Roanoke City Council has given the official go-ahead for a Peabody Hotel to be built near City Hall. Plans for the project, which were initially announced in June 2017, were finalized at the council’s meeting May 28. A master development agreement for The Peabody Roanoke requires construction of the hotel to begin by April 1, 2020, though building could begin sooner, Roanoke City Manager Scott Campbell said. The project’s required completion date under the development agreement is April 1, 2022. “Being situated directly between [AllianceTexas] and Texas Motor Speedway, the choice of Roanoke is a strategic decision to draw a combination of business and leisure visitors from throughout the North Texas and Dallas-Fort Worth area,” Peabody Hotels & Resorts President Douglas Browne said. “It will also offer a solution for the area’s underserved luxury hotel market.” The hotel will be located on the east side of Roanoke City Hall. Once completed, the hotel will have 300 rooms and over 25,000 square feet of event space, according to a news release. Plans for the hotel also include two restaurants, two bars, a spa and athletic club, and an open rooftop with a swimming pool. The Peabody Hotel is a landmark in Memphis, where it is was first founded in 1869. It has become famous for a flock of ducks, which visit a fountain in the hotel’s lobby at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. Roanoke’s Peabody Hotel will also feature a lobby fountain and its own flock of Peabody Ducks, according to a news release. “Our mission for Roanoke has long been focused on creating a unique and authentic sense of place, and we feel that bringing the Peabody brand to Roanoke will be the perfect fit,” Roanoke Mayor Scooter Gierisch said in the release. The Peabody Roanoke will be part of Roanoke City Center, a development bringing residential lofts, retail and office space, and a family entertainment center to the southern end of Roanoke’s historic Oak Street. The 21.5-acre, mixed-use development is already home to Roanoke’s new City Hall, which opened in May, as well as residential lofts and a parking garage. In addition to its Roanoke location, The Peabody is considering opening locations in Colorado, California and Florida, Browne said.