A Gwinnett County commissioner will abstain from voting on a proposal to build a hotel on county property after he landed a job with a firm pursuing the project.
Commissioner John Heard also has resigned from the board of the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau, which recently sought proposals from companies interested in building a 300-room hotel at Gwinnett Center, the county’s convention and arena complex in Duluth.
In January Heard, an architect specializing in hotels, became a consultant to DCT Group, one of several companies that have expressed interest in building the hotel. He said he decided to resign from the convention board and forgo any commission vote on the project to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest.
“I’d rather be patted on the back for doing the right thing than be blasted,” Heard said.
Gwinnett Center is owned by the county and operated by the convention bureau. It includes a convention center, ballroom complex, a performing arts center and a 13,000-seat arena. It hosts about 600 events a year, drawing 1.2 million visitors.
Convention officials say the lack of an on-site hotel has cost them business, especially for larger conventions. So in December they solicited companies interested in developing a hotel offering food and beverage service, meeting facilities and at least 300 rooms.
The project will be paid for solely with private money, according to convention bureau Executive Director Lisa Anders.
The convention bureau received four proposals from companies interested in building the hotel. Anders said it is negotiating with one of the potential developers. She declined to identify the company.
One of the responses came from Nilhan Hospitality LLC, a joint venture of DCT Group and Concord Hospitality Enterprises.
Heard said he started consulting for DCT Group in January but is not working on the proposed Gwinnett Center hotel project.
Nonetheless, he submitted his letter of resignation to the convention bureau and has notified Gwinnett County he will “abstain from any discussion, deliberation or vote regarding the award” of the hotel contract.
Any hotel deal must be approved by the convention bureau and by the County Commission.
Heard said he has designed hotels for 35 years.
“The hotel community is fairly small, particularly in the Southeast,” he said.
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