Commission backs Riverfront Center amendment to allocate 124 hotel rooms to Tract A‑5

The Planning & Zoning Commission voted July 22 to recommend approval of a proposed amendment to the Riverfront Center development order that reallocates hotel room allocations and converts industrial entitlement to hotel use.

Senior planner Christy Anderson told the commission the request would add a total of 124 hotel rooms to Tract A‑5 by transferring 28 rooms from Tract F (F3–F4) and converting 71,352 square feet of industrial entitlement into 96 hotel rooms. Anderson noted the development’s overall DRI allocation and explained that the conversion approach follows prior conversion approvals; she said the change would be memorialized in the master plan and tracked with a chart and biannual development reports so future allocations can be audited.

Applicant Woody Rice, representing Epic Consultants, said the amendment is a response to market demand and that all site and DRI development‑order conditions, landscaping and other requirements would remain in force. Commissioners asked about traffic impacts and whether the conversion would shift trips; staff said the city engineer analyzed trip generation and adjusted the industrial‑to‑hotel conversion factor so the 71,352‑sq‑ft conversion was appropriate for this request. Member Faison moved to recommend approval of master plan amendment MP‑1‑2026; Member Graham seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for final action on Aug. 11.