Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the idea of building a hotel at Exit 21 of the New York State Thruway in Leeds has faded, while the proposal for a bigger and better Stewart’s Shop and a medical plaza are under consideration. The former Quality Inn at that location was demolished in January 2019 in the hope that another hotel would take its place, Greene County Industrial Development Authority Executive Director Rene VanSchaack said. “With COVID, the hotel industry is a wreck,” VanSchaack said. “Everybody I know has put all their projects on hold for over a year now. Maybe next year they’ll start again.” The site would also be a good location for a restaurant or a specialty retail store, VanSchaack said. Stewart’s Shops has expressed an interest in building a bigger store on the property and relocating its Route 23B store. VanSchaack said it would be the IDA's intention to make a deal with them, but the agency is still waiting to acquire an additional 2.2-acre plot of land on the Thruway to supplement the existing parcel for the Stewart's proposal. VanSchaack said Stewart’s has been upgrading its locations statewide. The new Catskill store on West Bridge Street was part of a $45 million expansion project. By the end of 2020, Stewart’s Shops had built five new stores and rebuilt 12 others, spokesperson Erica Komoroske said. The IDA also has about 64 acres across the road from the former hotel site available for development, VanSchaack said. Columbia Memorial Health has an option to purchase eight acres of those acres and develop a medical plaza, he said. The proposed facility would not replace the Greene Medical Arts Center. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.