A week after voters for a second time rejected a $41 million city-owned hotel and convention center in downtown, the mayor says he’s willing to listen to any other ideas.
“I don’t care what anybody says, we have to do something downtown,” Mayor Jim Schaefer said.
A local developer met with city officials last week to discuss building a retail, office and housing complex downtown, Schaefer said, calling the talks preliminary.
If something isn’t done downtown, retail growth will continue in surrounding communities, Schaefer said.
On Feb. 17 voters rejected a plan to build a 200-room Marriott hotel, a 50,000-square-foot convention center and a parking complex.
In an Oct. 21 advisory referendum, voters rejected the project–then called Wausau Century–by a 2-1 margin.
The City Council narrowly voted to proceed with the project in November after its main advocate then-Mayor John Hess, announced his resignation, saying he had lost the confidence of the community.
That move led to last week’s referendum.
