PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – The Plattsburgh Common Council voted unanimously against the $2.5 million Restore N.Y. Grant.
A former Plattsburgh bank in the heart of downtown could have been transformed into the city’s only hotel as part of the plan.
Ward 3 Councilor Elizabeth Gibbs says the developer who would have been involved in the transformation, Lovejoy Commercial, was the landlord for Mayor Chris Rosenquest’s landlord for his Chapter One: Coffee & Tea business, so she believes the deal would have been unethical.
“We have not had a successful proposal yet in our community,” said the city’s Courtney Meisenheimer. The plan would have used a Restore New York grant to transform the building into a 10-room boutique hotel and restaurant.
“Giving a place to stay and allow for them to then be able to just walk and spend that weekend, or whatever that is, could very possibly be transformative for businesses,” Meisenheimer said.
The city has had several motels near the city beach but never a major hotel. However, some downtown business owners believe the money could be put to better use.
Joshua Forster, the owner of the Hidden Gem, a metaphysical supply store, says he doesn’t think his business can handle more downtown construction and that they should take it out of the downtown entirely. “We are already on our second year of construction. That would be construction. They would be tearing apart the building to do whatever. It would be a headache before it ever got to anything to “fix” anything,” he said.
But others, like Jacob Martineau, the owner of Jam Vintage, say a hotel is what the downtown sorely needs. “Speaking as someone who grew up in Burlington, I see the impact that having hotels downtown brings to businesses that are downtown. What the convenience of just being able to walk and enjoy leisurely activities like the waterfront and stuff like that, and I think if we had more of that mindset of trying to actually bring people who are not here in and capitalizing on that, I think that would be a great thing,” he said.