Atmore will welcome another hotel next year, with the announcement that Fairfield Inn and Suites will join the businesses already in place at Rivercane.

The 79-room hotel is set to break ground after the new year and could be ready by spring. What may be more exciting for Atmore residents than a new hotel is the news that the new business will help the city service the debt on the Rivercane property.

With sales taxes from the restaurants and hotels already at the location, Atmore is, as Mayor Howard Shell said, on the cusp of being able to service the debt for Rivercane.

And that’s without a major retailer or industry — which we believe will be coming as the economy improves and as new industries expand from the Mobile area.

The expansion at Rivercane is happening just as planners said it would — hotels and fast food restaurants first, with other establishments to follow.

Sometimes it’s hard for residents to see the progress that has been made at Rivercane, but we absolutely see its benefits and believe it will still be a gamechanger for this community.

Welcome, Fairfield Inn. We look forward to continued news from Rivercane.