The Kansas City Council will help two hotels with their renovation plans.
The Sheraton and Westin hotels at Crown Center have a $30 million redevelopment plan. The developers are looking to make changes to rooms, parking garages and amenities.
On Thursday, the City Council approved creating a Community Investment District (CID) that will allow the hotels to charge guests an extra 1 percent sales tax. The tax would continue for 30 years and generate an estimated $15 million.
Scott Taylor, 6th District City Councilman, explained that the CID money would be for a specific use.
“This is a CID that is based on public spaces, so the money will be collected from out of town visitors and used to improve all public spaces which Kansas Citians use,” said Taylor.
The public areas would include walkways in the Ice Terrace area and the elevated walkways above the Crown Center area.
The Kansas City Council also agreed to give developers a portion of the convention tax money collected from room rates hotel guests pay. That should net the two Crown Center area hotels up to $15 million for their $30 million renovation plans.
Council members heard and approved a similar request from the Intercontinental and Downtown Marriott when they applied for blight status.
It got a special tax designation, despite members of the community wondering why a 5 star hotel needed that kind of help from the city.
Hotel leaders say this will help market Kansas City as a convention destination and be good for the public.
