The 30-story Wyndham Hotel downtown is not doing well financially, and the owner says the city council did not help matters by voting down a proposal to turn most of the units into apartments.
Patrick Fitzgerald is a lawyer arguing for the project and said, “All that is being proposed is to take the existing structure, and what you see as a studio (apartment) is basically a hotel room. What you see as a one bedroom (apartment) is basically two hotel rooms.”
Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau director Scott Dahl told aldermen lodging and tourism are back, and Springfield can’t spare the rooms, and the tower is a key part of the near future.
“From 2023 to 2025 we’ve got 26 conventions that have a peak room-night – over 300 rooms – that represent 56,000 room-nights that are obligated.”
The proposed rezoning got only five of the seven votes needed. Mayor Jim Langfelder said after the meeting he would meet with the owner Wednesday to see what can be done.