Regional leaders are hoping a private developer will build a hotel with at least 500 rooms near the Oregon Convention Center, which Metro owns.
The selection of a potential developer for a proposed hotel near the Oregon Convention Center won't come until September, after members of an advisory committee reviewing proposals asked for more time.
Staff from Metro's Visitor Venues Department had hoped the 10-member committee would be done with its work in time to make a recommendation to the Metro Council by Aug. 16. But the Metro Council's vote has been pushed back to Sept. 13, nine days after a scheduled work session on the topic.
Metro Visitor Venues director Teri Dresler was unavailable Friday because of an illness, but the department's spokeswoman, Stephanie Soden, said the group is continuing to evaluate the proposals. She said they should be done by Aug. 23.
"This was done in response to the evaluation committee's request for more time to consider and analyze the proposals," Soden said. "There has been great discussion and productive questions and answers back and forth between the proposers and the committee."
Two groups, one led by Langley Investment Properties and the other by Mortenson Development, are vying to move forward with the hotel project, which aims to have about 500 hotel rooms available in the immediate vicinity of the Oregon Convention Center.
The Langley proposal includes Garfield Traub Development and Sheraton. Mortenson's team includes the Schlesinger Companies and the Hyatt Hotels Corp. Officials at Metro, which owns the convention center, hope the availability of more hotel rooms near the center will improve its ability to attract large, national conventions.
Roy Jay, one of the committee members, said committee members have a lot of questions and needed more time to get answers from the two potential developers.
"This isn't like we're trying to award a parking contract, or get somebody to paint a sign," Jay said. "We have to make sure we've got all the elements addressed as we move forward."
What additional questions do committee members have? Neither Jay nor Soden would say, citing confidentiality agreements committee members have signed. Reviews of development proposals are exempt from Oregon public records laws.
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