WINONA, Minn. –The Port Authority would like to see a hotel built at the Levee behind the Winona 7 movie house, but progress has been slow – frustratingly so — with a group of prominent developers who can’t quite their act together. If there is an architect’s drawing for the hotel, it hasn’t been released. At the latest Port Authority hearing, the developers pleaded for yet another extension to come up with a plan, this after years of repeated extensions. And the Port Authority noq has agreed to yet another extension. The new explanation for an extension: The group, which has held exclusive negotiating rights with the Port Authority, has rejiggered itself and hasn’t yet devised an internal agreement. This appears to be what’s happened:

> C.D. Smith Construction. Of LaCrosse. Has pulled out.

> Weiser Brothers Construction. Of La Crescent. Has joined.

> Latsch Development. Of Winona. , This historic restoration firm, whose prime organizer is Peter Shortridge, has left.

> Drifftless Development. Whose principals include Shortridge, has joined.

> Winona Real estate Group. Whose principals include Shortridge and Northfield hotel developer Brett Reese. has joined.

> Mike Rivers. A Winona-based hotelier. Seems somehow still involved.

In short, it’s some of the same guys as at the outset but organized differently and with some new blood. If everything gels, construction could begin in 2025.

Earlier: Port to would-be hoteliers: Stop dallying

Earlier: Levee hotel project wins $601,000 state grant

Earlier: Shape of Levee Park’s future: A work in progress

The concept

The original ideas has evolved. The latest: A five-story 75-room hotel with a six-story section for 25 to 30 apartments, a restaurant and shops, a roof-top patio, and 140 private parking stalls. The projected construction cost way back when the project was conceived was $39 million. The Port Authority, which holds the site, is a key player because it can provide property tax emotions into the future for whoever develops the property.

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About nearby properties:

> Freight house. The railroad freight house. occupied partly by Island City Brewhouses and Pub, would become a restaurant again. The building was formerly was home to the fancy dinner place Zach’s on the Tracks and later Jefferson Pub and Grill.

> Movie house. CEC Theatres of St. Cloud, which owns Winona 7 on Second Street, has objected to the hotel development. It stands to lose 128 city-owned parking spaces behind the theater.