The Intelligence Journal New Era reports “Troubled Hotel Brunswick in downtown Lancaster being taken over by noted developer John Meeder.”
‘We’re just rolling up our sleeves,’ said real estate developer John Meeder, who announced Monday that he and partners have completed an agreement to take over operations of the nine-story hotel.”
“Meeder, of Meeder Development Corp., will lease the hotel with the intent of purchasing the property at 151 N. Queen St. within two years.
“Meeder credited [Mayor Rick] Gray and city Economic Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Director Randy Patterson for helping to broker the agreement.”
According to the web site of Meeder Development Corp, the company has built or is constructing several moderate size housing redevelopment projects in the City of Lancaster. There is no mention of any hotel development, ownership, or management experience.
If the early history of the Brunswick has been unpromising, the challenge now is Herculean now that it must compete with the Marriott Hotel that adjoins the Convention Center, is technically owned by the City and thus exempt from real estate taxation, leased by Penn Square Partners (with the right to buy cheap when paid off), and in which the publisher of the Intell has a half interest.
The article further states: “On Monday, [Mayor Rick] Gray blamed out-of-area ownership for the hotel’s problems.
“‘Now that the negotiations have concluded, we can begin to improve it to make it the asset that it can be,’ Gray said of the hotel.”
The article continues: “The five owners of the Brunswick in recent years have been based in various areas, including Lewes, Del., Santa Monica, Calif., and Los Angeles.”
Not mentioned is that Hamid Zahedi, partner in the Brunswick and manager until this past year, resides in New Jersey and spent days each week in Lancaster.
NewsLanc has three observations:
1) We wish John Meeder and his partners success in what we consider a Herculean task. Unlike this current redevelopment projects, the hotel industry is more about strength of market place than brick and mortar.
2) We perceive the article as a puff piece to exculpate the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. for its role in developing the competing Marriott Hotel and the financially troubled Convention Center.
3) We are disappointed that Gray and Patterson failed for eight straight years to have the vision and seize the opportunity to redevelop Lancaster Square East, with its long vacant Bulova Building, the deteriorating Brunswick Annex, and the moribund hotel. We fear the two year Brunswick lease with an option to buy simply amounts to ‘kicking the can down the road.’
We hope we are wrong on all accounts. Time will tell.
“Puff piece” that was written by Bernard Harris?????
“Say it ain’t so, Joe”!!!!!
Bernard’s middle name is either puffpiece or shill.
Good luck to the Meeders….I hope they put the Marriott out of business!!!!!!!!
Not sure I completely agree. Over the last five years, grant money has essentially dried up. There are no longer substantial amounts of taxpayer dollars available for economic redevelopment.
The Brunswick need not compete directly with the Penn Square Partners’ Marriott, which aspires to be a higher-class facility. Downtown Lancaster as a whole, and specifically the taxpayer-owned convention center, could greatly benefit from lodging within easy walking distance that is of reasonably good quality yet is significantly less expensive than the pricey Marriott. Right now, middle-class and working-class visitors who want to attend a downtown Lancaster event really have no choice other than to stay overnight in the suburbs.
Mr. Meeder might never get rich from operating the Brunswick, but if he and his team are financially able to fit the facility into this desperately-needed niche, it should certainly do a bit better than break even.