Council accepts hotel letter of intent for Caldwell Event Center site amid heavy public opposition

The Caldwell City Council voted 4–2 on Dec. 2 to accept a nonbinding letter of intent from KSA Investments to pursue a hotel on a city‑owned lot adjacent to the Caldwell Event Center, advancing the project to formal negotiations on a development agreement.

The move follows a multi‑hour presentation by Economic Development Director Steve Jenkins and a developer presentation by KSA’s Kate Atkinson and partner Dale King. Jenkins highlighted city growth and the project’s potential local economic benefits: the developer proposes roughly 112 hotel rooms and an on‑site parking plan that staff and the developer say would add roughly 198 stalls (later clarified as 86 stalls above code to support a 112‑room hotel). Jenkins framed acceptance of an LOI as the step that allows the city and developer to negotiate a binding development agreement; he and legal counsel emphasized the LOI itself is nonbinding and does not create a lease or property interest.

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