After an earlier effort in Corvallis to build a hotel on a prime riverfront parcel failed in dramatic fashion, a development team devised a plan that fit the height envelope while still providing the needed parking: They put the hotel on top of the parking, and secured a franchise with an upscale brand.

“I don’t think the hotel is terribly unique from a design standpoint, but it’s certainly an interesting development for downtown Corvallis,” said Vern McDonald, a member of the limited liability company that’s developing a 75-foot-tall Courtyard Marriott hotel at 115 S.W. First St. – what will be the second tallest building in town.

Crews with A&A Construction are now pouring the concrete superstructure and cap of the 136-stall parking structure. The second phase of construction will involve building the four-story hotel tower that will add 176 rooms to the city’s existing 800. Construction should conclude by summer 2017.

Though many of the rooms will be considered “upscale,” the project includes standard hotel fare – an off-lobby restaurant, 2,000 square feet of meeting space, a fitness center and a pool. The $20 million, half-block project is situated across the Willamette River from the Orleans Natural Area, and a short walk to the Oregon State University campus and downtown Corvallis’ many shops and restaurants. It’s also across the street from the 82-foot-tall Renaissance on the Riverfront mixed-use tower, the tallest building in town.

An earlier plan to build a $23 million Hyatt Place hotel on the site was shot down by the city council after vehement public opposition over using $4.2 million in public financing to build an accompanying parking structure. Without the subsidy, developers argued at the time, a hotel on the site wouldn’t work.

The parcel was purchased in 2014 for $2 million. Though partnering with the upscale Marriott line will mean higher room rates, McDonald says that decision wasn’t made simply to charge more per room.

“There’s a lot more to it than that,” he said. “We wanted to be more appealing to the traveling public and the convention-going public … It has to do with having a product type that the market wants to use.”

Regularly recognized for its livability, Corvallis has faced challenges where growth and economic development are concerned, said Tom Nelson, Corvallis’ economic development director. With such a small market, one hospitality project can quickly upset equilibrium.

The riverfront area, and Corvallis in general, is ready for another boutique project, he said.

“We feel that downtown especially is underserved by upscale hotels,” he said.

Tourism to the city has long revolved around two things: home football games and academic conferences. But that’s starting to change as more people visit for business unrelated to OSU, according to Mary Pat Parker, executive director of Visit Corvallis.

“I like to think we have three seasons now – spring, fall and now also, summer,” she said.

The project was designed by Jensen Fey Architecture and Planning of Seattle. Devco Engineering of Corvallis is the civil engineer.

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