Luxury hotel a no-go for Penticton events centre

PENTICTON – There is little interest in constructing a luxury hotel at the South Okanagan Events Centre and those who did show interest did not provide worthwhile submissions.

Council delivered their verdict on the idea following a staff study and review of two expressions of interest received by the city concerning proposals for construction and operation of a hotel at 325 Power St.

Economic Development Officer Colleen Pennington says the two submissions were reviewed by an evaluation committee, which unanimously made a recommendation not to move forward with the proposal.

“After due consideration of the criteria that had been laid out in advance, it was determined that neither submission provided sufficient benefit to the community in terms of meeting our needs for a premium hotel, and ensuring our community received value for the public lands,” Pennington says.

Mayor Andrew Jakubeit says the matter of a hotel on the Power Street site is 'dead' and notes moving forward the city will now look at other locations proposed for a hotel site near the convention centre and work with the private sector.

Jakubeit says council feels there is no point in moving forward because neither proposal offered enough value to the community to make it worthwhile. The possibility of the need to hold a referendum on the issue was not a deciding factor.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.