Representatives for Extended Stay America have told Lawrenceville officials the hotel chain is willing to compromise on several issues related to the city's ordinance limiting guests to a 45-day stay at the same hotel.
Attorney Harold Buckley told Lawrenceville City Council Wednesday that Extended Stay America did not believe its hotel on Ga. 120 had to comply with the ordinance because it was there before the law was adopted in 1997. But Buckley offered several concessions to the council, including asking the Gwinnett County school district to stop picking up students at the hotel.
"We've come to some sort of agreement to address your concerns," Buckley said. "These are some additional assurances to show you all that we want to be good neighbors."
Gwinnett school officials said Friday they had not yet been informed of the hotel's proposal.
Extended Stay America has been vigorously protesting the city's law since March, when Buckley sent the city council a letter calling the ordinance "arbitrary" and "capricious" and questioned its constitutionality.
City council members have recently called for the enforcement of the 45-day ordinance, with Councilman Tony Powell at the forefront. Powell, who was Lawrenceville's city attorney when the law was drafted in 1997, has been pushing for the ordinance to be the priority it has never quite been. Not a single citation has been issued since the law went on the books.
Powell and others have cited concerns about criminal activity at extended stay hotels and the potential for hotels to take advantage of guests by skirting occupancy laws.
At Wednesday's council meeting, Powell expressed frustration that Extended Stay America has repeatedly refused to release its guest lists to the city.
"All we’ve gotten from you is a refusal to identify who’s in your facility," Powell said to Buckley. "How are we to determine the people who are staying there?"
Buckley responded that Extended Stay America would not release its guest lists because the hotel didn't feel that it had to comply with the law.
However, the chain has volunteered to limit its two-bedroom suites to only four guests and to retain a uniformed off-duty police officer at the hotel seven days a week instead of four days as it does now. Buckley also noted the hotel didn't have a significant crime problem, particularly when compared to other local hotels and apartment complexes.
Asked about Buckley's claim, Lawrenceville Police Chief Randy Johnson said, "That is one of the better locations amongst the extended stays."
The city plans to address the ordinance again at the council's Aug. 1 meeting. Councilwoman Marie Beiser said she planned to ask local housing officials and charitable organizations to attend so the city may assist residents who stay at the hotels because they can't afford housing.
Powell agreed. "I want to get people who are hurting to the right place," he said.
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