Beautifying an eyesore: Dilapidated Nob Hill motel going away, and plans for what's next are big
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An eyesore property in Nob Hill will soon be transformed into a boutique hotel.
sa国际传媒官网网页入口-based Titan Development announced Tuesday that it has purchased the vacant Hiway House Motel property, 3200 Central SE. The developer has been interested in acquiring the property for years.
鈥淲e鈥檙e always trying to find the next great thing or something that can improve the communities that we live in,鈥� said Josh Rogers, partner at Titan. 鈥淎nd the Hiway House is always front and center. I think for every major developer in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, it鈥檚 always been like, 鈥極K, how do we do this? What鈥檚 the most appropriate thing? What鈥檚 the best use?鈥欌��
The Hiway House property is the newest hotel development for Titan, according to a news release. Its other assets in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 include the Journal Center Courtyard Marriott and the Highlands SpringHill Suites.
鈥淚 am truly excited for Titan to embark on our game-changing boutique hotel project in iconic Nob Hill,鈥� Kurt Browning, partner at Titan, said in a statement. 鈥淒espite our 鈥榦lder鈥� ages, my wife and I frequent Nob Hill often, enjoying its fantastic restaurants, bars, nightlife entertainment, brunch spots and more, all of which contribute to Nob Hill鈥檚 eclectic urban vibe. Given the allure of Nob Hill, this site might be one of the best boutique hotel locations in the state and we鈥檙e thrilled to bring synergy to the area.鈥�
Titan spoke with every major developer in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 to get their take on re-envisioning the Hiway House property.
鈥淓verybody says the same thing, that it鈥檚 going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it鈥檚 the best site in sa国际传媒官网网页入口,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥�... From Titan鈥檚 perspective, we believe this is the catalytic amenity that the area has been missing.鈥�
Rogers said bringing the boutique hotel to the heart of Nob Hill will stimulate more revenue in the area.
鈥淚f you can get 100-plus travelers, visitors, staycation people coming down to Nob Hill to spend money every night at the restaurants, at the bars, at the retail shops, whatever it is, that鈥檚 a lot different than the person who鈥檚 living a block off of Central Avenue in their house because they don鈥檛 go there every day,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 go there every weekend. But the people who stay in the hotel, they鈥檙e there to spend money and they鈥檙e there to experience the greatness of Nob Hill and that hotel. It鈥檚 just such an amazing opportunity for Nob Hill and the city of sa国际传媒官网网页入口.鈥�
The boutique hotel will consist of about 100 rooms, a rooftop bar and meeting rooms, according to the news release. A proposed underground parking structure is also being considered.
The Hiway House鈥檚 historic neon sign will be revitalized as part of the redevelopment. However, it has not been determined where the neon sign will be placed or if the property will retain the name Hiway House.
鈥淚 have no idea how it fits into the development,鈥� Rogers said of the sign. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just not that far along yet. But it鈥檚 such an iconic sign. It鈥檚 just really important to us to keep it somewhere on-site. Whether it becomes part of the rooftop bar or it remains exactly where it is, I鈥檓 not sure. I just know it鈥檚 really cool, and I think everybody knows that neon sign and it needs to be a little updated.鈥�
The Hiway House Motel, which was built in 1959, is now a dilapidated property that was the site of an explosion caused by a propane tank in 2019. It has attracted squatters and has been a nuisance for the Nob Hill neighborhood for years.
Titan closed on the land acquisition on April 19 and is expected to break ground on the boutique hotel in mid- to late-2025 after asbestos abatement, complete demolition of the old motel, city approvals and other required site preparation. Titan is currently receiving proposals from out-of-state architects on the design plans.
鈥淲e have a vision of what it is, and I鈥檝e seen some renderings of the project,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e so exciting, but I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e going to end up with. ... We鈥檙e going to work on that over the next couple of months. And as soon as we get a little bit further along, we鈥檒l be releasing those renderings of the future project as we make progress on it.鈥�
Titan has reached out to the Nob Hill community and has held a neighborhood meeting and met with businesses, including M鈥橳ucci鈥檚, which has its Bar Roma location next door to the Hiway House property.
鈥淚鈥檝e been meeting with some of the local restaurants, restaurant and bar owners in the area too, and we鈥檙e going to continue to do that,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淥ur goal is to make this something that all of the Nob Hill businesses and residents can love and appreciate. But also, everybody in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 will want to come here. Our goal is to make it the best development for Nob Hill that we can. And we鈥檙e going to do that through local community outreach and getting that feedback because it鈥檚 really important to do this right.鈥�
