We submitted this letter to the independent.
Still a No-Tell Hotel
After another week, all the people capable of proving that a hotel will be built in downtown Livermore aren’t telling us anything. The Mayor is insisting in chat forums and in this newspaper that the hotel is going to be built next to the Bankhead. Messages to him from Citizens for Balanced Growth requesting clarification remain unanswered.
Ask yourself, if a hotel is in the works, why not spread the news about its progress? Why not reveal who we can contact to verify it is moving forward? Why has Presidio made no public statements in several years? Who owns the entitlements; have they been sold or transferred? Why hide the facts? Each day that passes adds to the mystery.
Last week, we asked if residents still want a hotel today as much as they did in 2015. A strong theme persists in all the responses we received; they want a hotel. If anyone is against it, they have not said anything to us. We’ve checked the forums and don’t find opponents there either.
As the downtown design was taking shape in the early stages, there was a priority ranking derived from public outreach, with 1 being most important and 10 the least. The remaining elements left to be fulfilled are open space (3), hotel (5) and housing (10 — lowest priority). If the final buildout does not include the hotel, residents will feel justifiably cheated.