The Soldotna City Council passed a resolution to develop downtown a public parking lot. The city previously adopted a substitute ordinance which approves the FY22 capital budget, including $250,000 for the construction of the downtown parking improvements. In good faith, the city negotiated terms of a lease with Guest Soldotna, LLC, doing business as the Aspen Hotel. Upon the signing of the lease, Soldotna will pursue the parking lot final design and construction, to include paving and landscaping, of the currently vacant parcel located between the Aspen Hotel and the Sterling Highway. The city will pay $1 per year to lease the property at 44429 Sterling Highway.
Director of Economic Development & Planning, John Czarnezki told the Soldotna City Council:
“At this point, our belief is that most of the folks who are going to park there are going to access Soldotna Creek Park from the Sterling Highway. I just don’t know that there’s that many folks that realize they could scoot around the backside behind Napa between there to head over to the park.”
Czarnezki spoke on if the Aspen Hotel will allow customers to use both parking lots:
“One of the things we have talked about is the need to sign the lots and it is going to be the responsibility of each party to ensure that the lot is being used appropriately. Aspen wants to keep their lot for their customers and allow for the public parking to be on the lot adjacent to the sterling. There will be some signage that will be placed that will hopefully take care of that situation, if there are those kinds of situations. Certainly as the landowner, if there immediate problems, they certainly have the ability to remove vehicles if they are blocking access, for example.”
The term of the lease is 20 years and includes the City reimbursement to the lessor for real property taxes assessed on the premises. Additionally, should the lessor sell the Aspen Hotel prior to the completion of the 20-year lease, a provision would allow for the city to recoup the prorated cost of design and improvements.
The resolution unanimously passed the Soldotna City Council.
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