Developers of Hilton, Marriott and other hotel chains are interested in building in Kent.
The city-owned land, known as the Naden properties, is just north of Willis Street, east of Highway 167 and south of West Meeker Street. The city started to purchase property along Naden Avenue in 2006 with plans to build an aquatic center. But the council later abandoned that proposal because of the bad economy and high costs of a new pool and now is working with the YMCA to build a facility on the East Hill.
The City Council approved trying to sell the 7.6 acres in October, and developers have been in contact with city staff about the potential to build a hotel.
“We have 10 developers who are evaluating the Naden site, primarily the southern portion of the site for hotel development,” said Ben Wolters, city economic and development director, in a report Tuesday to the council. “We are firmly on the radar for both Marriott and Hilton regional development managers and directors. They are very interested in that site and made that known to the development community, so that’s very good news for us.
“They are attracted to the downtown and freeway proximity of the site along with the industrial valley access,” Wolters said. “Both Marriott and Hilton have said that their brands, that are the higher end for us, which would be the equivalent of a Hilton Garden Inn or Marriott Courtyard, is something they think is suitable for that location in the right development and with the right development team.”
A hotel developer would use about 2 acres of the site, Wolters said. The council will need to decide whether to try to sell the property in two pieces, one part for a hotel and the rest for mixed use, possibly apartments, offices and retail.
City staff hopes to start receiving requests for information from developers for the property in the second half of this year. But a few steps remain before that happens.
The city still needs to get written approval from the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to get right turn access in and out of the property from Willis Street, aka State Highway 516. State officials gave verbal approval last year but have not signed off on the street access.
“In our view, it is not worthwhile for us to go out with this and begin this process until we have the (DOT) approval in writing,” Wolters said. “That will be key to marketability. … It will likely increase the opportunity to get the best possible hotel.”
Wolters expects the city to receive a property appraisal next week. The city bought the land for $8 million and still owes $3.6 million on bonds. The city also paid $500,000 for additional nearby properties.
Proceeds from a sale of the property could be used to pay off the bond or used to pay for other city projects, said City Finance Director Aaron BeMiller, who recommended to the council that it pay off the bond.
The appraisal will be discussed in executive session by the council later this spring to help determine which steps to go with the property. City staff also recommended potential reconfiguring of Naden Avenue to run along the west side of the property parallel to the Interurban Trail. The city would need to figure out that cost and whether to help a developer pay for the street.
“I think you are on the right track,” Councilman Jim Berrios said to Wolters. “Once we get the dollar (appraisal) amount we can have some conversations about where we go. That makes sense to me.”
Wolters said it might be a wise choice for the city to go after a hotel developer rather than more apartments, such as what is planned when the city sells its Riverbend par 3 golf course later this year.
“From our own perspective, given the commercial visibility of this site to Highway 167, just doing only apartments on this site seems like a missed opportunity,” Wolters said. “Yes, maybe in conjunction with more commercial development, having more of a mix of uses would be a good fit on the northern portion.”
• Editor’s Note: The article has been corrected for the location of the property north of Willis Street and south of Meeker Street.
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