Rodeway Inn conversion project moving forward

Come spring, there will be another option for those searching for an affordable place to call home.

According to developers Tim and Theresa Jewell, construction is expected to begin in February and converted units in the former Rodeway Inn at 667 W. Kemp Street are expected to be ready for occupancy by April. 

As previously reported, the City of Rhinelander plan commission unanimously approved a special exception to allow for the planned conversion of the hotel to mixed use residential housing. The city also applied for a Community Development Investment (CDI) grant to help with the conversion costs associated with the project. The city has no financial or other obligation with respect to the grant application. It served only as the applicant for the grant which was administered by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

“The city is not on the hook for any of this grant or anything like that,” Jim Rosenberg, regional economic development director with the WEDC, explained prior to the vote. “The performance is going to be strictly on the part of the developer but we do require for the city to actually be the applicant for the grant.”

The Jewells plan to convert the existing 41 hotel rooms into 10 one-bedroom apartments and 21 efficiency/studio apartments.

The project is a response to the housing crisis in this part of the Northwoods, Rosenberg noted.

“It’s hard to house workers,” he said, noting that he frequently receives phone calls related to finding housing for people relocating for employment purposes. “This is a chance to mitigate that a little bit.”

“I’m really happy about this particular application because WEDC, we don’t normally do housing projects but we do have this program that allows for mixed use. So we have at least a fig leaf of mixed use incorporated into this project. We’ve got a housing crisis across the north, It’s hard to house workers, not just super low income or tourism-related.”

In a recent interview with the River News, the Jewells thanked Rosenberg and city officials for their support of the project.

They also noted that the converted facility will be managed through a management company and there will be a full-time on-site caretaker. 

“These units are going to be very affordable,” Tim Jewell said. “We’re not 100 percent sure on rents, but we’re targeting $600, which includes everything — utilities, water, sewer, gas. I’m not here to try to pull every penny from people’s pockets.”

Jewell has more than two decades of experience in commercial real estate but this project is different, he explained. It’s about expressing his faith and helping others.

“I don’t think God’s going to care how many buildings I bought, it’s what you do with what you’ve got,” he said.

To that end, the Jewells indicated they are open to helping those who may have a need for short-term affordable housing, while the conversion project is underway.

“We’d be glad to put them up in those rooms because they are fully functional, operational rooms,” he said.

For more information, contact the Jewells at [email protected].

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].