Brevard City Council approves sale of land for "boutique" hotel planned for downtown
Project is touted for profit and expanded tax base, though one council member worries about its impact on downtown atmosphere
By Dan DeWitt
NewsBeat Writer
BREVARD -- The Brevard City Council took a major step toward inviting an 80-room hotel to the “gateway” of its downtown business district on Monday, approving the sale of a 2.9-acre site on North Broad Street.
The vote was unanimous and several council members praised the project for the profit the city gained on the sale, the long-term tax revenue the hotel will generate and the increased business the hotel and its guests will bring to the downtown shopping district.
It also compliments the city’s efforts to market itself as a hub of outdoor recreation, said Mayor Pro Tem Mac Morrow.
“I’m really excited about this project,” he said. “It captures our brand and who we are as a small town, a biking community with a reputation that’s growing around the county because of its natural amenities.”
The meeting was a continuation of the public hearing that started last week. The break allowed citizens who viewed the hearing remotely to send comments about the project to the city.
Council member Maureen Copelof addressed two of the concerns raised in these comments -- that the sale would hamper the city’s goal of increasing parking capacity and eliminate the prospect of a downtown courthouse.
There are better options for parking facilities than this highly visible location (on Broad between Probart and East Appletree street), she said, and the hotel’s developers have agreed to provide spaces for the vehicles of guests and staff members.
The city bought the property last year as a potential location for either parking or a long-planned expansion of the Transylvania County Courthouse. The agreed-upon sale price is $2.45 million and the site will bring in an estimated $153,000 per year in property taxes as well as unknown amounts of sales and occupancy taxes.
The property was only one of four possible sites for the courthouse project, Copelof said.
“This just takes one option off the table,” she said, adding that she remains committed to pushing for a downtown site.
The offer to purchase names the buyer as OW Services, LLC and two other limited liability companies. City Attorney Michael Pratt wrote in an email after the meeting that “the buyer’s goal is to retain the hotel and operate it. It is expected that there will be some type of affiliation with a national chain.”
Council member Geraldine Dinkins expressed concern about what a “lit-up sign with the name of a national chain” will do to the character of the city. “So, there goes a little bit of uniqueness.”
The project will require a long discussion between the city and the developer, including the creation of a Conditional Zoning District, “to provide an effective means for the city to manage the impacts (of the project) and ensure . . . compatibility with the surrounding land uses and neighborhood character,” according to the city’s website.
Among the issues that these discussions need to address, Dinkins said, are citizens’ concerns about light pollution and the height of the building. The city also needs to hold the developer to its early promises, including to provide a small public-access park on the property.
“We need to be strong and have a backbone” in the discussions with the hotel, she said.
Some of the proceeds from the sale will go to expand parking in the city, according to a presentation at the meeting by City Manager Jim Fatland. Dinkins and council member Maurice Jones said some of the income from the project should be dedicated to addressing the city’s shortage of affordable housing.
Dan DeWitt: brevardnewsbeat@gmail.com
What a shame. That was a HUGE opportunity to use the property for a mixed-use development that might have leveraged public and private sector financing, as well as grants for revitalization of historic small town economic development areas, infrastructure grants, etc. [More on this below] The blatantly obvious use for the property would have been an underground or attached (rear) parking structure, a bridge over Probart St. linking the historic courthouse to 'new courthouse' that was situated over and/or adjacent to appropriately and historically designed streetscape shops, markets, public spaces, galleries, AND POSSIBLY A BOUTIQUE HOTEL (if small to medium-sized) etc. all the way down the hill on N Broad St revitalizing and expanding downtown. It would spark develop on the opposite side of the street and create a new 'gateway' to downtown Brevard. Broad street could be narrowed to two lanes (except intersection turn lanes) and expanding sidewalks, outdoor eating, trees, and potentially water features? I'm not the only one that has been thinking along these lines. A letter to the editor was written in the Transylvania Times about a year ago. Regrettably it apparently received no traction? Frankly it's shocking to me how much the city and county have burdened the Transylvania County citizens by lack of planning for the school and new courthouse bonds and not adequately pursued line-item funding given the very vocal Republican support at all levels of government and local political connections with a former powerful local congressman residing here?? Why would we tax ourselves so much and not attempt to take advantage of existing resources? Might there be anyway to work to have this stopped or approach the new owner of the hotel with the concept as a 'partner'?
This is sad news for me personally. I did not move to this area to live in a small town that has the look of a mini-metropolis. I did not move here for the modern conveniences like Dollar General on every corner destroying the landscape and the natural beauty of the forest. I do not need more burger joints or franchises, etc. I do not need more people trashing my little town or increasing the degradation of the community. I support local homegrown businesses. What happened to being the best little secret? Why has greed for the mighty dollar taken over? For families that want to live in a simple and honest community that cares about what is truly important to be successful and happy in life, we will be forced to move on. All for the mighty $$ and keeping up with the Jones.