Ground broken for Iowa City hotel

The hospitality industry in Iowa City is about to add 143 rooms, a conference center, rooftop restaurant and bar.

Ground was broken Tuesday for a 12-story Hilton Garden Inn at 328 S. Clinton St. in the Riverfront Crossings District. The locally-owned $33 million hotel will be a joint venture between the Hieronymus Family, HGI Investment Group, and Kinseth Hospitality.

The Hilton Garden Inn is scheduled to open in late summer 2017 and will be managed by Kinseth Hospitality Companies of North Liberty. The hotel was designed by City's Edge Architects and McComas Lacina Construction is the general contractor.

West Bank is financing the project.

Bruce Kinseth, executive vice president of Kinseth Hospitality Companies, said in a news release that the ground breaking marked more than two years of planning and approvals for the project.

'The project will be the most significant project in Kinseth's 45-year history,” Kinseth said. The company operates 65 hotels and five branded restaurants in 11 states.

The Hilton Garden guest rooms will be equipped with refrigerators, microwaves, coffee makers and work desks with ergonomic chairs. Guests will have access complimentary Wi-Fi, an on-site fitness center, and valet parking.

The hotel will have 3,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space for up to 250 guests with on-site catering services. The property will feature a rooftop restaurant and bar with an outdoor patio that will offer guests and local diners views of Iowa City and the University of Iowa.

In March 2015, the Iowa City Council approved an amendment to the city's urban renewal plan to allow for an $8.8 million financial assistance package. The hotel will be the first nationally branded hotel to open in downtown Iowa City since the Sheraton was constructed in 1984 as a Holiday Inn.

The Hilton Garden is expected to generate an estimated $582,500 in property tax revenue starting in 2017. Currently, the property is used as a parking lot and generates $11,000 in annual property taxes.