ST. PETERS • The city’s Board of Aldermen denied a request for a special use permit on Thursday to build a four-story hotel opposed by many nearby residents.

The 81-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites was proposed for a vacant 3.5-acre site along Interstate 70 in the city's western end. The site is on the southwest corner of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Richmond Center Boulevard.

Four aldermen voted for the measure and two against, but the measure failed because it needed five "yes" votes for passage by the eight-member board. Two aldermen — Rocky Reitmeyer and Judy Bateman — were absent when the vote was taken.

Opponents who live nearby said they worry that the hotel could increase traffic in their subdivision and endanger neighborhood children. A Fort Zumwalt School District early childhood center is expected to open nearby next fall.

The plan is a scaled-down version of an earlier proposal submitted by the same company, HIE of St. Peters LLC. The earlier plan had called for two hotels that would share a pool and exercise area, along with a restaurant.