A planned hotel earmarked for the former Jimmy’s Gym in Franklin Township plans to break ground in the spring.

On a unanimous measure, supervisors on Tuesday granted conditional approval for Eagle Hospitality LLC/TownePlace Suites based on finalizing the agreements, and finalizing the water service from the well.

The bond amount is $787,776. Township solicitor Tom Nanovic said that from his end, that would be the development agreement, stormwater agreement and subdivision bond.

“And they’re working on those things,” Nanovic said. “The last piece is the subdivision bond; they’re working on that.”

Wayne Knirnschild, Lehighton Investment Group, said he had letters from the bank and the contractor, and noted water surface is being worked on as they speak.

“It all should be done, and we can’t break ground until all that is done, obviously,” Knirnschild said. “So that’s where we at and we should be able to finish it up by spring.”

Supervisor Fred Kemmerer Jr. said it’s always tough for the board to see how hard it is to get something to happen.

“And sometimes it’s frustrating to know that the process is tough,” Kemmerer Jr. said. “I’m never proud of any project that comes through that has to go through problems.”

Knirnschild said he appreciated the township’s position.

“I want to say you’re looking out for your community, and there’s no problem,” Knirnschild said. “It’s just we’ll work through anything that we need to work through, and we’re moving forward on it.”

Last month, supervisors on a 2-0 vote granted final approval of several waivers for Eagle Hospitality LLC/TownePlace Suites preliminary/final land development.

The waivers were for access drives and landscaping are to be defined with concrete curbing, or such alternate material as may be approved by the township; one planting island is to be provided for every 10 parking stalls; and stormwater basin surface discharge.

That action came after the board unanimously granted conditional approval last month for a lot line revision and minor subdivision plan for Eagle Hospitality LLC.

Plans call for a 17,225-square-foot, 97-room hotel that would become a TownePlace Suites by Marriott.

The Carbon County Planning Commission recommended conditional plan approval with the condition that if the comments outlined aren’t adequately mitigated before the preliminary/final plan approval, then the county’s recommendation changes to plan rejection of the project.

County planner Ivan O. Meixell Jr. said that the plans that were submitted in May were for three stories.

Meixell said that property lines and distance discrepancies that exist between the recorded map of the property and the plan are fixed. An erosion and sediment pollution control plan had to be approved by the Carbon County Conservation District.

Interchange Investment Group LLC of Bethlehem purchased the 9-acre property at 1055 Interchange Road in 2019 for $1.1 million.

There are currently two hotels within a 1-mile radius of that section just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike exit.