It is an official policy of the City of North Bend to “pursue the development of a hotel and/or motel with meeting space in the Pacific Northwest style and North Bend’s image.” There is a good reason for this policy.

A new, nationally branded hotel, such as Hampton Inn or Hilton Gardens, is essential to our collective efforts to strengthen our local economy, promote tourism and revitalize our downtown.

As longtime business owners and residents of North Bend, my wife Sharon and I are proposing to build a new hotel on commercially zoned property adjacent to Exit 31 at the intersection of Ribary Way and Bendigo Boulevard. This is an excellent location for a hotel, as it is close to the freeway, highly visible, readily accessible, outside the floodplain and served by all of the required utilities. It will not block views of Mount Si, but it will deflect sound from the freeway. It will provide a quiet and family-oriented land use that is compatible with the neighboring properties.

The 78-bed hotel we are proposing to build, own and operate as a family business will be affiliated with a national chain that further ensures that it is maintained and managed in a clean, safe and consistently professional manner. Our $8- to $10-million investment in our community will create 20 new jobs and generate over $100,000 a year in tax revenues. In addition, the business travelers and families that stay at the hotel will support local restaurants and businesses.

We believe that the proposed hotel will be an asset for the entire community, something that we can all be proud of and benefit from. Please contact Gina Estep, North Bend’s Director of Community and Economic Development, at ginae@ci.north-bend.wa.us and urge the City Council and City Planning Commission to take action to enable us to submit an application that can be judged on its merits in accordance with established regulations. Your support is greatly appreciated.

George and Sharon Wyrsch

North Bend