Another rush-rush deal before the Sam Rands hit the road
Having turned gold to lead in the SoWhat District, Homer Williams and his crew are now going to get to build a hotel there. The Portland Development Commission has approved the Homer proposal over the two others that were vying for the site.
Apparently, one factor tipping the decision was the Williams group's willingness to put down a nonrefundable deposit and close more quickly than the other bidders. Ah yes, time is of the essence with just about everything in Portland these days.
If a successful hotel is actually built in SoWhat, we'd be mighty surprised.
| Posted at 1:45 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (13)
Once the hotel's open, we can float the Convention Center upstream and anchor it offshore. If we can't build a headquarters hotel next to the Convention Center, maybe we can move the Convention Center next to the headquarters hotel.
Posted by Isaac Laquedem | May 3, 2012 2:43 PM
Great idea Isaac! Only let's make the convention center a casino!
Nah...on second thought we wouldn't want anything, even something as distasteful as a casino, to generate any money!
Posted by portland native | May 3, 2012 2:46 PM
"Apparently, one factor tipping the decision was the Williams group's..."
...steady stream of campaign contributions over the years.
I'd love to see a full accounting of how much public subsidy this one company has gotten in SoWa alone.
Posted by Snards | May 3, 2012 3:03 PM
I wonder what the name of the hotel will be?
Posted by Gil Slater | May 3, 2012 3:53 PM
How about road improvements so you can actually get in and out!
Pity the poor visitor who tries to navigate the maze.
Posted by Mike (one of the many) | May 3, 2012 4:02 PM
Can't wait to kickback at The Hotel Kickback. Relax. Just lay back & enjoy it all.
Posted by Mojo | May 3, 2012 4:52 PM
Avalon seems to be doing okay.
Posted by Max | May 3, 2012 6:35 PM
Maybe Homer will name it the "Jumby Bay" in memory of his early days in the Caribbean, where he no doubt still keeps his money these days.
Oh so untraceable.
Posted by Portland Native | May 3, 2012 8:08 PM
SoWhat hasn't had one street improvement even though much of the TIF dollars have been spent, except that SW Moody has been rebuilt twice, and it was already there. Even though 97% of the trips into SoWhat are by vehicles and people get lost trying to find the place, who cares?
But if Homer is successful with the Hotel gig, watch how the North Portal street improvements are done for Homer's Hotel before the 8 year delayed South Portland at Macadam and Bancroft. The South Portal has a higher priority than the North. But Homer will make sure that's changed.
Posted by lw | May 3, 2012 8:14 PM
Isn't there already a hotel in Riverplace, just down the road a bit? Isn't it struggling?
Posted by Talea | May 3, 2012 8:40 PM
Things need to happen quickly before arrest warrants are issued.
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | May 3, 2012 9:28 PM
How hard would it be to bribe an insider and learn how much Naito's bid was in advance?
The 0.477% bid variance between the top two contenders is suspicious, especially given that Homer came out on top.
Have any PDC underlings bought a new car or condo WITH CASH in the last three months?
Posted by MIster Tee | May 4, 2012 7:45 AM
The Nines' is doing so well - in a PRIME location - that a SoWhat hotel ought to be gangbusting!
Or...a place for a REALLY good night's sleep. Nice and quiet. Maybe a little too quiet.
Posted by Erik H. | May 4, 2012 12:25 PM