Hotel for downtown Woodstock gets City Council go-ahead

Downtown Woodstock soon will be home to a 60-room hotel.

Plans indicate that the establishment, a Cobblestone hotel, also would have a Wissota Chophouse restaurant on-site. The structure will be built on the corner of Jefferson and Calhoun streets on a lot currently used as a city-owned public parking lot.

Before Tuesday’s vote, Mayor Mike Turner posted a screenshot to his city Facebook page of a Northwest Herald article about the hotel. The comments section featured a variety of views, with some expressing concerns about the downtown parking situation and a loss of small-town feel. Others commented that the hotel might alleviate a lack of lodging options in the Woodstock area.

However, no residents commented on the proposal at Tuesday evening’s meeting. The developer, Wisconsin-based Kebb CS-WK LLC, joined the meeting through videoconference but didn’t speak, and no one on the council asked any questions.

Before the vote, Turner weighed in about how long it has taken the city to get a hotel. He said getting a hotel has been an issue and goal since he joined the City Council in 2005.

“It’s a bit of a game-changer for us as a city to have this in our downtown,” Turner said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to have this.”

Council member Bob Seegers also had been eager to land a hotel downtown, noting that the business, manufacturing and employment communities have been asking for a hotel.

“It actually feels good for us to be able to provide that community with what they’ve been asking us for,” Seegers said.

The city plans to use $2 million in tax increment financing funds as incentive for the $12.6 million project, according to city documents. As part of TIF requirements, the city has to offer other developers a chance to bring forth a proposal. Council member Gordie Tebo asked whether that would slow down development of the hotel, and City Manager Roscoe Stelford said that no delays were expected.

The redevelopment agreement stipulates that construction has to be completed by August 2026. City officials seem eager to have the hotel up and running.

“We cannot wait to get it done,” Turner said.