GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — The proposed Grand Landing hotel in Grand Haven has been put on a one year pause.
WATCH: Proposed Grand Landing hotel put on one-year pause
Developer, Elite Hospitality requested a 12-month extension to come up with a final development plan. Grand Haven City Council approved the extension Monday but requested quarterly progress reports moving forward.
"I think maybe a quarterly progress report of some sort just so we know that something's going on. This is private project on private property. If we said no and it just disappeared they would be starting over trying to find something to go there," Mayor Bob Monetza said.
The current plan approved by city council in January 2025 calls for a roughly 70,000 to 80,000-square-foot, four story hotel consisting of 131 rooms. A hotel has been envisioned as part of the Grand Landing development along US-31 since 2008.
The owner of Sweet Temptations, Kelly Larson, opened her business at the Grand Landing development in 2009 after learning of the proposed hotel.
"We were very excited about coming to Grand Landing because of the opportunities it presented," Larson admitted. "The dream is not what the reality is."
When Larson first heard about the hotel plans nearly 20 years ago, she thought the location was ideal for her business.
"This is not on the path. This isn't on the boardwalk or not downtown so to be able to now have the possibility of a hotel will be fantastic for us," Larson said.
The developer cited challenges with securing a lender for the project and keeping construction costs within budget as reasons for the delay. Because of contamination on the site, the developer is likely to seek some type of tax incentives once the project receives final approval.
Despite the latest delay, Larson remains optimistic about the project's future.
"I think we're all concerned about making sure that this kind of investment is done right," Larson said. "If they need the time to get it right let them get it right."
