City looks to book hotel

SANDUSKY — Officials want to check in with hotel proprietors who could build a lodge smack-dab in downtown Sandusky. On Monday night, the city began a long-awaited process to develop the Jackson Street parking lot for this purpose and others. This site abuts the Sandusky State Theatre, enclosed by Jackson, West Market and West Water streets. The plan calls for a: • Hotel with about 120 rooms, which would include ground-floor retail outlets and a rooftop restaurant • Conference center measuring somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 square feet • Parking garage big enough for at least 300 vehicles Companies must submit their bids, in a process known as "request for proposals," by June 9. "A review committee will evaluate all proposals and identify a top firm," said Jonathan Holody, the city's community development director. "City staff will engage in detailed negotiations with a top firm in an attempt to reach a development agreement and project plan that can be presented to the city commission and other public bodies for approval." Many project details, such as the possible "top firms" interested and estimated price tag, aren't known as of today. Those details, and others, should emerge following the June 9 deadline. Could downtown support such a project? Holody believes so, pointing to some evidence. "Prior market studies and a growing number of short-term rental properties indicate there is plenty of demand to support a major hotel in downtown Sandusky," he said. "Issuing the request for proposals will show us if the private sector agrees." Thumbing through the plan In early 2021, city officials unveiled the Downtown Master Plan. The nearly 100-page document outlines ambitious initiatives to make Sandusky more of a year-round destination by 2026 through new investments totaling $100 million. Other ideas involve transforming Columbus Avenue along with ensuring programming year-round for locals and tourists. Officials vowed to fund the hotel project and others primarily through existing revenue streams producing money through downtown-based real estate projects. Chesapeake Lofts, for instance, generates dollars officials plan on leveraging for these public improvements. In other words, money for these projects won't come from the general fund, Sandusky's everyday operating budget. But, by attracting more people, especially visitors, into downtown Sandusky, it can greatly benefit locals, officials said. The more money spent and staying in Sandusky translates into a beefier budget for essential services, such as road repairs, snow plowing, park projects and more. "That is one important reason why downtown development is of particular interest to our planners, commissioners and stakeholders," city ex officio mayor Dick Brady said. "Our general fund budget can remain intact while we continue to improve our neighborhoods throughout the city." Among some other reasons, as explained by Brady: "Downtown Sandusky's position directly on the shores of Lake Erie, and the infrastructure already in place, makes it a natural choice for continued development." Regarding the hotel, downtown's master plan outlines its importance and necessity: • "The Downtown Master Plan and market studies have identified an anchor hotel and conference center as being an important next step in the evolution of downtown Sandusky into a year-round destination." • "Placing this hotel and additional development along with a parking structure in the center of our downtown at the Jackson Street parking lot will maximize its impact as an economic engine for the community." "Sandusky was recently named America's Best Coastal Small Town and is the most iconic destination in all of Ohio," city manager Eric Wobser said. "It's only appropriate that Sandusky would have an anchor hotel in the heart of downtown that, with its guests and employees, would also support the area's 100 small businesses."