Commission conditions hotel site plan on right-in/right-out and traffic study

Commissioners removed Site Plan 719-25 (a proposed Hilton Live Smart Hotel at 2251 Old Moulton Road) from the consent agenda to resolve access and traffic concerns.

Developer representatives asked the commission to specify the exact traffic concerns; commissioners and staff identified left-turn stacking during peak hours and placement of vehicle access as the primary issues. City Engineer Carl Pruitt said the afternoon southbound stacking on Old Moulton Road makes the proposed entrance less likely to create a severe problem for that specific development and that opposing/paired access can be safer because drivers can anticipate movements.

Commissioners nevertheless discussed risk mitigation and proposed a condition limiting the most western entrance to right-in/right-out to prevent left-turn conflicts at the nearby Beltline intersection. Commissioner comments focused on whether that mitigation might cause drivers to cut through nearby streets or perform U-turns and whether the developer would oppose full access. The developer said it could be several weeks before a traffic study could be completed and resubmitted.

A motion was put forward asking staff to approve the plan conditioned on a right-in/right-out for the western access and requiring a traffic study to determine whether full access could be reinstated; the motion was moved by Mister Pike and seconded by Mister Timothy. The transcript records commissioners’ agreement to the conditional approach and discussion that engineering would confirm acceptance if the traffic study supports full access.

What’s next: staff requested a traffic study and engineering review; approval is conditioned on the right-in/right-out unless the study and engineering department recommend otherwise.