DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – The City of Darlington Planning Department wants to bring a hotel to area.
The goal is to develop different businesses in the city. City of Darlington, Planning Director Lisa Chalian- Rock said the city needs more hotel options.
Chalian- Rock explains, “One of the things we’ve gotten as far as comments and complaints from the residents. Is that they have church functions, conferences, workshops and they not enough rooms and not enough accommodations and facilities to hold those conferences and meetings and they are having to choose other locations whether is Florence or Hartsville,”
The Planning Department created the City of Darlington Planning Survey about hotel accommodations. The survey will go out to churches, restaurants, and industries. This survey will start that process of developing data that will to persuade hotel developers to build in Darlington. The survey has a series of questions, asking businesses do they think the city needs additional hotel accommodations.
“We’ll have some data to present to developers and say, here’s the hard numbers,” said Chalian- Rock. “We’ve got this many number of churches– they have this many conferences that they don’t have here but would if we had hotels available.”
Executive Director of The Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce, Norm Steadman says there is a need for a hotel in the area.
“With the big race every year, there’s a ton of people who end up staying in Florence who go to the race or they end up camping out and we can keep that revenue in Darlington, ” explains Steadman. “A hotel in Darlington will provide an opportunity for other kinds of events family reunions, church events…things that don’t happen in Darlington because there is no place to stay.”
Pastor of The Church of God, Pastor Rodger Jackson is having a family reunion at the new Holiday Inn hotel in Hartsville this week. He thinks the churches of Darlington will benefit the most.
Pastor Jackson said, “There are many churches here that look forward– go to hotels when they are having conventions or meetings. So this would be a great idea.”
“If there was a big button on my desk I could push that said brings a hotel to Darlington… I would hit it today,” said Steadman.
For more information about the City of Darlington Planning Survey contact the City of Darlington Planning Department at (843)- 398- 4000 extension 103 or email darlingtonplanner@gmail.com.
