[EastSideHBG]

Hotel would offer suite life at the Farm Show Complex

Thursday, February 03, 2005

BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

The state Farm Show Complex is known for housing prize-winning cows, pigs and sheep on beds of hay.

Soon, the Farm Show grounds could be home to a hotel where people attending events or weary travelers can spend the night.

Crossgates Inc. of Harrisburg has proposed building a 150-room suite-style hotel on about 4.8 acres of Farm Show land that is now a parking lot.

The tract is at the northeast edge of the 90-acre Farm Show tract between Cameron Street and Industrial Drive.

Crossgates was the only firm to respond to a request for proposals last February by Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed and the state departments of General Services and Agriculture.

"We're very excited about it," said Frank Kane, General Services spokesman. "It's a great proposal, and it will be great for the city of Harrisburg."

Under the deal, Crossgates would buy the land from the state for about $605,000, or $126,000 an acre.

But before that can be finalized, the Legislature must pass a law approving the sale, a process that could take until June, said Rep. Ron Buxton, D-Dauphin County.

Construction would begin after that, he said.

It's not known when the hotel would open. Calls to Crossgates and its executive, Tom Powers, were not returned yesterday.

State officials said the company plans to build a Staybridge Suites Hotel with 150 suites, all of which would have separate bedrooms and living-room space.

Staybridge, a national chain with about 100 locations, bills itself as the "upscale suites hotel," with every room featuring a full kitchen.

The hotel also would feature a conference area, including meeting and banquet space, a restaurant and an indoor swimming pool.

It would be built to accommodate expansion, including additional floors.

Originally, there was talk that any hotel built on Farm Show grounds should be accompanied by a parking garage. But that would have added to the project's cost.

In the end, General Services decided there would be enough surface parking for the hotel and Farm Show events, Buxton said.

It is anticipated that most hotel patrons would be attending Farm Show events. And when the Farm Show is dormant, the hotel would attract travelers from Interstate 81 and Route 322.

"To have a hotel at that location is going to be a big asset," Buxton said. "It just makes sense."

The Farm Show Complex encompasses 17 acres of indoor exhibition space and is one of the largest meeting, convention and exhibition facilities in the country.

More than 125 events are held there over 280 days each year, attracting more than 1 million visitors.