KALAMA — McMenamins Inc. has revived talks to build a new hotel and restaurant at the Port of Kalama as early as next year.
While nothing is set in concrete, the Port of Kalama has set aside $6.8 million in its 2016 budget to build a new facility for the Portland-based company famous for historic hotels, breweries and pubs throughout the region.
The building would sit on two acres of waterfront property next to the Port of Kalama’s new administrative offices. The port isn’t able to release details about the size of the hotel yet, nor how many jobs it would create, said Mark Wilson, Port of Kalama executive director.
A change in state laws in 2013 has made it easier for ports to engage in tourism activities, Wilson said. The law only allows the port to build a generic facility for tourism, so McMenamins would have to add its unique styling to the building.
McMenamins is known for remodeling historic buildings into destination hotels, such as the Crystal Hotel and the Kennedy School in Portland. McMenamins also has newer facilities, too, such as a waterfront restaurant in Vancouver.
“They’re a destination hotel and restaurant (company) that will draw a regional audience and raise the profile of this community,” Wilson said.
The port had been in talks on and off with McMenamins for seven years. The company missed the opportunity to get a $5.5 million federal tax break in 2010 to build a hotel in Kalama because of an end-of-the year tax deadline. Wilson said McMenamins never walked away from Kalama completely, but during the recession the company focused on projects in Tacoma and Bothell instead. With those projects complete or nearly so, and the economy picking up, the company felt confident to move forward with negotiations at the Port of Kalama, he said.
Ted Sprague, president of the Cowlitz Economic Development Council, lauded the development at Wednesday’s Port of Kalama meeting.
Sprague said this is the type of facility the region needs, citing a study conducted by consultants on behalf of the Cowlitz Expo Center, which said that the county could benefit from a 80-room mid-scale to upper-end hotel.
“This might not bring industrial jobs,” added Port of Kalama Commissioner Alan Basso, “But there is a niche in this area for all types of jobs.”
