Two new hotels in Dryden would ease an occasional shortage of accommodations for visitors, according to city officials.
At 559-569 Government St., near Durance Avenue, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and Rideout Bay Developments aim to put up a 70-room hotel by sometime in 2025.
A kilometre away, at 325 Government St., the Dryden Hotel Group intends to construct a hotel with a similar number of rooms by 2025.
The progress of these two projects is great news for Dryden, Mayor Jack Harrison said in an interview.
“A business gap analysis definitely identified need for hotel spaces in our city,” he said.
At their Feb. 26 meeting, Dryden council was presented with a site plan extension application by the Dryden Hotel Group, which said its plan to start building a Microtel by Wyndham at 325 Government St. last year was waylaid by escalating “hotel build costs.”
Councillors agreed that an extension to the start date for the Microtel project will be discussed at council’s March 11 meeting.
A letter from the Dryden Hotel Group, signed by president Lawrence Maksymetz of Winnipeg, said they “plan to commence building as soon as practicable.”
“I’m happy to see this go forward,” said Coun. Ritch Noel. “Any development coming to the city, especially a hotel like this, is welcome.”
Construction of a three-storey hotel at 559-569 Government is slated to begin in mid-June and expected to take about one year to complete.
Its developers say the nine-acre lot will feature commercial space and room for a restaurant in addition to the hotel.
Rideout Bay Development CEO Ben Cohen said in a phone interview that the site is near “all the major retail and hospitality spots” in Dryden.
More than 70 units of longer-term accommodations are also in the works within the burgeoning city’s boundaries.
Developers of a 48-unit apartment building at 276 Duke St. plan to start construction this summer, Harrison said.
Construction is underway for a 24-unit seniors complex with 600-square-foot one-bedroom suites and 800-square-foot two-bedroom suites at 150 Myrtle Ave.
