Ottawa council OKs study for possible hotel on riverfront

The Ottawa City Council on Tuesday authorized a proposal for a hotel market study by HVS Global Hospitality Services regarding the possibility of a hotel on the Ottawa riverfront.

Mayor Robb Hasty said that the city is “97% done with the feasibility study of the amphitheater itself,” so it should provide a good portion of the site information an inquiring business might want when considering a hotel there.

“It’s kind of an ‘if you build it, they will come’ kind of thing,” Hasty said. “Anytime something like this is going to happen, someone will pay for a feasibility study. No company is going to invest $10 million or $15 million without knowing it the project is viable.

“Part of what we need to be doing is soliciting people who want to develop, and if we already have a feasibility study – and HVS is the most respected name in the industry – it allows us to court developers and say, ‘Here is the study that shows this is a viable project.’ … We have the rough draft [of the amphitheater], so we’re moving on to the next study to keep moving forward.”

Also authorized was a proposal with the Hitchcock Design Group regarding an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant that will help the city purchase new property for parks.

In other action, the council:

• approved an increase of $15,328 for work being done on the Peck Park improvement project by Grand Rapids Enterprises.
• entered into an intergovernmental agreement with Springfield Mass Transit for the repair and maintenance of North Central Area Transit vehicles. Other NCAT service agreements with various communities and entities also were approved.
• authorized a commercial lease agreement with Horizon House Enterprises of Peru for NCAT’s use of the property at 4140 Progress Blvd.
• hired Zaia Chirkina to the position of IT technician for the police department, and later approved an agreement with the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office to share her services.
• approved an agreement with the design firm Fehr Graham for the renewal of a permit for the city’s wastewater treatment plant.