Motel Inn in SLO could be brought back to life

The iconic Motel Inn will once again welcome guests.

Developers Rob Rossi, John King and CoVelop Inc., a local development company started by two Cal Poly graduates, have plans to resurrect the world’s first motel, along Highway 101 at the foot of the Cuesta Grade.

The new inn, estimated to be about 28,000 square feet, will be a boutique hotel similar in size and scale to the Avila Village Inn near the Bob Jones Trail in Avila, said Rossi, who, along with King, bought the property in 2001 from the Davis family at the same time as the Apple Farm Inn. The property consists of three separate parcels: a restaurant will occupy one of them, 51 bungalows will be built on a second parcel and space for up to 25 recreational vehicles will go on a third.

The inn also will have a reflecting pool.

Rossi said he didn’t yet know how much the project would cost, although he expects the total to exceed $10 million.

“It will be very small, with nice accommodations and well-appointed rooms,” Rossi said. “And it will certainly utilize the architecture and character of Spanish revival.”

The plans, which are scaled down from a larger concept approved in 2003-04, have been well received so far, said Rossi, noting that the new inn should “accommodate a wide array of tourists.”

“We’ve had a lot of good feedback,” Rossi added. “We’ve met with residents along San Luis Drive,” he said. “We wanted them to understand what we’re doing. It’s been well received.”

The project is expected to go before the city’s Architectural Review Commission, Cultural Heritage Committee and Planning Commission within the next 60 days. The first conceptual hearing with the planning commission is set for Aug. 26.

The inn could be completed by summer 2016.

This story was originally published August 20, 2015 at 9:02 PM with the headline "Motel Inn in SLO could be brought back to life."