By paNOW

Council approves incentive package, development permit for luxury hotel

Oct 16, 2017 | 6:40 PM

Despite heavy-handed and pointed opposition by one councillor, city council voted to approve an incentive package and development permit for a new luxury hotel slated for the city. 

Plans of the city’s $700,000 cash incentive to the developer were made public last week. The Premier Best Western Hotel is estimated to cost $15 million. 

The motion for the incentive package passed seven to two, with Councillors Terra Lennox-Zepp and Dennis Nowoselsky opposed. The development permit passed with only Lennox-Zepp voting against it.

The $700,000 cash grant covers the $519,000 in new road and utility construction, and the waiving of $181,000 in permit and levy charges. Mayor Greg Dionne said the incentives are not sizeable considering the scope of the project and the money will be recouped relatively quickly.

The hotel is expected to pay around $277,000 in taxes per year once it opens in October 2018.

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“I am pleased….It really shows that we are open for business,” Dionne said while speaking with the media.

Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick said the city needed to “send a message that this city is open for business,” amidst a monologue where he called Lennox-Zepp “wrong” for being opposed to the move.

Other councillors accused her of spreading misinformation and half-truths online over the weekend, causing them to field an array of calls and “put out fires.” Others also pointed out a need to grow the tax base in order to fund programs and services in the city, more so as funding avenues dry up from the province.

Lennox-Zepp attempted to make a number of amendments to the move before the vote, leading some debates to snowball into moments of heated exchange. 

She argued there was a lack of evidence over the need for the development or that the cash grant would improve the economy of the city.

“In this case, it is shocking the lack of information that we have,” she said after the vote. “This shouldn’t be about what a developer wants. City councillors need to govern the city in a way that is in the best interest of the residents of Prince Albert, and this proposal that passed today is not in the best interest.”

More to come…..

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr