EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
Mayor Lloyd Winnecke was at the Evansville Redevelopment Commission meeting Tuesday morning to suggest more research be done, before breaking ground on the Downtown Convention Hotel.
Mayor Winnecke stepped before the ERC Tuesday, to specifically talk about plans for the future Downtown Hotel.
The previous city administration negotiated an agreement with the Kunkel Group to construct a 220 room hotel, but the Mayor wants a new market analysis to re-determine the size of the building.
"I don't want to overbuild a hotel and I don't want to underbuild a hotel. I want to make sure we understand what the potential return on our public investment is."
Others think the mayor's proposal would be harmful to the city because it would delay the groundbreaking.
The Kunkel Group says their studies suggest a 220 room hotel is the right size for Evansville.
"The Kunkel Group has been ready, willing, and able to build this project since July," said President Ben Kunkel.
This reevaluation isn't just about the size of the hotel.
The mayor also wants a financial impact analysis and a planning recommendation to provide prospective developers with information on how projects can be connected.
"It's about making sure we understand what the size of the public investment should be and to understand what the return on our investment should be," said Mayor Winnecke.
The Kunkel Group says their role in the project will depend on what's decided at the next redevelopment meeting.
The discussion has been put on hold until the next ERC meeting, February 22nd, where a decision is expected to be made.
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