Four-Story Hotel Proposal For Americana Site OK'd In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The site of the former Americana Motel is slated to become home to a 79-room hotel designed for business travelers, after the Toms River Planning Board voted to approve the proposal Wednesday night.

The proposal by Route 37 Americana LLC includes tearing down the former motel on Route 166, which has been shuttered since 2019, and replacing it with a new four-story building.

Robert Shea, attorney for Route 37 Americana LLC, said the owner of the property, International Hotel Group, caters to business travelers and the proposed hotel will fit in with the types of hotels already among its brands, including Avid Hotels, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express.

It will have smaller rooms that are designed for short stays by business travelers, rather than catering to tourists coming for a week at the beach. None of the rooms will have kitchens, but there will be a continental breakfast offered, Shea said.

The prospect of a hotel at the site of the former Americana Motel has raised concerns with some in the community and on the board, because of the history of the former motel. There had been repeated drug busts and the former owner was sentenced to prison after admitting he defrauded the federal government by claiming he was housing people who lost their homes during Superstorm Sandy.

The motel, at the time named the Parkway Motel, was shut down in 2019 following an inspection by the township's quality-of-life task force, which was cracking down on troublesome spots in town. The building was closed because of a host of fire and building code violations.

Because of repeated issues with some of the motels in the township, the Toms River Township Council in 2017 adopted an ordinance putting restrictions on motels and hotels.

Among them are limits on hotel or motel stays, which cannot be for fewer than 12 hours or more than 90 days, no rentals to those younger than 18, and a requirement for the motel or hotel to maintain a registration list complete with the name and true address of the person renting the room, along with proof of identity. All guests must be listed and must sign the registry as well.

Proof of identity has to be maintained electronically, and is subject to inspection by the police department or code enforcement.

Millis Looney, the project engineer, reiterated that the rooms at the new hotel will not be equipped for cooking. There will be "just a small microwave," and a small refrigerator typically used for sodas or snacks.

The design for the new hotel does not include removing more trees at the site, which currently provide a buffer for nearby homes, she said, and it would conform to existing variances that been granted relating to width of the property and frontage on the road.

The board approved the proposal 7-2, officials said.

Click here to get Patch email notifications, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Toms River Patch on Facebook.