DATE: Sunday, May 18, 1997                  TAG: 9705180013

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MATTHEW DOLAN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   45 lines

CIVIC LEAGUES SPEAK OUT AGAINST PROPOSED CHESAPEAKE HOTEL THEY SAY THE SITE COULD HINDER TRAFFIC AND IS TOO SMALL FOR A FULL-SERVICE FACILITY.

Members of a citizens' group in Western Branch believe that a new, full-service hotel in their borough would be a fine thing.

But not this one.

A proposed four-story, 82-room Chesapeake Inn, presented in part last Wednesday by the Planning Commission, would replace two existing homes on Portsmouth Boulevard near Interstate 664. A full site plan will be reviewed by the commission on May 28.

LTD Management Co., the Chesapeake-based owner and manager of several area hotels, wants to build the Chesapeake Inn on a 1.7-acre site. Dilip R. Desai, LTD's president, said his company wants to expand its reach into the growing section of Western Branch with this Marriott-affiliated hotel.

``If the civic league people can look at what we have created in Greenbrier, then I think they will appreciate what we are trying to do for this area,'' Desai said.

But the Western Branch Council of Civic Leagues is speaking out against the plan, saying it allows too few parking spaces. They also warn about potential traffic congestion it might cause for those traveling to and from the nearby Western Branch Community Center off Peek Trail.

``We had wanted a hotel with a full-sized banquet room for this community, but that wasn't a make-or-break issue for us,'' civic league member Gary Szymanski said. ``We're just concerned about the size of the hotel for the site they have.''

So far, the plan has received the Planning Commission's recommendation for a zoning property change from residential to commercial use and a waiver to build the motel up to 50 feet high.

Only planning commissioners Larry W. Radford and Sanny S. Davenport voted against the Chesapeake Inn items.

If those changes are approved by the City Council, City Planner Tom Howlett said a hotel would be a proper use for that section of the city, based on the comprehensive use plan for Western Branch. The project's 86 parking spaces will also meet city specifications, if the council passes a change in the recommended parking ordinance, Howlett said.

The Planning Commission recommendations are subject to approval by the City Council. The council may consider the site plan for the new hotel on June 17.

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