According to Al Lima, city planner, the initial proposal for which hotel owners LaCava Cos. applied for a special permit was to expand the hotel--the largest full-service hotel and convention facility outside of Boston--by 20,000 sf. The expansion was to be on the hotel's parking lot.
But Lima tells GlobeSt.com that the hotel argued with the city council over sign violations that Lima says were not corrected. He says that the hotel had erected a moving sign that is not allowed under the current ordinances. While it is unclear whether the conflict over the sign is the reason for the plan's withdrawal--calls to the hotel were not returned by press time--Lima says that the hotel owners "certainly gave that impression."
Lima acknowledges that the city wants to see this expansion happen. The hotel, he notes, brings in a lot of convention business. "We're encouraging them to resubmit," says Lima. "[The expansion] will help us get a wider range of conventions. It's good for the city's economy."
LaCava also owns the White Cliffs Function Facility in Northborough, the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center in Fitchburg, the Best Western TLC Hotel in Waltham and the Quashnet Valley Country Club in Mashpee.
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