Northwest Boulevard hotel hopes to break ground soon
LOREN BENOIT/Press The planned hotel project on Northwest Boulevard has sat across the street from the Riverstone urban village since the hotel was proposed more than two years ago.
As several high-rise projects push skyward in Coeur d’Alene this year, a planned hotel project on Northwest Boulevard remains grounded.
The project, nicknamed “Coeurllaborate,” that includes a proposed $15 million development at 1808 Northwest Blvd., has sat idly across the street from the Riverstone urban village since it was proposed more than two years ago.
Developer Ron Ayers’ plan for the 5-acre complex includes $8 million to construct a Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott hotel to replace the existing Garden Motel.
The project would be partially funded by ignite cda, the city’s economic development company, which would reimburse the developer $680,000 in property taxes generated by the development once it’s on track.
So far though, not much has been happening on the project, ignite cda director Tony Berns said.
“It’s still stagnant,” Berns told the city council in a meeting this month. “We have a pending partnership role in that, but with the inactivity, I’m not sure if that will materialize anytime soon.”
The project is within the boundaries of ignite cda’s Lake District, which is set to expire in 2021.
Ayers, however, whose building permit with the city of Coeur d’Alene was filed last year, said the project remains within sight.
“We do expect to break ground in late April or early May, to be open this time next year,” Ayers said.
The building site, which includes a shuttered motel on a large swath of commercial property owned by Ayers, is adjacent to one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares. It is covered with snow, and except for a sign that portends a 2017 opening, is void of so much as footprints.
On the sign, the name of the contractor, Vandervert Construction, stands out.
The Spokane-based general contractor, known for its multimillion-dollar projects across the Pacific Northwest that included banks and hotels, shuttered operations earlier this year. Vandervert has since filed for receivership.
“The general contractor we picked had some challenges, requiring us to find a new (general contractor),” Ayers said.
The loss of Coeurllaborate’s contractor sent plans into a tailspin, Ayers said, but a new contractor should be signed on soon. Once a new contractor is on board, groundbreaking shouldn’t be far behind.
Ayers’ vision for the site includes a 1-acre pad facing Northwest Boulevard, which he hopes to sell for use as a restaurant or a bank.
Anticipating future development, the Coeur d’Alene City Council a couple years ago approved a zone-change request to allow for the commercial plans. According to the latest building permit, Ayers has until the end of June to break ground.
Ayers bought the Garden Motel in 2002 with the intent to develop a hotel there. He also owned the Cedar Motel & RV Resort, at 319 Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive, before selling it to the Hagadone Corp.