LANCASTERONLINE: The city’s Historical Commission got its first look at plans for a 12-story, 105-room expansion of the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square.
The addition would address an identified shortage of hotel rooms needed to attract larger conventions to the Lancaster County Convention Center, which adjoins the Marriott, Thomas Smithgall, a representative of Penn Square Partners, told the commission Monday night.
And the $25 million to $30 million expansion would enliven the first block of East King Street and continue to help Lancaster’s revitalization, he said… (more)
EDITOR: Will it pay real estate tax? (It won’t if its initially owned by RACL.) Who will take the risk? (We bet the Lancaster tax payers.) Who will put up the equity money? (In part future Lancaster tax payers due to the CRIZ gift.) Will there be a Feasibility Study by a prominent hotel consultant? (We shouldn’t hold our breath.)
If this goes through….Lancaster City taxes will go UP…..there will be a migration away from Lancaster City (again).
Population replacements will be low-educated, low-skilled, non-English who will rely on more government programs. Lancaster City taxes will go UP. Repeat cycle. Repeat cycle.
PSP must be stopped; while there is still a Lancaster City.
I’m not saying the Convention Center is right or wrong, BUT as a Lancaster City landlord I can tell you the city is red hot for out-of-town tenants. Demand is up, rents are up, and the quality of tenants is WAY up!
I’m getting residents that want to live in Lancaster City even though they work in Harrisburg, Exton, and even Maryland. It’s great to have some money to actually improve the properties rather than just patch them up repeatedly.
Robert Field is just mad that hotel owners like him have to pay room taxes to support this thing.
FIELD: That too, although we have no local hotel. My main concern is the lack of any apparent Feasibility study to substantiate the need for still more hotel rooms. Show us a study from a world recognized feasibility consultant that the Marriott will prosper with the additional 90 rooms and I’ll gladly shut up.