By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington city officials are meeting on Wednesday to consider how to proceed on a downtown hotel – since the city hasn’t yet found a plan to its liking.
https://audioboom.com/boos/4919494-tari-renner-bloomington-mayor-8-10-16
“What can we do to make sure this is a win-win for our downtown,” Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner said. “and for our citizens.”
Renner told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin the city could buy an adjacent parking garage that a developer would build as long as the project’s revenues would cover the city’s cost.
As long as the increased revenues from your project will pay off any bond for the parking garage, so we don’t commit any current revenue to a project. It has to pay for itself.”
The city has turned down the idea of any investment in an upscale hotel saying it was too risky for the city. Renner said last week he didn’t want a ‘rent-by-the-hour hotel’ downtown, and developer Jeff Geibehlhausen told the city council Monday that wasn’t his intention.
Renner clarified his ‘flippat’ remark to say a budget hotel would not be a destination for downtown.
Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.
