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Will Cville Pay Developer to Finish Downtown Hotel?

For nearly a decade, Charlottesville has suffered in the shadow of an abandoned construction project – a high rise hotel on the downtown mall.  Last year, city council considered suing the owner.  Now, members are talking about paying him to finish the building as Sandy Hausman reports.

The original owner of the luxury Landmark Hotel project went bankrupt.  The current owner, who acquired the property in 2012, has done nothing.  City councilwoman Kristin Szakos says the property can’t be seized as a hazard to public health.

"At this moment, the building is not unsafe.  It’s just ugly,” she concludes.

And councilwoman Cathy Galvin says it’s an economic problem.

“I really think there has been a terrible impact on the downtown mall by having that stake driven into the heart of the city.”

So Mayor Michael Signer has proposed incentives to get the job done.  Councilor Szakos wondered if that was a good idea.

“Giving more than a million dollars to a company that hasn’t cooperated well with the city so that they can increase their profit on a profitable project just doesn’t make sense to me,” she said.

Councilman Wes Bellamy agreed. 

“Are we rewarding this individual for potentially creating what some would deem an eyesore in the community?” he wondered.

But Signer argued the city had to act.

“The alternative, if we don’t do anything is that nothing happens here, and that’s on us,” he opined.

He’s asked staff to fine-tune incentives – contingent on meeting deadlines for construction. Members will pursue the matter with developer John Dewberry when he addresses council next month.