The Great Hotel Hullabaloo: A Neighbor’s Take on Wedgewood Houston’s Never-Ending Development Drama

Well, folks, we’ve done it again. Another month, another deferral for the hotel project that’s become Wedgewood Houston’s answer to Groundhog Day. Except instead of Bill Murray reliving the same day over and over, we’ve got a Planning Commission reliving the same meeting every few months for the past two years

I’m writing this from my front porch on Merritt Avenue, close enough to the proposed hotel site that I could probably throw a well-aimed parking cone at it (though my husband has made it clear that’s not an acceptable form of community engagement). As someone who will literally look at this thing from my mailbox, I figure I’ve got some skin in this game.

The Deferral Derby: A Nashville Tradition

Last week, Council Member Terry Vo rode into the Planning Commission meeting like a knight in shining armor, requesting deferral number nine (but who’s counting?) because the developer won’t shrink the hotel down to her preferred 125 rooms.

Now, I appreciate Terry’s dedication to community input—really, I do. But at this point, asking for more community meetings is like asking for more cowbell. We’ve had over 10 community meetings. The developer has shared his personal phone number more freely than a teenager on spring break. If we have any more community input sessions, we’re going to need to start serving dinner and charging admission.

The SNAP Drama: When Neighbors Become Conspiracy Theorists

Speaking of community meetings, let me tell you about my favorite subplot in this ongoing soap opera. A SNAP (South Nashville Action People) board member recently made some… interesting… accusations about a neighbor who started a neighborhood organization.

This board member essentially claimed—with all the subtlety of a neon sign in a meditation garden—that said neighbor is actually a “beard” for SomeraRoad (you know, the folks building the Martin & Merritt project down my street). The implication being that this neighbor is basically a fraud, pretending to represent community interests while secretly working for developers.

Now, I happen to know this neighbor pretty well (waves from porch), and let me tell you: if he’s secretly on SomeraRoad’s payroll, somebody forgot to tell his bank account. The man still drives a 14 year old car and and buys Prosecco in bulk quantities to save a few bucks. If he’s a corporate shill, he’s doing it wrong.

But here’s the beautiful irony: while this SNAP board member is busy spinning conspiracy theories about fake grassroots organizations, SomeraRoad’s Martin & Merritt project—the one they’re supposedly puppeteering—has been moving forward with actual community support and millions in real financing. Apparently, their “beard” operation is so sophisticated that they convinced a quarter-billion dollars in investment money to play along with the charade.

The Case of the Mysterious Single Review

Here’s where things get even more interesting (and by interesting, I mean “worthy of an eye roll that could power a small wind turbine”). Terry has cited a single negative review from a former Aparium employee as evidence that this hotel operator is bad news.

Let me get this straight: We’re going to make a multi-million-dollar development decision based on one anonymous internet complaint? By that logic, I should probably tear down my house because someone said my house is “aggressively black” at the last WEHO Social. 

Aparium’s Jasper Hotel has a 4.4-star rating across nearly 300 reviews. Their properties regularly appear on Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler lists. But sure, let’s focus on the one person who was probably upset they couldn’t take home the fancy soap from the supply closet.

Size Matters (Or Does It?)

She wants the hotel capped at 125 rooms,while the developer is proposing something larger. Meanwhile, literally down the street from me, SomeraRoad just secured multi million dollars in financing for their Martin & Merritt project, which includes a 150ish room hotel.

Over Two-hundred and fifty MILLION dollars, people. That’s not Monopoly money—that’s real investors betting real cash that a hotel of this size works in Wedgewood Houston. But apparently, we’re supposed to ignore this massive vote of confidence happening in our own backyard because… reasons?

The Economics of Stubbornness

Look, I get it. Nobody wants their neighborhood to turn into Times Square South. But there’s a difference between thoughtful development and development paralysis.

Every month we delay this project, we’re potentially losing:

- Construction jobs for locals (and trust me, we’ve got folks who could use the work)

- Hotel jobs that don’t require a college degree but pay decent wages

- Property tax revenue that funds our schools and services

- The foot traffic that keeps our local businesses afloat

Meanwhile, that empty lot continues to be a monument to… well, emptiness. Very inspiring.

The Martin & Merritt Reality Check

Here’s the thing that really gets me: AJ Capital project, Wedgewood Village, is happening literally down the street. They’re building somewhere around x apartments, and adaptively reusing the old industrial building and Merritt Mansion building. The community has embraced it. Local businesses are moving in. It’s exactly the kind of development we say we want.

But somehow, a much smaller projectl a few blocks away is treated like they’re proposing to build a replica of the Las Vegas Strip complete with dancing fountains and a Céline Dion residency.

And apparently, anyone who points this out is automatically suspect as a developer plant. Because clearly, the only way someone could support reasonable development in their own neighborhood is if they’re being paid to do it. It couldn’t possibly be that they actually live here and want to see thoughtful growth rather than eternal stagnation.

The Aparium Advantage

Let’s talk about what we’re actually getting here. Aparium doesn’t build generic roadside motels with continental breakfast featuring stale bagels and “coffee” that tastes like it was filtered through gym socks.

specialize in boutique hotels that celebrate local character. Their Hotel Heron in Alexandria has 134 rooms and maintains the neighborhood feel. Their Surety Hotel in Des Moines is a beloved community anchor. These aren’t hotels that bulldoze local culture—they’re designed to enhance it.

 What I Actually Want to See

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not blindly pro-development (despite what certain SNAP board members might whisper at their meetings). I want this project done right. During this latest deferral (lucky number nine!), here’s what I’d like to see:

• Concrete community benefits: Local hiring commitments, not just vague promises

• Design standards: Make sure it fits our neighborhood aesthetic

• Clear approval benchmarks: So we’re not still doing this dance in 2027

• Real employment standards: If Terry’s worried about wages, let’s get specific commitments

The Bigger Picture

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Wedgewood Houston is changing whether we like it or not. The question isn’t whether development will happen—it’s whether we’ll have good development or bad development.

We can keep deferring every project until developers give up and sell to someone who’ll build generic apartment complexes with names like “The Residences at Millennial Manor” (complete with a “community” dog park the size of a suburban bathroom). Or we can work with quality developers who want to build something special.m

And we can keep letting community organizations tear each other apart with conspiracy theories and accusations of fraud, or we can focus on the actual issues at hand.

Time to Fish or Cut Bait

Two years, folks. Two years of meetings, deferrals, revisions, and community input. At some point, we need to make a decision. Even my grandmother’s committee to decide what to serve at the church potluck moves faster than this.

The July meeting is coming up. Let’s use it to finalize the details and move forward, not to schedule deferral number ten. Because at this rate, my future caretakers will be writing blog posts about the hotel project that’s been “under consideration” since the Biden administration.

Final Thoughts from the Porch

I’m going to wrap this up because my husband is calling me in for dinner, and I’ve learned that delaying dinner is even more dangerous than delaying hotel projects.

Look, I want what’s best for Wedgewood Houston. I want thoughtful development that respects our character while bringing economic opportunity. I want a hotel that makes our neighborhood stronger, not one that overwhelms it.

But most of all, I want to stop having the same conversation every three months like we’re stuck in some sort of municipal Groundhog Day. And I want us to stop eating our own with baseless accusations every time someone dares to have a different opinion about development.

Let’s get this done, Nashville. Our neighborhood deserves better than eternal deferral purgatory and paranoid infighting.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go practice my “aggressively black” mailbox presentation for the next community meeting. And maybe check my bank account to see if those developer checks finally cleared.

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Earnest Morgan is a longtime Wedgewood Houston resident, occasional blogger, professional haver-of-opinions-about-local-development, and definitely-not-a-corporate-shill (seriously, check his transportation. He can be reached at earnest.morgan@email.com, though he promises to respond faster than the  processes hotel applications.

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Tags: WedgewoodHouston Nashville Development PlanningCommission CommunityEngagement HotelProject LocalPolitics SNAP CommunityDram