A new hotel is coming to Bellefontaine, and today was the highly anticipated groundbreaking!
After years of anticipation, dirt will begin moving and the four-story, 80-room upscale hotel under the Cobblestone Hotels brand name will begin to take shape.
The hotel will be located adjacent to the Mary Rutan Health Center with frontage along Route 33 and access via both Main Street and Dowell Avenue.
Mary Rutan’s Chad Ross comments about their part in the hotel process:
The new hotel will feature a mix of king and queen studios and suites, extended stay options, a swimming pool, a 50-to-60-seat conference room, a breakfast room, an exercise room, laundry facilities, and an outdoor patio.
The vision for a hotel at this site dates back to 2016 when an initial feasibility study was conducted by the Logan County Chamber of Commerce and Mary Rutan Hospital.
It wasn’t however until after the opening of a Cobblestone Hotel in Urbana in the summer of 2020 that momentum picked up for seeing a similar model built in Logan County.
Ben Stahler, Mayor of Bellefontaine talks about how the local community rallied to support the project:
Community leaders toured the 54-room Urbana property and were impressed during meetings with the local investors who funded the hotel.
This resulted in the commissioning of a fresh hotel feasibility study in July 2021 for both the Bellefontaine and Indian Lake markets.
With Cobblestone as a partner, the Bellefontaine investment group gradually formed and documents were formally executed at the beginning of this month.
The group is comprised of 22 investors, predominately Logan County residents and business owners, plus the owners of Cobblestone Hotels, LLC.
Construction of the new Cobblestone Hotel in Russells Point has begun and a groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday.
All approvals and permits have been received for the 54-room hotel that is expected to open in early 2025.
President of Development for Cobblestone Hotels, Jeremy Griesbach, shares his thoughts on how the hotel will be very successful and beneficial to the community:
BriMark Builders LLC, a division of Cobblestone Inc. will oversee the construction using numerous local sub-contractors.
The 8.4 million dollar hotel is said to be the largest development project at Indian Lake since the turn of the last century when the Amusement Park was built.
Russells Point Mayor, Robin Reames, shares her thoughts on how the hotel is a defining moment for Russells Point and the Indian Lake region:
In addition to single-bed and double-bed rooms, long-term stay rooms with kitchens and living rooms, and ADA-compliant rooms, the new Cobblestone Hotel will also have a conference/events room, indoor pool, as well as a bar and outdoor patio.
Most investors are connected to Indian Lake.
They believe this hotel will serve a well-documented need, spur more quality development around the lake, and expand Indian Lake activities year-round.
President of the Indian Lake Chamber, Amber Fagan, gives her thoughts on the new hotel:
