Wichita city council members have again delayed a vote on a lease agreement for property at Eisenhower National Airport. A developer wants to build a new hotel on the property north of the Hampton Inn.
The Doubletree hotel had first right of refusal on the property, and there has been confusion about whether the hotel has declined that right. City manager Robert Layton told the council Tuesday that an attorney for the Doubletree asked for more time to talk with hotel owners. The council voted to delay action until their July 16th meeting.
The council delayed action last week when the issue came up on their “consent agenda” which usually has items that are approved without discussion. The council pulled the item out for discussion and council members voiced concerns about some last-minute changes to a lease agreement for the property. Layton said city staff had worked to get issues addressed and move the project forward, and that led to the concerns from the council.
There were also concerns in the media about the project going to the council without much public notice and public comment. Mayor Jeff Longwell said the council had not received updates on the hotel project before last week’s meeting.
Layton said there will be some changes in procedures to make sure the council is informed on contracts and issues that are coming up. He said one proposal will be to “lock down” the council agenda at noon on the Friday before the meeting. If there are any issues or changes that come after that time, Layton said his recommendation will be to delay the item to a later meeting.
