Aiken leaders could decide future of hotel with a lively past
AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - This could be the day Hotel Aiken embarks on a new fate.
When the Aiken City Council meets Monday night, it’s scheduled to go into executive session to discuss negotiations for sale of the historic but decaying building that was slated for demolition not long ago.
According to a meeting notice, the council may take action on the matter after the executive session.
If the building is restored to its former glory, it will be a big change of fate for the hotel whose demolition was the centerpiece of the so-called Project Pascalis as recently as 2022. The hotel was to be torn down to make room for hotel and retail development that would have been styled to look historic but would actually be new.
After plowing right into the middle of controversy, it was Project Pascalis that faced demolition, sparking anger over lack of community input and legal challenges over secrecy that some considered illegal.
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But the city still owns the hotel, which could again be the centerpiece of a downtown revitalization plan – one that preserves the structure.
The city says, for the most part, the main structure will still stand, and the plan is renovation.
“The motel part of the property, which is east of Bee Lane at the corner, would be demolished, but the remaining balance of the properties we would expect to see almost all of those adaptively reused or renovated,” City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh said.
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“We received six offers that was whittled down to a final two, and now we are to the point where we will see if the council is ready to select a firm to begin negotiations to purchase the property. That could be as early as Monday.”
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