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City, OWU solicit developer statements for possible downtown boutique hotel; November deadline set
Summary
City staff and Ohio Wesleyan University are soliciting statements of qualifications from developers for a proposed 80+-room boutique hotel on OWU-associated parcels downtown; a November 7 deadline was announced and a disposition would go through the Community Improvement Corporation.
City Manager Faith Brake told council on Sept. 22 that city staff and Ohio Wesleyan University are circulating a request for statements of qualifications for a possible public–private partnership to develop an approximately 80-room boutique hotel on or adjacent to OWU-owned properties downtown.
Brake said the proposal is at a preliminary stage and that the deadline for developer statements is Nov. 7, with planners and university officials aiming to reach a decision in early December. Any disposition of university-owned parcels would go through the Community Improvement Corporation; Brake said she participates as a voting member of that board.
Staff said the solicitation asks respondents to address historic-preservation sensitivity, parking solutions and experience with similar projects. Brake and planning staff noted potential for combining hotel elements with existing OWU gallery space and for including structured parking as part of a larger redevelopment package.
Brake emphasized the process is preliminary and not an automatic award; proposals will be evaluated on design, experience, financing capacity and compatibility with downtown preservation goals. Planning staff said previous interest from hotel operators existed during the early pandemic period but that the current solicitation is aimed at finding qualified developers able to complete such a complex downtown project.
