The developers of a new Revelstoke hotel say it will be a showcase heralding people to the community.
"Our plan, when you come through that underpass, we're going to make a statement not just for our hotel, but we're going to make a statement for Revelstoke," said Fred Beruschi.
The Revelstoke Land & Development Company (RLDC) is planning to build a 5.5-storey hotel with 68 suites on a property in the Farwell neighbourhood bounded by First, Second, Wright and Benson Streets, near the CP Rail overpass over Victoria Road.
The proposal passed its first hurdle last week when council voted unanimously to allow a variance permit that increases the maximum height allowed on the lot to 26 metres from 10.5 metres.
Beruschi, who is one of the owners of RLDC, spoke to the Review following council's decision. He said the hotel wouldn't be feasible without the extra height, but now that that's been approved, RLDC will now be working on a detailed design for the building.
"Right now we're working with architects, engineers and designers to try to pull this thing together," he said.
He said the hotel would be between mid- and high-end and would consist of multi-bedroom suites targeted at groups or families looking to spend several days in Revelstoke.
They hadn't decided what brand the new hotel would be built under, said Beruschi.
"I can't even tell you that right now because we're working with various organizations and various flags and we're going to see what they would like," he said. "It's going to be a very interesting product and it's certainly not going to be low end."
He said he's aiming to begin construction either this fall, or next spring.
"We're working with the architects now," he said. "It will depend on the trades. We want use all Revelstoke guys. We need to make sure they're not all tied up."
RLDC owns the Regent Hotel and the Best Western Plus.