Carol Stream to reconsider hotel project

The developers of an extended-stay hotel project will get another chance at trying to sell Carol Stream officials on plans to build in town.

Trustees are expected to hear a pitch Monday from representatives of the Value Place hotel chain. The franchise chain markets itself to business professionals and families in between houses, allowing clients to book rooms in weeklong increments.

The village board rejected a plan last month for a four-story Value Place hotel and accompanying strip mall at the southwest corner of North and Gary avenues.

Officials expressed some concerns over the concept of the hotel.

"We've never seen one of these types of places before," Mayor Frank Saverino said. "It's not like we can drive over to a similar hotel in Bloomingdale or Naperville. This sort of place doesn't exist in the state."

Saverino met with representatives from the development group on Wednesday hoping to build the project in town.

In addition to the novelty of the concept - at least here in the West suburbs - Saverino had concerns over how the company would handle security on the site and wanted assurances that the village would be able to recoup hotel taxes.

"My concern is will this place be easy for teens to use as an dorm-type place for parties," Saverino said. "Will there be any controls in place to keep people safe?"

Tom Matthews, a managing partner of Frankfort-based GEM Development Group, which owns one of the franchises, acknowledged his team could have done a better job of selling the project and its impact to the surrounding community.

"Value Place is fairly new," Matthews said. "We may have not properly communicated the project to the board members at the time. We're kind of regrouping a little bit."