Council approves new hotel

At its meeting on Oct. 23 the Weatherford City Council approved a conditional use permit for a new hotel to be located at 117 College Ave. 

The unique hotel, which will sit on about a half-acre tract of land, is a 16-room boutique hotel made of shipping containers. It will be similar to the Middleton Hotel in Graham, which was built by the same developers, Matt Hughes and Griffin Phillips.

“The City of Weatherford has been very welcoming,” Hughes said. “Growing up, I spent a lot of time in Weatherford. I have two sisters that still live there and I have seen how the town has grown.”

Highlights of the new hotel will include premium linens in each room, along with custom artwork throughout and an in-ground swimming pool onsite. 

The site will also include an upscale restaurant and bar, featuring craft cocktails, beer, coffee, espresso, small plates and live music.

The container concept is new to the United States but has been very popular overseas. To get an idea of what one looks like, browse the Middleton Hotel website.

Hughes and Phillips do their homework when looking for potential sites. They update and use available surrounding properties that could enhance their guests’ experience.

The concept is also extremely affordable. The containers are about 85%-95% ready when they arrive at the site and this eliminates excess construction traffic and other challenges.

The new hotel is slated to begin construction next July and could be ready for patrons around December of 2024.

Other agenda highlights approved included:

• Purchase of fire department and police department personnel uniforms and protective equipment from Galls, LLC for a combined amount of $75,000 through the North Texas Share Master Service Agreement.
• Purchase of portable/mobile two-way radios, in-car video systems, body-worn cameras, maintenance services and accessories from Motorola Solutions for an amount not to exceed $200,000.00.Both items were planned purchases for the FY24 budget. Council authorization is required for purchases over $50,000 per state law, so both were included on the agenda, even though already included in the current year budget.
• Renewal of a three-year agreement between the City of Weatherford and the Weatherford Mountain Bike Club. The club built and maintains a nearly 13-mile mountain biking trail located on city property.
• Petition for release from the City of Weatherford’s extraterritorial jurisdiction from Lake of Weatherford and from Bear Creek 4011 Partners. Once the application is approved the applicants will no longer be subject to the city's platting requirements. They will, however, remain subject to any platting requirements of Parker County.
• Proclamations declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the city, along with naming Nov. 11, 2023, as Veterans Day in the city. The Veterans of Foreign Wars were present and accepted the proclamation. Also, they stated that there would be a parade, weather permitting.