Aberdeen Main Street Looks To Move Forward With Historic Hotel Renovation

ABERDEEN, MISS. (WCBI) – Aberdeen Main Street is trying to find the best path forward when it comes to renovating a historic hotel.

Over the past twenty years or so, Chris Chain has helped develop more than two hundred apartments in downtown Columbus. That is one reason the developer was brought in as a consultant for the Parkway Hotel Project.

“With Aberdeen not having a hotel, and people having to either go to Columbus, West Point or Tupelo, it would be a very good asset for the downtown,” Chain said.

Aberdeen Main Street also brought in representatives from Three Rivers, the Appalachian Regional Commission, city leaders, and others to look at possible plans to revitalize the nearly century old building.

A year ago, Aberdeen Main Street bought the building, hoping to remodel and renovate it to include apartments, hotel rooms, a restaurant and meeting room.

The next step is to determine whether to move ahead as a non profit, or sell the building to a private investor, who would be eligible for tax credits.

“I think tax credits of over a million dollars in equity tax credits is the way to go,” Chain said.

If the best option is to find a private investor, there are still grants the city could apply for, to improve infrastructure on the site, like water, sewer and electricity, which would make the project even more attractive to potential investors.

“We want to do all we can to help this investor take the property and go from there and create a beautiful restored hotel, we have a great team working,” said Ann Tackett, of Aberdeen Main Street.

Aberdeen Mayor Charles Scott says a boutique hotel in the heart of downtown will not only revitalize the area, but will also be popular with attorneys, judges and others who will be in town for business at the federal courthouse, which is undergoing its own renovation.

“They have a place to go eat, place to get a sauna treatment, when you look at all the advantages of having this, to include support of federal courthouse, everything is a plus plus for us,” Mayor Scott said.

Three Rivers will crunch the numbers to help Aberdeen main Street determine the next step in the process.

There has been no timeline for renovating the federal courthouse, which was closed because of issues with mold.