Yakima backs plan to turn downtown's Great Western Building into hotel
YAKIMA, Wash. -- KIMA asked the tough questions about Yakima's plans to help turn the Great Western building downtown into a boutique hotel.
It involves providing more than a million dollars in HUD loan money to Joe Morrier's JEM development.
The federal housing money needs to be assigned to a project by the end of May and only for qualifying projects.
Joe Morrier is the same man who owns the empty Yakima Mall downtown.
"We can't get caught up on the past and the people involved in the project, we wound never move forward," said Yakima Economic Development Manager Sean Hawkins. "So, we're focusing right on the project and the jobs created with it to move it forward."
Yakima says the hotel would bring dozens of jobs. City Council will vote tonight whether to give an initial $60,000 to hire a consultant.
It would guide the renovation and monitor the federal money. The hotel's owner would be responsible for repaying the loan.
It involves providing more than a million dollars in HUD loan money to Joe Morrier's JEM development.
The federal housing money needs to be assigned to a project by the end of May and only for qualifying projects.
Joe Morrier is the same man who owns the empty Yakima Mall downtown.
"We can't get caught up on the past and the people involved in the project, we wound never move forward," said Yakima Economic Development Manager Sean Hawkins. "So, we're focusing right on the project and the jobs created with it to move it forward."
Yakima says the hotel would bring dozens of jobs. City Council will vote tonight whether to give an initial $60,000 to hire a consultant.
It would guide the renovation and monitor the federal money. The hotel's owner would be responsible for repaying the loan.
so the millionaire gets us to pay him to decide if he can make it worth his while to make something else we don't need out of something beautiful and historical.Â
This is so Bull Put the money into re doing north first street Why are we keep bailing out the owner that did no good for yakima the mall was a bust and the owner did nothing to help yakima .. Why do we keep helping him ??? And why would this do any good for yakima when you come into yakima you want to leave.... North first is a mess .. Â Â
I so agree!! With the prostitutes, drugs and gang violence, and the horrible appearance of N First, the last thing I would want would be to put out big bucks to stay in a hotel in the middle of a town where I could be randomly shot just going out to eat?
Put that money to use elsewhere, to someone that had not raped downtown Yakima.
Why would anyone want to come to Yakima and stay in a luxury hotel practically in the middle of "Gangtown"?