Residents are finally getting their crack at a three-year-old hotel proposal.

The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has just received an application from Van Riesen Hotel Group Inc., owned by resident developer Rainer Hummel, to build an 81-room hotel at the corner of Queen and Mississagua streets.

Town staff scheduled an open house meeting for the hotel proposal on Monday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. 

As well, a public meeting on the proposal is set for Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 6 p.m.

The property is the site of the historic Ketchum-Thomas-Phillips House, which is designated on the town’s register of heritage sites.

Leah Wallace, a heritage planner contracted by the developer, said in her report on the property in July that it is an “important gateway feature at the entrance to Old Town,” though it is outside the town’s historical district.

The developer’s proposal is for a new four-storey building on the lot with 16 rooms per floor.

The existing structures on the property will be renovated to accommodate more hotel rooms, as well as a spa and restaurant. 

Three levels of underground parking with 149 spots are also proposed.

Surface parking brings that up to 163 spaces.