Onni has accepted Richmond city council's demand of $5.5 million in amenity contributions in exchange for rezoning the Steveston boardwalk from maritime to commercial use, but the hotel proposal has councillors hesitating.
Unlike a normal hotel, which have permanent staff on site, Onni has proposed a remote operation where customers would arrange a way to gain access to their room by barcode.
City councillors have some concerns about the operation model, feeling that there would be a lack of supervision. They would like a legal commitment from Onni as to how the hotel will be operated, but Onni declined to have that put into a covenant.
Shouldn't agreeing to a rezoning change for Onni be enough? Should the city be forced to throw in a proposed hotel agreement? Your thoughts.
