoning Board.
