Battle over North Bend hotel heats up
August 20, 2009
By Michael Bayless Rowe
Plans to build a hotel off Interstate 90 near Exit 31 have upset the residents of a neighboring subdivision who have opposed similar construction in the past.
The North Bend Planning Commission was going to take up the hotel issue at an Aug. 27 meeting, but that meeting was canceled. The planning commission is now expected to take up the issue on Sept. 24 and to hold a public hearing.
Residents of the Forester Woods neighborhood in North Bend are starting to feel like fighting off a hotel development near their homes is a perennial issue. Local business owner George Wyrsch is seeking an amendment to zoning regulations that currently prevent a hotel from being built south of I-90.
“I’ve lived here for seven years. It has come up three times publicly and it keeps getting shot back down, because of how much opposition there is,” said Jason Gram, speaking as a resident of Forester Woods.
Gram is also the Forester Woods Home Owners Association Vice President. Gram and the HOA’s President, Dan Ahner, said that they are not opposed to some type of development on George Wyrsch’s land near Exit 31 – they just don’t want to see a hotel built there.
“I’m not opposed to a hotel in town, but it needs to be in the right location,” Gram said.
Ahner suggested that George Wyrsch’s 8.8 acres of interstate frontage would be more appropriate for a strip-mall type of development, although he admits he would prefer to see nothing built there.
Wyrsch has owned the property on the southwest side of Exit 31 for 20 years and says that he has always intended to build a hotel there. His family has lived in the North Bend area since the 1920s and has operated a variety of businesses, including restaurants, service stations and a towing company.
When Wyrsch bought the 8.8 acres it was zoned for interstate commercial land uses, which would have allowed a hotel. In 2003, the city council approved a change to planning regulations, which would not permit hotel construction south of the interstate. In January 2008, the planning commission passed on recommending a change to regulations that would allow Wyrsch’s hotel to be built. The residents of Forester Woods came out in force then to oppose the change, which would have allowed a hotel on Wyrsch’s property.
Gram thinks that if a hotel is located near his neighborhood it could have a negative impact on home values. And that is just the first of his problems with the hotel. If the building is too tall, he worries that it will block the views from his neighborhood. He says that lights from the hotel area could shine in the windows of nearby homes at night. He is also concerned about the addition of more traffic and the safety concerns that come with that.
Both Ahner and Gram pointed out that hotel guests would have to walk under the interstate to get to residents and retail offerings on the north side of the interstate, which raises the issue of pedestrian safety amid the busy interchange.
Ahner said that he was also worried about the transient nature of hotel guests, and the safety of children in the neighborhood. He said that residents would not feel as safe with a hotel in the neighborhood. He thinks that homebuyers would hesitate, before buying in Forester Woods if there was a hotel nearby.
“You don’t want that in your backyard. You don’t want your kids walking by that,” Ahner said.
For Wyrsch, the site is perfect for a hotel. It is right off the interstate and close to North Bend’s commercial area. He said that the site does not have the same environmental concerns as other parts of the city. Gram took issue with this, noting that there is a stream running through part of the property. Wyrsch intends to only use about 2.5 of the 8.8 acres for the hotel site.
Wyrsch said he has been in conversations with Hilton Hotels to bring something like a Hampton Inn to North Bend. He thinks that out-of-town guests and travelers on the interstate would really benefit from a hotel, and this is something that the Forester Woods residents can agree on – they just don’t want it near their homes.
Wyrsch said that the interests of a hotel could align with residents. He said that the building will be attractive with good landscaping, and will not have bright exterior lighting that could bother hotel guests, as much as homeowners. He said that he wouldn’t want the hotel to create traffic impacts, because it would be unsafe for his potential customers.
“My interests to run a successful hotel are the same as residents,” Wyrsch said.
Gram and Ahner would not agree with that. Ahner said that he couldn’t see supporting any type of hotel development on the property.
Gram said that the city would benefit more by locating the hotel on the north side of the interstate — putting hotel guests closer to restaurants and retail — since the city’s interest in a hotel development is to increase sales tax revenue.
One of the things that troubles Gram about the hotel issue this time around is that he feels the political atmosphere in North Bend’s city government has changed to be more pro-business. He is worried that city officials will be biased, in favor of Wyrsch’s project.
North Bend’s new city slogan is “Easy to reach… hard to leave. But, without a new hotel, it might be harder for tourists and travelers to stay.
“I see this as a service that is badly needed in the community,” Wyrsch said.
When his towing company helps out stranded motorists, he has to tell them that there is no hotel in town for them to go to stay while their cars are being repaired.
If the city council accepts a recommendation from the planning commission to amend the city’s regulations, Wyrsch will still have many hoops to jump through before a hotel could be built. Optimistically it would take at least two years to begin construction, Wyrsch said. The proposed change in regulation would allow him to apply for a building permit, but getting the permit might be difficult.
“There is no guarantee that we can reach agreements on the requirements,” Wyrsch said.
Reach reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at mrowe@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434, ext. 248.
Plans to build a hotel off Interstate 90 near Exit 31 have upset the residents of a neighboring subdivision who have opposed similar construction in the past.
The North Bend Planning Commission was going to take up the hotel issue at an Aug. 27 meeting, but that meeting was canceled. The planning commission is now expected to take up the issue on Sept. 24 and to hold a public hearing.
Residents of the Forester Woods neighborhood in North Bend are starting to feel like fighting off a hotel development near their homes is a perennial issue. Local business owner George Wyrsch is seeking an amendment to zoning regulations that currently prevent a hotel from being built south of I-90.
