Interested Overton Square hotel owner faces community push back the second time | Business

Midtown isn’t the first Memphis community that is skeptical of Jay Kumar putting a hotel in their neighborhood.

Kumar and prospective investors spoke at an open meeting last night at Memphis Heritage’s Howard Hall – they announced their interest in replacing the vacant French Quarter Inn with a Comfort Suites.

During the open question forum - Ashley Burkes, Memphis Action Coalition member, asked “ Did you plan a Scottish Inn on Lamar a few years ago, was there community push back?”

“Yes,” said Kumar.

“And we did get all the approval from the city, the problem we had was that our bank backed out.”

As Kumar struggled to clearly answer about the resistance from the South Memphis neighborhood, Evan Nahmias -his attorney and midtown native - stepped in.

“I was part of that too, and we did the same thing. We went and met with the neighbors because that’s what you do when you are a good neighbor,” he said.

 “You make sure you know who you’re dealing with. We had community meetings and we ended up having community support. That is something we did in the past and unfortunately the economy changed, and it couldn’t be completed. The resistance was initial but then they got to met who we were and what we wanted to do”

According to an article published in 2007, Kumar planned to put an 18,500-square-foot Scottish Inn & Suites hotel off Lamar Avenue.

Despite Kumar's meetings the South Memphis community - residents were still hesitant.

Many were concerned about increasing current traffic congestion, but others feared the business failing and another vacant hotel.

At least four hotels had closed in the area since 2002.

Although midtown’s case is different, as the community does not have a central hotel in the neighborhood- many members are afraid the aesthetic of a Comfort Suites will not work in Overton Square and fail.

“There is a lot of community, neighborhood hostility to a suburban looking hotel, motel on this site,” said Jackie Nichols, Founder of Playhouse on the Square.

“There are other people who want to do this and spend more on a more upscale hotel, maybe if we can get these people to go away - we can get a better product for the area.”

Overall many Midtown community members feel it is too early to form an overall opinion because solid information was not presented at the meeting.

“I’m opposed right now for not having enough information to know what they are going to do and make it nice,” said Karen Lebovitz, owner of Otherlands Coffee Bar.

“I think the community really needs a hotel. I mean how many times do you have people ask you where to stay in Midtown, and you can’t offer one suggestion.”

Mary Gupta lives two blocks away from the French Quarter Inn and said she is scared of a Comfort Suites taking its place.

“I feel that because it is a chain and, you know, since it is your neighborhood you want to protect your investment your home. You don’t want to see a big chain come in and not be as attractive as you want your neighborhood to be.”

There was not an announcement of any future community meetings, but a 60-day due diligence period with site approval plans from the city.