Charleston's development agency is seeking proposals once again for the former site of the Holley Hotel, following a presentation by developer Charlie Wendell at Wednesday's meeting.
Wendell, who most recently built the Courtyard Charleston hotel along the Elk River, offered to buy the Holley property on Quarrier Street, along with the Ott building, from the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority for $875,000.
This is not the first pitch Wendell has made to CURA for the site. He was passed up last year so that Richmond-based KM Hotels could build a Homewood Suites extended-stay hotel on the property, but that deal fell through.
"One of the criticisms I heard from our last meeting was that I didn't give you all a vision or a layout of what we wanted to do. If I had, as far as the CURA site had been, it would have looked like this," Wendell said, pointing to a mock-up of a mixed-use structure on the site.
Wendell's company, Mountain Shore Properties, has built hotels, commercial space and mixed-use retail/residential buildings throughout the East. Wendell does not want to put a hotel on the site, but couldn't say specifically what he would build there.
"I think we would limit ourselves tremendously if I were to say that's all we could do," Wendell said of a mixed-use idea.
Wendell's terms, which he presented Wednesday, included paying cash, a 90-day inspection period of the site before closing and closing 10 days after the inspection period ends. Wendell said he would meet with CURA commissioners every six months to discuss the project and its progress.
He also said that if, after the time of sale, Wendell decided it was not wise to develop the site, CURA could buy back the site for $875,000 and retain any "due diligence work" Wendell had completed by that time.
Wendell said the key to developing that property is time and, potentially, collaboration. The property, along with the Ott building, touch property owned by the Kanawha County Public Library, which planned to build a new space there at one time.
"You gave these other people two-and-a-half years to do that," Wendell said, "and I'm going to tell you right now, I believed in all my heart there wasn't a chance in hell they were going to do that in two years. Wasn't a chance it would happen. Not one."
He said that if the company doesn't have something "we think we can do in two years, we will not be doing that."
It's possible Wendell would try to develop the whole block.
Mayor Danny Jones, who supported Wendell when he made his presentation last year, spoke again in favor of his pitch.
"I think this is the best deal and this is the best vision for the city, and this is an opportunity we're not going to get again," Jones said after Wendell's talk. "So, if CURA rejects this, what's your plan?"
CURA's request-for-proposals period for the Holley site will be open until Dec. 31.
Reach Rachel Molenda at rachel.molenda@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5102 or follow @rachelmolenda on Twitter.