By: Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice
Might there be a new hotel on Richmond Street in Chatham?
Municipal officials are going to find out if that’s a possibility.
At its Dec. 15 meeting, Chatham-Kent council approved a request from C-K economic development services to put out a call for “expressions of interest” to see if a company would like to build a new hotel on the site of the John D. Bradley Centre’s parking lot.
According to a report from Economic Development, the process will determine if a “mid-scale to upper mid-scale branded, limited-service hotel” could be constructed.
According to Bruce McAllister, C-K’s general manager of community development, an independent accommodations assessment carried out earlier this year confirmed there’s a lack of licensed accommodations in Chatham-Kent.
McAllister said the study identified a demand in the municipality for a 100-to-120-unit hotel in Chatham-Kent, noting the site adjacent to the Bradley Centre is a logical choice.
In response to a query from Chatham Coun. Alysson Storey, McAllister stressed the municipality is not looking to go into the hotel business, noting the expressions of interest are not binding.
“We’re just going out to see if there’s an interest,” McAllister said, adding the Richmond Street site would be ideal for people attending events at the Bradley Centre and for people visiting Cascades Casino.
McAllister said if interest is found, the matter will come back before council for further direction.