Looks like the City is putting its foot down with Atlanta-based developer John Dewberry, who fired off a testy letter when officials here suggested he better secure the Landmark Hotel structure and hurry the project along. As this notice on the Landmark Hotel shows, the unfinished hotel structure is now a “blighted property.”

“I sent them a letter that said the property was blighted and they did not respond with a plan to fix things,” says Neighborhood Development Chief Jim Tolbert. “It will now go to the Planning Commission for a hearing to see if they agree with me.”

If Dewberry doesn’t address the issues raised by inspectors, the City can “take action to repair, remove, or secure the structure to make it safe, billing the costs to the owner.”

As the DTM’s “Landmark Hotel construction clock” here shows, we are nearly at 6 years and counting since ground was broken on this hotel project by its previous developers. At a December 10 meeting, the City Planning Commission will give the City recommendations about what to do about the situation.

Development