Hampton gets approval, waiting on river

The land deals that clear the way for a Hampton Inn & Suites to be built downtown have all been completed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has signed off on the plan to build the 137-room hotel a few blocks away from the Mississippi River. The Corps got involved because of the proximity of the hotel to the river levee. A deal is in place for the hotel to lease 156 spots in the LaSalle parking garage. All that’s left before construction can start is for the river level to drop below flood stage. “Everything is a go,” says Richard Preis, who is developing the hotel along with Windsor/Aughtry Co. of Greenville, S.C. Plans are to bring heavy equipment out to the hotel site at Lafayette and Main streets as early as next week. Construction of the $15 million to $16 million hotel should start in a few weeks. The hotel is set to open in summer 2012, or about a year after construction begins. —Timothy Boone