City of Enid to give Lodgewell 45 days
January 22, 2015
The city commission voted to send a default notice to Lodgewell in regards to building the downtown hotel. The letter below gives Lodgewell 45 more days to begin construction. Mayor Shewey will sign and send the letter.
It is believed that Lodgewell will not be able to break ground in 45 days so the city is already looking into different options. The city still wants a hotel next to the Enid Event Center and feel they have some other interested parties. Enid Event Centers officials have told me that they can book many more conventions and conference if there is a connecting hotel to the Event Center.
Mr. Owen,
LodgeWell Development, LLC, and the City of Enid are parties to a Master
Development Agreement dated February 21, 2013, which requires LodgeWell
Development, LLC, to begin construction on a hotel in downtown Enid within one
hundred and twenty (120) days of closing. The City has been aware of your inability to
obtain financing for at least six (6) months. This condition should have been corrected,
given reasonable efforts by your company. To date your company has not begun
construction despite time allowed for excusable delay. It has become clear to the City
of Enid that LodgeWell Development, LLC, will be unable to obtain the financing
necessary to begin construction on the hotel and is, therefore, in default. Pursuant to
Article XIV of the Master Development Agreement, LodgeWell Development, LLC, has
forty-five (45) days to begin construction. Failure to do so shall result in the termination
of the Master Development and all attached agreements.
Sincerely,
William E. Shewey,
Mayor
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Watch LIVE tonight, January 22
City Commission Study Session at 5:00 p.m.
City Commission Regular Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
~ Television - Enid Television Network - (Suddenlink, Channel 12)
~ ETN Website - www.EnidTV.org
~ City Website - http://www.enid.org/…/city-cou…/city-commission-meeting-live
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Downtown Hotel Progress Stalled
November 4, 2014
Construction on the downtown Hilton Garden Inn was to begin 6 months after the April 2, 2014 news conference but has since been delayed. City Commissioners were given an update at their meeting on Tuesday night.
The project is not off the table but no concrete dates were given as to when construction would begin. City Commissioners were told that the hotel delay comes down to trying to secure the financing.
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“Hilton Garden Inn Enid” Press Conference
April 2, 2014
City Manager Eric Benson invited citizens of Enid and the media to the “Hilton Garden Inn Enid” Press Conference on Wednesday, April 2nd. The press conference was held in the north lobby at Convention Hall. City officials, a representative from Hilton, representatives from Lodgewell, and local citizens were in attendance.
LodgeWell unveiled a rendering of the Hilton Garden Inn Enid hotel that is to be built at the corner of Maine and Independence. At that time LodgeWell partners said they had six months to start the project and projected it would take about a year to complete the downtown hotel, for a total of 18 months from the date of the news conference. In that time, they were also to build a parking garage and retail space.
According to remarks in April, closing documents had been signed and LodgeWell was to buy the land, where the Cherokee Strip Conference Center stood, for $10. Their commitment was to then spend the millions needed to build the hotel and 250-space garage.
The project had early delays, which involved funding, acquiring the land and public opinion, due to the destruction of the Kress facade.
A rendering of the 131-room hotel was presented to the public in April showing that the hotel would incorporate aspects of the Kress building. The project was reported to include three to four meeting rooms, a bar and restaurant, possibly managed by LodgeWell.
Financial support was said to have been in place with local and national financial investors. Names were not revealed at that time. Clark Construction Co., of Little Rock, Ark., was reported to be the main contractor.
