SOLDOTNA -- Soldotna will have to look for a different location for a new visitor center.

City residents rejected a proposal to buy the Hutchings Auto Group building for $2.1 million. The business is near the intersection of the Sterling and Kenai Spur highways.

The Peninsula Clarion reports the proposal was voted down 358-231 during Tuesday's special election. The measure will become official Monday, when absentee votes will be counted. As of Tuesday, there were 77 absentee ballots, but officials said that number was expected to increase.

The building has 17,500 square feet on the first floor. The current visitors center has only about 800 square feet and serves about 45,000 people during the three-month height of the summer tourist season.

Executive director Michelle Glaves says the search for a new location will continue.