PITTSBURG—This Delta city isn’t a tourist mecca, but it may see a 115-room Hilton hotel go up in the next few months on Loveridge Road.

The City Council last week approved the hotel proposal for an empty lot that’s frequently been used as a homeless encampment.

Pittsburg lost its largest home for overnight guests when Motel 6, also on Loveridge across the street from the planned Hilton hotel, was purchased by Contra Costa County in June 2020 for $21.6 million as part of California’s Homekey program to house people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic.

The new hotel on a two-acre site will be part of the Home2Suites chain that recently opened its 500th location in North America. The 62,840-square-foot building will include 19 guest rooms, a main lobby reception area, fitness room, a dining/community gathering area, outdoor pool, guest laundry, and employee office on the ground floor. Council member Jelani Killings called the project “an exciting opportunity for the city.”

Wolfgang Croskey, the only person who addressed the project at the council’s Nov. 15 meeting, questioned whether the hotel could also be leased to house the homeless.

But Shawn Trainman of Platinum Hospitality replied that the hotel would not accept any kind of vouchers. “Only cash and credit,” he added.

Gary Avigne, a Boston-based hotel analyst, described Home2Suites as “a high quality but more moderately priced extended stay brand, a bit less expensive than Hilton’s Homewood Suites.”

“Brand standards,” he added, “are rigorously enforced, to include during the development process, not simply after opening during operations. The design is fresh and enjoys a high customer satisfaction level.”

Avigne added, “It should also be noted that the extended stay products from these parent brands are not substitutes for affordable housing. A Home2Suites is for a business traveler who has a project for maybe several weeks or a family temporary relocation, but it is not low-cost housing.”

Jordan Davis, the city’s director of community and economic development, described the proposed hotel as a “high quality” project and a positive addition to the city’s hotel stock. Trainman said his firm hopes to begin construction in the next three months. The company expects construction to take one year, according to the staff report.

The proposed project would provide 119 onsite surface parking spaces, including five accessible parking spaces, one accessible van space, 10 clean air vehicle spaces, and six electric vehicle charging station spaces. The developer would also install 10 bicycle parking spaces. Site improvements consisting of curbs, gutters, sidewalks for pedestrian access, signing, lighting, and striping would be installed along Loveridge Road and throughout the project site.