BUTLER TWP — For the second time in mere months, developers are proposing construction of a new hotel in the township.

Developers next month plan to present plans for an 80-room Hampton Inn Hotel.

Horizon Properties of Canonsburg plans to build the five-story hotel on 1.7 acres behind Mikan Volkswagen, which fronts the 300 block of New Castle Road.

The property is near the North Duffy Road site that township officials in April approved for construction of a four-story, 80-room Holiday Inn Express.

“We’re not concerned with competition between the two,” J.P. Morgan of Horizon said Monday night. “We are two good brands, but we draw different clients.”

Morgan and Thomas Swisher of Gateway Engineering represented the Hampton Inn proposal Monday night during the township commissioners meeting. There the planners sought and received approval of plans which only show sewage components of the development.

A land development plan for the hotel, which would spell out the specifics of the plan, will be given to township officials next month.

The plan will have to be reviewed by several agencies and approved by the township commissioners before construction can begin.

Swisher said if all goes well, ground breaking would begin in September or October and construction would be complete within a year. The property, owned by David Mikan, already is zoned for commercial use.

“We’ve been looking for a property in Butler County for a while,” Morgan said. “We knew the time was right when this property became available, coupled with the VA expansion.”

VA Butler Healthcare in April began construction of a $74 million facility at the 16-acre Deshon Woods site on Route 68 adjacent to the existing VA Medical Center. The center is to open in 2015.

The proposed Hampton Inn in addition to rooms would offer an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center and a conference area, according to Morgan and Swisher, It will not have a restaurant.

The amenities are nearly identical to ones at the Holiday Inn Express, which is expected to begin construction within a week.

Township officials said they were surprised to see two similar proposals so quickly. Yet they weren’t surprised by the proposed locations or use.

“This county definitely needs more hotels,” said township Commissioner Dave Zarnick. “This past weekend (in which the county hosted several large attractions including the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival) was a good example of why.”

Of the proposed locations, township manager Ed Kirkwood said, “That is because Butler Township is such an inviting place to build.”