Red Deer city council opted to sacrifice a piece of Red Deer’s past in hope of creating a brighter future for the downtown.

Council unanimously approved $1.5 million on Monday for the purchase of the Arlington Inn. Red Deer’s oldest hotel, built in 1899, would be demolished by the city to entice a developer to hopefully build a new multi-use complex on the empty lot. (The vote did not include absent Councillor Buck Buchanan or Councillor Gail Parks, who had to leave early).

The Arlington Inn’s fate now rests with its out-of-town owners, who must decide whether to accept the City of Red Deer’s conditional offer by Sept. 15.

The municipality’s drive to free up a sizable tract of land in Red Deer’s downtown has led some to question why the city is getting into the development game. A few residents have criticized the loss of the gabled century-old hotel, as well as the affordable housing it provided for more than 24 city residents.

On Monday, Councillor Cindy Jefferies said, “I believe council is showing leadership” by purchasing the site in order to guide the development that crops up there.

A residential, commercial and office complex is being envisioned by municipal officials, who hope this will jump-start other developments and transform the downtown.

Jefferies said the motivation doesn’t spring from trying to reduce crime and drunkenness in the downtown. “It would just move somewhere else.”

The city also isn’t trying to buy the hotel to prevent more social housing projects from being started, said Jefferies — although she acknowledged many local merchants are concerned the housing for the homeless at the Buffalo Hotel, next door to the Arlington, will override other uses for the area.

“We want to help redevelop a prime site that stands at the gateway of Riverlands,” she said.

The Arlington Inn, which was the site of provincial meetings to determine which city would become Alberta’s capital, could be knocked down by early winter if the sale goes through.

Although many older downtown buildings have been restored through the Main Street Project, Jefferies believes constructing something from scratch that resembles the grand old hotel would be more cost-effective than restoring the original.

Referring to an archival photo of the Arlington with its original wood-slatted balcony and brick exterior, she added, “If it still looked like this, we probably wouldn’t be doing this.”

Councillor Larry Pimm said he was glad the Old Court House, firehall and railway station were preserved to “remind us of our roots.”

But he added the Arlington Inn does not fill him with the same feelings.

“Just because history happened in there does not make it historic,” said Pimm.

Councillor Tara Veer also referred to the recent “not so positive” legacy of the city’s downtown hotels.

“I can support the resolution with confidence that we’re doing the right thing,” added Veer, who feels it’s important to have enough land for large-scale projects if the municipality wants to stick to keeping all main office buildings in the city centre.

At the same time, she said supporting the hotel’s destruction is difficult because she’s usually a preservationist.

“We can still honour the heritage of the site,” she added, by incorporating some of the hotel’s design aspects in whatever new development will happen there.

If the sale conditions are removed on or before Sept. 15, the city’s community services director Colleen Jensen said assistance will be offered to help residents of the Arlington find more stable and “sustainable” housing.

Howard Thompson, the city’s land and economic development manager, is optimistic development interest exists in the site, even though the construction of an underground parking lot might be necessary.

He said a couple of people called inquiring about the city’s plans for the site last week.

The city must seek a historical evaluation of the hotel.

This could take up to 45 days from the date the city applies for a demolition permit.

City Clerk Kelly Kloss said concerned citizens can still submit letters, but no public input meeting will be held, unless the city manager determines one is needed.

Contact Lana Michelin at lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com