City of Coffs Harbour’s appetite to secure an appropriate operator for a marquee restaurant site at the Jetty Foreshores could see a financial carrot on the table.
Council has resolved to grant General Manager Natalia Cowley the right to negotiate directly with interested parties for a lease on the top floor at the new community building near the entrance to the Jetty pier.
That decision at its 11 April meeting comes in the wake of the City having gone to market three times for the prime location.
The most recent exercise on that front saw an interested party withdraw due to an unexpected change in their personal circumstances.
“This is a prime site by the water’s edge in Coffs Harbour and the City is keen to find a quality tenant to further activate a busy area popular with local residents and tourists,” City of Coffs Harbour Business Services Director Steve Bayliss said.
The restaurant and hospitality sector has not been isolated from the current national cost of living challenge, so the City has agreed in principle to potentially support a successful tenant by way of a financial contribution to assist with fit-out of the site for a restaurant.
“Any such assistance would be by negotiation and would be factored into the lease for the facility,” Mr Bayliss said.
The NSW Government funded the community building’s construction, which provides rooms for the TS Vendetta Navy Cadets, community groups, a ground floor kiosk and commercial space.
