The proponent behind a controversial hotel proposed for Prince Arthur’s Landing says the project isn’t behind schedule.
However, engineering problems have caused a bit of a setback as the developers and Thunder Bay officials redraw plans to avoid a major trunk line that runs through Marina Park.
The Resolve Group’s Gisele MacDonald on Thursday said any time a project of this magnitude – a seven-storey hotel and two condominium units – is taken on, there are bound to be obstacles that need to be overcome.
“We actually did encounter an environmental issue that we straightened out, and we’re waiting for certification from the province to be able to come and do that,” MacDonald said, reached by phone by CKPR Radio.
“So that was a little bit of a delay. Then we needed to deal with the main water trunk that goes underneath that property, that obviously the city has to be able to have access to if anything goes wrong or they need to do any work on that.”
For MacDonald, that means shifting a planned parking lot and garden area.
“We had to design and work around that and now the engineers have got a resolution to all of that, so now we’re in the process of approving that and it will be going into the survey department as requested,” MacDonald said.
Despite repeated deadlines having come and gone to do so, once again MacDonald declined to name the company that will run the hotel.
The Winnipeg-based McDonald said that surveys must be taken in order for the operator to take possession, and until that work is completed, the hotelier will remain anonymous.
“In our city, that can take anywhere from eight to 10 weeks, because it’s got to go through land titles. Once they are able to transfer the lands over to us we can continue to the next step.”
She also couldn’t put a timetable on when construction would begin.
MacDonald said the two sides are being prudent.
The private-sector portion of the development is expected to be worth $60 million. The reconfiguration of the plan won’t add costs to the project, she added.
