JOHN COFFELT

Contributor

What was the Southern Inn office in Manchester will soon be a 6,000 square foot retail space according to a site plan presented during the April 20 Manchester Planning Commission meeting.

The hotel, owned by Ambe Partners 2 Inc., had its office burn in July of 2025 and was recently razed after sitting vacant for the intervening months. The hotel sits off Interstate 24 at Exit 114.

According to Engineer Kenny Sadler who presented the site plan, the space will be a retail development and should block much of the visibility of the motel from the road.

“It’ll be a really nice looking building,” he said. “It’ll cover the front of the property for a really good look.”

The site plan was approved with all planning commission members voting yes with Members Mitch Umbarger and Paul Thornton absent.