Two half-built hotels in Fruitport that shut down mid-construction three years ago, may soon find new life as apartment buildings.
Construction on the two hotels originally began in 2019 until a lawsuit from Jon Rooks, the owner of the Delta Marriot in downtown Muskegon brought the build to a standstill.
Rooks had just bought the Delta Marriot, (then a Holliday Inn) hotel under the condition that the sellers wouldn’t build another hotel within a 14-mile radius for a number of years. When Rooks found out that one of the sellers was behind the two hotels in Fruitport, he sued-- the courts agreed---and construction stopped immediately.
And for locals in Fruitport, the two-half built hotels that sit next door to the Lakes Mall have been an eyesore ever since.
However, in the Spring of 2021, Fruitport Township officials adopted an anti- blight and junk ordinance, and told the developers that something had to be done with the hotels.
Now crews have begun work on the two hotels and are converting them to new apartment buildings that will house 1, 2 and 3 bedroom homes.
Officials say, the structures could be converted by the end of the summer.
I’m Daniel Boothe.
