What does a La Quinta, Victory Lakes and a Gentlemens Club have in common?

They were all discussed in a spirited debate at a recent League City Planning meeting.  La Quinta Inn and Suites would like to build a hotel on a site located west of the Victory Lakes in League City.  As reported by Galveston News about 16 residents showed up to oppose hotel stating they were told by the developer Roy Mease that the commercial property would be office buildings.

Photo Source The City of League City

There is a Comfort Inn & Suites that League City has already approved which is being built next to the La Quinta site. The demand for hotels is coming from the Big League Dreams sports complex.  The city indicated they are losing $750,000 in revenue because out of town players stay in hotels in Webster, because there are few options in League City.  Victory Lakes residents felt customers would come from a different demographic.

“  People who generally stay there are hardworking construction workers, welders and truck drivers,” Kim Tecca said. “At night, they relax like they like to relax — they stay up all night drinking.”    Several residents argued sexual predators could live in the hotel, which they said is less than 2,000 feet from a school…One resident said the hotel would become an after-hours rendezvous spot for men who frequent Heartbreaker’s Gentlemen’s Club.

Then Jack Owens a planning and Zoning Commissioner jumped into the mix by bring up Ike and the need for hotel space.

pointed to the hundreds of displaced Galveston Hurricane Ike victims who lived in island hotels for six months or longer, and said, “You deduce what that means.” He promptly voted against the hotel.

A representative of La Quinta Corp. indicated the facility would be an 8 million dollar upscale hotel.  As a personal note when I represented Prudential in handling their real estate the corporate hotel was a La Quinta. The hotel was very nice and oddly enough I never witnessed any truckers or construction workers there. Land use is always a sensitive subject with all parties involved. Who knows what the residents were told when they purchased their home but its never good for developers to indicate the exact use for property because there is no way of knowing what the market will demand in 5 to 10 years.  The vote was 4 votes for and 4 votes against. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the May 26th city council meeting.

Galveston News Victory Lake Article