Officials in Northport broke ground Tuesday morning on a 100-room, $15 million Courtyard Marriott hotel expected to open on Bridge Avenue in Fall 2021.

City Council President Jay Logan, who represents District 2 where the hotel will be erected, said the groundbreaking wasn't just superficial -- construction on the project is expected to begin Wednesday.

The $15 million project was approved last August when city leaders unanimously voted to grant a $2 million tax rebate to incentivize the developers, Mansa Hospitality to build the first-ever hotel in the city of Northport -- Logan said all existing lodging options in the city are exterior-entry motels, making this project the first of its kind.

In the Tuesday morning ceremony, city leaders and Mansa CEO Rupesh Patel praised the hard work of the city's staff to make this dream a reality and bring a brand new commodity to the city.

Mayor Donna Aaron noted that the Bridge Avenue site is one of the first things people see when crossing into the city on Highway 69 North, and this development will give that portal to Northport a fresh face.

"As we have come across that bridge for so many years, this site, which is not the best to see, has welcomed our citizens and our neighbors and our friends," Aaron said. "When this Courtyard is complete, they will have a much nicer first impression of Northport, and I am truly excited to have them here."

Logan called the District 2 site  "the best piece of property in West Alabama," and took time to call out critics of Northport who often write it off as living in the shadow of the city of Tuscaloosa.

 

"A lot of people just count us out, but now’s the time to start counting Northport in the game. We’re in the ball game, it’s our time now," Logan said. "People who try to doubt the city and especially District 2, this is just a wake-up call to say this is only the beginning."

Building the four-story, 100-room hotel will create 100 ancillary jobs, Logan said, and the finished product is expected to employ 50 people, all of whom will be residents of the city of Northport.

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