Asheville city has asked North Carolina’s second-highest court to stop construction of an eight-story downtown Embassy Suites, but the hotel’s developers say they have a right to proceed and might even do so while the NC Court of Appeals considers the case, the Citizen-Times reports.
Recent discussions between the Parks Hospitality Group (PHG) and the city failed to reach a settlement despite offers of public parking and money for affordable housing, the newspaper reported.
PHG president Shaunak Patel was quoted as saying that his Raleigh-based company might move forward on parts of construction of the estimated $24 million hotel, including pouring footers and utilities at the Haywood Street site.
A Superior Court judge has ruled that TPHG has the right to build the hotel, but the city appealed the decision on Nov. 29. (See appeal documentation here.)
“We understand what the risk is,” Patel said. “We could start construction and the state appeals court could say we want to overturn the judge’s ruling.” If the appeal succeeds, PHG would have to stop construction and remove what it had been built.
However, Patel indicated the company feels “pretty good” about the probability of success in the appeal, and it might be worth the risk of an overturn to keep momentum on the project rather than experience a delay of two years.
The city, meanwhile, has aksed the court for a stay on construction.
PHG had earlier constructed the $14 million Hyatt Place in March at the corner of Montford Ave. and Haywood.
Two years before building that hotel the group bought the former Buncombe County sheriff’s office across Haywood, the Citizen-Times reported. “Addresses for the former law enforcement building have been given as 192 Haywood and 202 Haywood. PHG made plans to build a 185-room Embassy Suites with extensive conference facilities, a rooftop bar, pool and 200-space parking garage,” the newspaper reported.