Lenox Planning Board Schedules Balloon Test for Proposed Four-Story Marriott Hotel

Planning Board · Meeting of July 13, 2026

Lenox Planning Board sets July 20 balloon test for proposed four-story Marriott hotel at 165 Housatonic Street. The board voted unanimously to continue the public hearing on Garden Management LLC's application to demolish the Pilgrim Inn and build a 74-room Marriott-branded hotel, with site engineer Brian Sider of Forest State Land Services saying a revised plan set addressing outstanding board, Conservation Commission, and third-party reviewer comments would be submitted before the July 27 hearing. A pre-filing meeting with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office was set for July 16 to determine whether the riverfront location triggers a seven-month Environmental Notification Form review.

Holly Jones, executive director of Jacob's Pillow in Beckett, spoke in support, telling the board her organization sends roughly 50 percent of its estimated $600,000 in annual regional hotel bookings outside Lee because of inadequate local supply. Maple Street resident Marilyn argued the official town zoning map places the CBC district boundary approximately 40 feet closer to the building than the applicant's site plan shows, contending the two special permits sought together would effectively double the commercial envelope along Housatonic Street.

In the full story:

• Key open items identified at this meeting included
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,408 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of July 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.