Originally Posted by
onthestrip
I have not looked at downtown Edmond where a hotel would. But the old dolese plant certainly has the room, or several parcels could be assembled. Thats beside the point though.
You say downtown should be for retail, restaurants and entertainment. Thats fine, but almost any place in the country that has those things in close proximity also have hotels nearby. These things typically go hand in hand, just like why you see hotels in Bricktown and Midtown OKC, and in smaller areas like the Plaza you see a prevelance of Airbnbs, and/or denser housing like apartments. You cant have retail, restaurants and entertainment and then force everyone to drive there. These places need a captive audience to thrive, thats where hotels and housing come in. But in classic Edmond NIMBY form, you say you arent against these things, but just not here. Again, that makes very little sense and prevents postive developments and vibrant districts from truly thriving.
And if there was a hotel that wanted to be along 35 near Hilton, they would do it, theres tons of empty land around there. But it appears the market isnt there for another large hotel yet. But one that differentiates themselves from Hilton and would rather be in a walkable, active area like downtonw seems like a good idea. Yet you want to prevent that. Why not let the market and competition truly be free?
The parking garage is a different argument because it would most surely require city money, but preventing private investment for a hotel just because you dont think it should be there? I dont understand this thinking.
Bookmarks