MASON CITY | The building that housed the Clarion Inn will be torn down in mid-February to make room for a new hotel, restaurant and condominium project.

Les Kinseth, president of Kinseth Hospitality Cos., said construction of the new Hampton Inn & Suites will begin in April, weather permitting.

On Tuesday, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a change of zoning from Z2 (sub-urban) to Z4 (multi-use) to accommodate the development of the condominium part of the project.

Kinseth said crews are now working to abate asbestos on the property, a routine function when buildings are being torn down and others are to be constructed on the same property.

The commission is expected to receive a site plan at its February meeting.

Part of the discussion Tuesday centered on the traffic flow on the frontage road at Briarstone Drive. Barb Schultz, who lives in the area, said vehicles are often stacked up at the intersection and it is likely to be worse when the Kinseth project is completed.

John Groninga, commission chairman, said, "Legend has it that the intersection was designed by the City Council and it certainly has that look to it. The accident rate is considerably low. The frustration rate is incredibly high."

Commissioner Gary Christiansen agreed.

"As we move forward, that needs to be addressed," he said.

Plans for the new hotel, restaurant and condominium project were announced in April 2014.

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Construction of new hotel to begin in April

Streetcar construction in downtown Kansas City is hurting some businesses by making it tough for customers to get to restaurants and shops.

Anton Kotar said construction crews opened up the street in front of his burger restaurant on Wednesday. He said his lunch business is half of what he hopes for.

"My optimism comes from the fact that my background is in construction," Kotar said.

He said he doesn't panic if he comes in to work and finds natural gas service stopped for a bit.

Other businesses up and down the two-mile streetcar line have faced similar problems. Some said they were not prepared for the amount of road construction and the difficulties facing their customers.

Main Street in downtown Kansas City remains open in both directions, but it's peppered with orange cones. Navigating through the area where construction is going on can be a challenge.

"It's hard to say we'll have minimum disruption when we have maximum damage," Kotar said. "The water and sewer lines are pretty beat up in this town."

Downtown and the streetcar planners are trying to support the businesses with promotions. Anton's Burgers was featured as the gathering spot for the weekly Lunch Bunch promotion. Kansas City Mayor Sly James sent a tweet encouraging people to eat there.

Next week, a different business along the streetcar construction zone will get the spotlight.

Streetcar construction is scheduled to be finished in September.

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Construction frustrates businesses along streetcar route

POLSON A new $11.4 million Red Lion hotel is under construction in Polson, and will have an attached conference center and a MacKenzie River Pizza Co. grill and pub.

The development was financed with help from new market tax credits provided by the Montana Community Development Corp., headquartered in Missoula.

This project will create 42 new full-time jobs in Polson, said Melanie Calahan, director of marketing for the MTCDC. In addition to jobs, the conference space and rooms give Polson more resources for attracting regional events, which will bring more economic activity into the community.

The three-story, 80-room hotel is the fourth such project that the nonprofit organization has helped finance in western Montana, along with the Mission Valley Aquatics Center, which is just down the street from the new Red Lion, and both the Poverello Center and the Garlington, Lohn & Robinson office building in Missoula.

The total amount of new market tax credits provided for those four projects is $37.2 million, which is a sizable portion of the $185 million that the community development corporation has provided for projects in Montana since 2009.

All of these projects make an impact on low-income people and/or places, whether thats providing jobs or emergency homeless shelter, Calahan said. The NMTC program also redirects mainstream financial support to Montana (and Idaho) that wouldnt have made it here otherwise, and it leads to significant change that wouldnt have happened otherwise.

Dave Glaser, president of the MTCDC, said the developers of the new hotel/restaurant in Polson approached him about a year ago.

New market tax credits provide a subsidy to projects that are in low-income areas to provide jobs and economic vitality, he said. Sitting down with the developers, we learned that Polson in particular is trying to build up their year-round tourist visitation. A stand-alone hotel by itself isnt enough to make that attractive, and by putting in a restaurant and conference center it achieves those goals.

Polson now has received more new markets tax credit from MTCDC than any other small town in Montana and Idaho.

Rick Orizotti, who is developing the hotel along with Herb Leuprecht, said that the new hotel is expected to be completed in June.

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$11.4M hotel, restaurant under construction in Polson, with help from tax credits

Berwicks, a restaurant and bar that had been touted as a symbol of downtown Hendersons renaissance, has closed after just four months in business.

But a pizzeria has already signed a deal to move into the same space on Water Street in a few months, offering a bar, live music and karaoke.

City officials and business owners hope the Berwicks closure is just a hiccup. But it suggests the road to a more vital downtown wont be an easy one.

Billed as an urban lounge, Berwicks opened in August and closed just before the new year, laying off about 10 employees. A small handwritten Closed sign was taped to the door.

Owner Jimmy Wike said the business was losing money, but he wouldnt say how much. A self-described absentee owner who lives in Mesquite, he said that distance made it hard to oversee Berwicks. More importantly, he said, he didnt get tens of thousands of dollars in expected redevelopment aid from the city.

When word of the closure spread, building owners Tim Brooks and Doug Beavers immediately started getting calls from potential tenants.

That alone, they said, is a good sign for downtown.

Its a great opportunity right now to get in on the ground floor, said Mike Zakis, who will open Sunset Pizzeria in the spot vacated by Berwicks. He hopes to open around April.

Zakis, who already has two locations elsewhere in Henderson, said hes confident he will be able to draw people downtown with good food and entertainment.

There is money and people in this town, Zakis said. Its just that they need a new place to go.

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Henderson restaurant closure suggests redevelopment will take time

DRACUT -- The owners of a 17-year pizzeria and another restaurant not yet opened experienced very different results in their quests to be granted liquor licenses by the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday.

The board voted 5-0 to grant a request by Primo Pizza owner Christos Kotsironis to upgrade his existing liquor license, permitting him to sell beer and wine at his 164 Parker Ave. business, to "all alcoholic beverages."

Kotsironis' request was granted by the board despite public hearing-input from two neighbors who objected to hard liquor being served to restaurant patrons in what is an otherwise predominately residential neighborhood.

In the hearing preceding the one for Primo's, selectmen voted 3-2 to deny a request by Hometown Dracut Inc.'s owner, Keith Alkourabi, for an all-alcoholic beverages license for a 60-seat restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, that Alkourabi plans to open next month at 1084 Lakeview Ave.

Selectmen Tony Archinski, Joe DiRocco and Chairwoman Cathy Richardson voted "no" on Alkourabi's request.

Attorney Gil Nason, representing Hometown Dracut Inc., told selectmen that securing the liquor license was an important element of Alkourabi's plan to finish building and open his restaurant, to be named "24," by Valentine's Day.

However, Selectmen Tony Archinski, speaking for the board majority, instructed Nason and Alkourabi to return with their licensing request after construction has been completed, and the restaurant has actually opened its doors to customers.

"Nothing the board has said in opposition to granting this liquor license made any sense at all," said Selectman Tami Dristiliaris, who cast one of the board's two votes in the minority, along with Selectman Alison Hughes, in favor of granting Alkourabi a liquor license.

In other business at Tuesday's meeting, Fire Chief David Brouillette presented selectmen with some of his department's key statistical totals from the year just concluded, including reporting that the Dracut firefighters responded to 3,394 incidents, conducted 1,015 inspections and issued 223 certificates-of-compliance and 150 permits in 2014.

Follow John Collins on Twitter and Tout at johncolowellsun.

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Dracut pizzeria gets liquor license; other restaurant's bid denied

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Aurora, IL Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Contractors - Video

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