Northampton planning board approves 2 projects

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Northampton's planning board has approved two new development projects.

Thursday night's planning and development meeting approved two requests, one to build a new hotel and the other to build a new auto dealership.

The $10 million dollar Fairfield Inn & Suites will be located at 115 Conz Street. The Marriot franchise will be owned by Hotel Northampton's owner Mansour Ghalibaf. Ghalibaf told 22News the 108-room hotel will bring an estimated 40 full and part time jobs into the area.

"It's going to bring people in, and then those people, the visitors, are going to shop, and going to go to the restaurants and that's how the city is going to benefit,” said Ghalibaf.

Ghalibaf's proposal was one of two that passed Thursday night. The owners of Northampton Volkswagen will now build two dealerships on King Street. The former Kollmorgen site on Rt. 5 will soon be the new home of Country Hyundai and Northampton Volkswagen.

Ghalibaf expects to break ground on the new hotel by March of next year.