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Hotel at Concord and Common

Overview

Belmont should allow hotels in town, as the local portion of hotel taxes would provide a fiscally-attractive return. However, the current proposal is an unlikely spot for a successful hotel, and the current drafting suffers from several other important weaknesses.

  • The town’s estimates of the revenue from a 150-room hotel along Concord Avenue are highly unrealistic as the location is ill-suited for a large hotel. Its inclusion significantly overstates anticipated revenues for the town’s overlay proposal. Commercial or senior living uses for the parcels are also allowed, probably more likely, but would generate much lower tax revenues. Those uses were not incorporated into any of the fiscal scenarios being reported.  

  • The current proposal allows hotels up to 150 rooms to be built by-right, rather than by special permit. This strips the town of its ability to ensure high-quality buildings that are sensitive to their surroundings, and to ensure that the infrastructure impacts caused by the development on water, sewer, or electricity are not borne by town residents through utility rate increases. Neither our research nor that done by the Warrant Committee found by-right permitting of such large hotels in other nearby towns.

  • The scale of by-right structures allowed along this section of Concord Avenue (in both the Center Overlay and Center Gateway districts) will tower over nearby municipal buildings. While the Middle/High School is about the same height as proposed here, the schools are set far back from the road with lots of open space around them. In contrast, the buildings allowed under the Center Overlay can have zero setbacks on the side, and will either be right on the front property line, or only 8 feet back if located in the Center Gateway. The new library is only 28 feet high along Concord Avenue, roughly half of what these new structures would be. The investments in our pool ($5.2m), rink/sports facility ($32m), library ($39.5m), and middle and high schools ($295m) totaled more than $370 million. They need to be protected by sensible zoning on nearby parcels. This is not happening in either of the Center overlays.

Hotel Economics

Developers must be able to earn an adequate economic return in order to build a hotel in any location. Hotels generally need an annual average occupancy of approximately 71% to break even. Business travelers are the critical element to making hotels viable. Returning business travelers are particularly valuable.

 

This location runs counter to basic guidelines for successful hotel placement.

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1. Very close to or on major transit highways such as Routes 95, 90, 2 and 3  to facilitate easy guest access to their destinations. The map of hotels in the Metrowest area below demonstrates the prevalence and importance of being on a major highway.

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Guests at a hotel on Concord Avenue would not have easy access, especially at rush hour. Commute times simply to reach major highways are estimated to be roughly 10 minutes to Route 2, 20 minutes to Route 95, and 25 minutes to the Mass Turnpike. 

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2. Very close to major businesses, hospitals, cultural centers and other significant draws for guests. Belmont, particularly at the proposed Concord Avenue location, is not close to large businesses or other destinations that would draw a high number of travelers and return travelers. 

 

Further, its location at the intersection of three 2-lane roads will exacerbate the already frequent traffic jams along Concord Avenue, Leonard Street and Common Street, causing problems for both guests and for the many deliveries needed to supply a large hotel. The zoning bylaw schedules most deliveries during rush hours. 

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Nothing about the proposed location indicates it would be easy for a hotel to achieve an average occupancy of 74%, the target used by the town. The many site-specific risks suggest that developers would likely find better locations in Metrowest for their hotel projects.

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A boutique hotel at this location is also unlikely. The cost of land acquisition and construction would likely require far more than 40 rooms to break even. Reducing room prices to offset the location disadvantages would undercut economic returns. Extended stay hotels, another possibility, often provide fewer tax benefits to host towns due to exemptions in the hotel tax. 

 

Individuals with experience in hotel developments confirm that this is NOT a promising location for a hotel. Their view is that a hotel will never get built at that location. No experienced developer would risk their money, nor would a hotel project at that location be likely to get financing.


So, why was this included in the original Belmont Center Overlay Fiscal Impact at 358 rooms? It didn’t make commercial sense. Many saw the inclusion as a way to artificially make the Belmont Center Overlay seem highly profitable to the town.  Even at the reduced room count of 150, the projected revenues have a small chance of materializing. One should not include the financial benefits of a hotel in assessing the fiscal impacts of the Center Gateway Overlay District since a hotel is very unlikely to be built on Concord Avenue. 

Zoning Language

The zoning proposal is seriously flawed.

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  • The bylaw is confusing and includes many drafting errors.

  • The bylaw's by-right provisions give developers free rein and deprive the town of adequate control and protections.

  • The rules and regulations implementing the proposed changes have not been developed so Town Meeting will be voting with incomplete information.

  • The town has not undertaken any analysis of the major infrastructure costs for electricity, water, sewer, sidewalks and safety.

  • The town has not shown how it could oversee such a project with limited town staff and resources.

Financial Impact

Neither the Select Board or the Planning Board have provided the financial impact of the current Belmont Center Overlay or the Hotel District at 365 to 395 Concord St.

 

The last Financial Impact by the Town was done in August or early September 2025. There have been significant changes in the zoning from early September until when it was approved by the Planning Board on December xx, 2025.

 

In earlier Planning Board presentations on the proposed overlay, the top listed goal was providing meaningful net cash flow to reduce our operating deficit and decrease future overrides. So does it? NO!

 

A Belmont team of 4 analytical and financial experts have done a detailed analysis of the impact of the Belmont Center Overlay. We used the same model that the Town has been using to provide comparable elements and result.

 

We extensively researched the top 3 variables:

  • Likely apartment mix that would be built as a result of the full buildout of the zoning

  • Incremental School Age children coming from the related new residences

  • The incremental school costs arising from the incremental students  

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