03/05 - Jekyll hotel construction set to begin

Date: March 05, 2008
Section(s): Local News
By ANNA FERGUSON
The Brunswick News

The building has been demolished and the blueprints have been submitted.

It's now a waiting game for Trammell Crow's proposed development on Jekyll Island.

"Everything is moving forward," said Eric Garvey, spokesman for the Jekyll Island Authority. "It's been a very normal, smooth process with the project."

Trammell Crow's new hotel, Canopy Bluff, will take the place of the Buccaneer, demolished at the end of 2007.

Groundbreaking on the new hotel is planned for April, Garvey said.

The only snag in the project came earlier this year, when original designs exceeded height restrictions of the Jekyll Island Authority. New designs have been created and will be submitted to the authority this week, said David Deshong, a representative of Global Accents and Trammell Crow.

"We're finalizing plans right now to submit new renderings of our design," Deshong said.

As it stands now, Canopy Bluff isn't much to look at. Mostly, it's a fenced-in field of fresh dirt stirred alongside downed tree limbs and leftover patches of landscaping.

The $120 million Canopy Bluff hotel will feature 301 rooms and 127 condominium rentals, plus a conference center, five swimming pools, a full-service restaurant and spa.

Affordability has been a top concern for most Jekyll Island redevelopment plans and was taken into consideration when planning on the new hotel began, Garvey said. Falling between a four-star and economy rate hotel, Canopy Bluff is slated to be one of the islands higher-end options.

"It's not set to be an economy hotel, but it also won't be exclusive," Garvey said.

Construction of Canopy Bluff is expected to take about 16 months, Garvey said.