EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
Plans to build a new downtown hotel could be put on hold Tuesday morning.
Construction on the current proposal is set to begin in a few months, but some city council leaders believe the actions of the Redevelopment Commission could jeopardize that plan.
The current developer, The Kunkel Group, is set to build a hotel that would connect with the Ford Center and The Centre.
The project came with $8M in incentives from the city to get things moving by the Spring.
Bob Warren, the director of the Evansville Convention and Visitor's Bureau knows the value of a downtown hotel could bring and what the opportunity the city is currently missing out on, "There's obviously millions of dollars in lost revenue and it makes an impact."
Without a sizable hotel downtown, Evansville is missing out on large conventions. "It is virtually important that you have an attached hotel. Meeting planners are looking for attached hotels to bring their large scale conferences," said Warren.
In a press release issued Tuesday morning, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke will ask the Evansville Redevelopment Commission to conduct a market analysis to determine how large of a hotel needs to be built Downtown to support the Convention Center and Ford Center.
"I do not believe we have all of the necessary data to begin discussion on a development agreement," Winnecke said.
More specifically, the mayor wants:
- A market analysis to determine how large of a hotel is needed
- A financial impact analysis to determine the level of public investment
- A planning recommendation to provide prospective developers with criteria for an overall plan on how to integrate major public and private projects in the immediate area of the hotel site.
The Evansville Redevelopment Commission meets Tuesday morning at 8:30 at the Civic Center.
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