HOTEL, PLAYGROUND RENOVATION APPROVED
Poway will be getting a new 36-room hotel in the south business park and a $1.4 million remodel to Lake Poway’s upper playground.
The two projects were unanimously approved last month by the City Council.
The Poway Boutique Hotel, planned for the corner of Scripps Poway Parkway and Stowe Drive, will share a lot with the current Hampton Inn & Suites.
Associate planner JohnWilly Aglupos said in the meeting that this project has been in the works for several years. The original plans for a 59-foottall, five-story hotel did not meet the height limit of 35 feet in the south Poway specific plan when it was first proposed in July 2021. In July 2022, the hotel was presented with the plans for 34.5 feet and 36 rooms.
Eric Naslund, principal at Studio E Architects, said the hotel will fit in the business park area with its contemporary structure and earthy tones. On top of this, Naslund said, it will bring in more money for the city.
“There is a real need for these rooms in terms of the businesses that are out there and you’re losing all kinds of TOT (transient occupancy taxes) into neighboring San Diego every single week, and it’s unfortunate that happens. It should stay here, so this is an effort to get it to do so,” Naslund said.
The location provides easy access to local businesses for those staying for work, while being close enough to the city to double as a more upscale option for those visiting, he said.
Councilmember Caylin Frank supported the project in the meeting.
“I am so excited for the concept of this boutique hotel to take the hotel offerings we have in Poway up a level and offer something unique and definitely needed, but do it in a way that still fits the community,” Frank said.
Following the approval of the Poway Boutique Hotel was a presentation to receive additional funding and begin the process of renovating Lake Poway’s Upper Playground.
Audrey Denham, the city’s director of community services, said the upper playground, constructed in 1994, hasn’t had any renovations since 1996.
Playground equipment typically needs to be replaced every 10 to 15 years, she said, and after 26 years, the equipment is getting difficult to maintain. Denham also said the play area is in need of resurfacing and the lack of shade makes the area essentially unusable in the summer.
Jeff Beers, special projects engineer for the city, presented his plans to meet those needs. The wood chip mulch play surface would be resurfaced with a more durable rubber tile designed to resemble Lake Poway and the shore, he said.
Beers highlighted all three play areas for toddlers, 2- to 5-year-olds and 5- to 12-year-olds, which will sport new lake- and nature-themed play equipment, including slides, areas for climbing and tuned instruments. The newly renovated park is designed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements to make the playground more accessible. To address the shading concerns, sails will be constructed over the play areas that don’t receive natural shading from the surrounding trees.
The project cost is $1.4 million, about $200,000 funded by a California Department of Parks and Recreation grant and the remaining $1.2 million coming from the city’s Park Improvement Fund.
“There was an original $350,000 appropriation (from the Park Improvement Fund) for this project in 2022 — some of the money was used for the initial survey design, and then the rest of that money is going to be sent back to the general fund,” Beers said.
The council confirmed that the Park Improvement Fund has about $3 million available, the rest of which will be used for future community park projects.
Frank said she hoped the incorporation of nature, adventure, shading and increased access in the Lake Poway playground will set a precedent for future projects.
“This is great, really a feel-good win for Poway, the people who live here, work here, bring their kids here. I couldn’t be happier about this,” Mayor Steve Vaus said.
The bid for the upper playground renovation project opened Feb. 22, the day after the meeting. Construction is set to begin in May and is expected to be completed in December.