Developer outlines $25 million plan to revive Trenton downtown hotel; council sets July 31 proposal cutoff

A development team led by Adrian Jack "AJ" Belt III presented a concept to the Trenton City Council on July 24 proposing about $25,000,000 in renovations to the city’s vacant downtown hotel, a roughly 12‑month redevelopment timeline and an operating plan that would reduce room count and add extended‑stay units and event-oriented food-and-beverage space.

The presentation, made publicly under an RFP process that remains open, gave council members an overview of the developer’s financial capacity, programmatic goals and construction timeline. Council members discussed whether to set a deadline for additional proposals and converged on a July 31 cutoff to ensure the city can move forward while still allowing administration time to collect competing bids.

The developer, who identified himself as Adrian Jack Belt III and said his firm would bring an in‑house operating partner, estimated roughly $25,000,000 in total project cost. "The cost estimate is about $25,000,000," Belt said during the presentation. He said that figure includes hard construction costs, FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment), soft costs and financing fees. Belt said the team has prepared…