Declining to take the advice of a local developer, the Evansville Redevelopment Commission decided this morning to only pursue the construction of a new Downtown hotel and not the renovation of the remaining part of the old Executive Inn.
Representatives from The Kunkel Group of Evansville encouraged commission members to consider the advantages of saving the existing structure. Ben Kunkel, Kunkel Group president and owner, said he and his employees have toured the Executive Inn on several occasions and concluded that a renovation is possible and would possibly cost less than new construction.
"Does it matter if we have a 40-year old floor or a new floor?" he said. "Does it matter if we have a 40-year old pipes or new pipes? Those things are there. Let's use them."
In the end, though, members of the Redevelopment Commission decided to heed the advice of those who favor new construction. Ed Hafer Jr., representing the Evansville Regional Business Committee, noted that a series of developers had bought the Executive Inn with plans for a renovation and ended in failure. The latest, Browning Investments of Indianapolis, abandoned the project after finding that the need to place double-paned windows on the building, as required in order to operate it as a part of a national hotel chain, would necessitate a great expense to reinforce the building's supports.
Hafer also encouraged the Redevelopment Commission to demolish the remaining part of the former Executive Inn as soon as possible.
"We certainly don't want to open a new hotel with the remnant of the old Executive Inn still in the background," he said.
The Redevelopment Commission decided this morning to request preliminary proposals from developers that have an interest in building a new hotel in Downtown Evansville. The proposals will provide a way to gauge the qualifications and financing plans put forth by the various respondents, said John Kish, director of the Downtown arena project.
After several weeks, the Redevelopment Commission will winnow the developers down to the few that offered the best terms and ask them for formal proposals. Both Kish and Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel have declined to say what incentives the city is willing to put on the table in return for a new hotel, beyond saying a donation of the land needed for the project is likely.
Part of the reason for the Redevelopment Commission's request for proposals is to find a developer willing to replace the Executive Inn with the least amount of public assistance.