MASON CITY – City officials and other experts conducted a public meeting Thursday evening at city hall, showing three design concepts for a downtown parking ramp, which is part of a proposed 5-point, $36 million downtown redevelopment project.
Not many folks attended, but nonetheless, the city did its due diligence in offering a glimpse (and accepting feedback) at what this parking ramp project will look like if Marriott Hotels decides to build a new hotel here. Both the ramp and the hotel would be placed in the public parking lot just west of city hall. All three parking ramp design concepts cost between $6.1 million and $7.3 million, and all three designs concepts offer an elevator and staircase at opposing corners in the structure. Design concept 3 is the only one without underground parking and is the tallest. You can see much more about each plan at the bottom of this story.
As described to NIT by officials Thursday night regarding the parking ramp project, a design concept and plan needs to be approved by the city council, so that the plan can be given to San Diego developer Phillip Chodur. He would then be able to show the parking ramp plan to Marriott – which would help him close the deal with them to build the hotel – a crucial element in procuring the possible $7.1 million in state economic development aid the city still seeks.
The $36 million downtown development would include an arena, a music pavilion, a mixed-use building, a hotel and parking ramp. The full outcome of this development is still in motion with many moving parts. The city has, however, already secured the OK for $18.75 million in general obligation bonds.
The ramp will not be built until Marriott Hotels signals through Phillip Chodur that it is green-lighting an agreement to build in downtown Mason City. The ramp and hotel would compliment each other aesthetically.
http://northiowatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/KHA-Concept-Exhibits-11-16-2015.pdf
