A new hotel to be built at the Gwinnett County convention center passed another hurdle Tuesday when county commissioners agreed to a lease agreement that would allow the land to be transferred to a developer.
The property on which the Marriott hotel will be built will go first to the county’s Development Authority then to the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau. That group will sign agreements with the developer, Concord Sugarloaf LLC.
The $70 million project will not require any additional investment from county taxpayers.
The hotel has been years in the making. Commissioner John Heard, who abstained from the vote because he had served as a paid consultant to a partner of the winning bidder, said the process had often been frustrating to watch.
“It’s been a long, long battle,” he said. “Now hurry up and get it built.”
Preston Williams, CEO of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, called the hotel the “cornerstone” of the master plan for the center that has been in the works for more than a decade. Commissioners unanimously praised the deal.
The Marriott is one of three hotels in the works in the area. A 115-room Courtyard by Marriott on Satellite Boulevard broke ground in October and a 166-room Embassy Suites is slated to break ground by early June.
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