Spokane City Councilman Steve Eugster says he has halted efforts to investigate what the city can do to assist in the redevelopment of the Davenport Hotel, after being criticized for his efforts and asked by an attorney for the hotels owner to drop the matter.


Eugster declines to elaborate or to respond to a recent comment by Jeffrey Wa-Kwong Ng, executive director of Davenport Sun International Hotels & Properties Inc., that some of his statements may be hurting, rather than helping, Davenport Suns own efforts to attract lenders for the big rehabilitation project.


Eugster proposed late last year that the city look at creating a public development authority to buy and complete the redevelopment of the hotel, which he contended could greatly enhance the revitalization of downtown.


He said he considers an empty Davenport Hotel to be a blight on the downtown area, and he suggested redeveloping the long-shuttered hotel into a mix of office space, hotel rooms, and condominiums. Additionally, Eugster said, a redeveloped Davenport, which could house a civic center, public market, and restaurants on its first floor, might be the catalyst needed to encourage the development of a parking garage and an office tower nearby, as well as commercial development in that vicinity. He further suggested that condemnation should be considered, if necessary, to get redevelopment of the downtown landmark moving forward.


After taking office last month, he drew up a resolution calling for the selection of a committee to investigate and, if possible, formulate a plan under which the city might assist in the redevelopment of the hotel through the use of a public development authority and other means. He later withdrew that resolution without comment.


Ng objected to the committee makeup suggested by Eugster and contended that potential lenders will view any discussion of condemnation as a lack of city support for the hotel project.