The Kiwanis Club of Gainesville met Tuesday afternoon with officials who provided updates on the Marriott hotel, neighboring apartments, Decoy “eatertainment” venue and the upcoming Alley Bar.
Club members heard from Erik Rowen, Jonathan Collins and Rand Carswell, who each represent different projects taking place in the downtown area of Gainesville. Rowen works with the McKibbon Hotel Group, which is currently finishing up the Courtyard Marriott Hotel east of the downtown square.
Collins is the president at Capstone Property Group, who is working in coordination with the new hotel to bring an apartment structure immediately west of the Marriott. Carswell is the current owner of the Chattahoochee Grill, and is currently in the process of opening two distinct locations in the same area: Decoy, an “eatertainment” venue, and the Alley Bar.
Progress on each project is said to be coming along at pace, with the Marriott hotel slated for completion “in the next three weeks,” according to Collins. The apartment complex, known as The National, plans to open several weeks after the hotel, in early September.
Preleasing for The National has already begun, offering an assortment of 152 one- and two-bedroom apartments. The one-bedroom apartments start at approximately $1,800 per month and are 600 square feet. Alternatively, the two-bedroom apartments open up at $2,300 per month utilizing 850 square feet.
Carswell provided updates on the upcoming addition of two venues in the downtown area. Decoy is set to be an “eatertainment” venue where guests will have the chance to order “new American” styled food and order drinks from a craft beverage menu. The kicker for the venue comes with the addition of several different activities, including tech-infused mini golf, traditional golf simulation, duckpin bowling and more.
“As we've traveled the southeast and seen a lot of these entertainment concepts, they have been geared towards adults, so most of them are all 21 and up,” Carswell said. “So it kind of shows you that it still can be geared towards an adult mindset. But what we'll do is we'll have daytime and early afternoon will be more for the families and kids to come in. And then at night around nine o'clock we’ll turn it into 21 and up so the lights will come down a little bit and the music will go up a little bit.”
Decoy will be located in the Historic Walton Jackson Building and hopes to open its doors later this year. Carswell did note that there is a chance the opening date may not come until early 2024.
The second venue Carswell is planning will be known as Alley Bar and will be constructed using shipping containers in the alley behind Decoy. This location is the first in an attempt to revitalize the alleyways around downtown Gainesville, Carswell said.
Utilizing a “food hall” style of dining, Carswell hopes to bring restaurants on the square together, allowing patrons to order many different kinds of food to one location.
“You can order from one of the different restaurants all while staying at the same table,” Carswell said. “So if mom wants sushi and dad wants Mexican and the kids want barbecue, no problem, you're scanning your phone, you're going on to their websites ordering it and they're bringing the food out to you.”
As the Marriott hotel nears completion, Rowen expressed excitement at what will be on offer for customers. There will be 130 rooms, including 5 suites, a limited-service restaurant, an indoor and outdoor bar, a large fitness center and an expansive gathering space.
The outdoor plaza will feature 14,800 square feet of space, leaving room for a stage for various events, outdoor seating, fire pits and multiple entry and exit points. There will be a covered parking deck for both those staying at the hotel as well as those living in the apartments. Plans currently show 256 parking spaces with access from Washington Street and Spring Street.
The Marriott hotel and The National apartments are slated to add approximately 36 full-time employees and 11 part-time positions.
Collins noted as preleasing for The National moves along, the primary groups signing leases are millennials and empty-nesters.
“We've got empty-nesters and millennials here living together which is certainly very interesting and all of the amenities seem to appeal to both,” Collins said. “So that's been interesting, the data that we've collected here in the first month.”
