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City heading to negotiating table on hotel

OBSERVER Photo by Nicole Gugino. Dunkirk Mayor Willie Rosas announces he will begin negotiations Monday for a new hotel on the city’s waterfront.

The development of a new hotel on Dunkirk’s waterfront is about to move into the negotiation phase.

Dunkirk Mayor Willie Rosas announced at Tuesday’s Common Council meeting that he will be meeting with Erie Land Development LLC on Monday to negotiate the construction of a hotel on the city’s land between the Clarion and Tim Hortons.

In November, Developer Bill Gugino attended a city meeting to express his interest in the parcel. Gugino’s company is based out of Springville and also has plans for a housing development near Battery Point.

After that meeting, the company conducted a feasibility study that yielded positive results. Rosas previously told the OBSERVER the company has plans for a Wyndham hotel franchise at the location.

However, Gugino’s idea for the property reached beyond just a hotel.

“Part of the hotel that is really intriguing to us is we’re looking at a tourist part to be connected with it. … Obviously, we have hotels here already. One of the things Chautauqua County really has going for it is the wine industry and the whole wine trail. So, part of what we’d like to incorporate with it is a whole wine-tasting, beer-tasting venue that would be tied in with the hotel.

“We’ve already talked with our hotel group about it. They already have global bookings on several other wine trails in the Finger Lakes and into the Niagara area. This would just be another connection to it. … We know summers are filled up down here, but the idea is to bring people here all year long,” he said in November.

Since then, the city has had time to consider its options and make a list of recommendations for the negotiation.

All the details on the list are not being released since negotiations have yet to take place and nothing is set in stone, but Rosas said he will do his best.

“We are beginning negotiations for the lease agreement. A lease is what council has indicated they would prefer, but that has not been negotiated yet. They had a whole list of things they asked for and I am going to do my best to make it happen,” Rosas said.

Council will have to approve the contract before the hotel goes forward.

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