Developers recently presented a proposal to renovate a vacated building in Cherokee Triangle, the former Highland United Methodist Church, for the purpose of turning it into a 26-room boutique hotel. Among the hurdles in bringing the hotel to fruition is that a zoning change would need to take place for the property.
On January 10, neighbors were invited to a public meeting to give their input on the proposed development of the site. Although some attendees voiced concerns, overall, most supported the idea as they wished to see the property preserved, which would be possible with a hotel on the site. Attorney John Talbot found the response pleasantly surprising. Talbot explained:
"Usually, the only people that come out to these neighborhood meetings are people who are opposed to the project. We had lots of people applauding this project."
Among the ways to inform the public of neighborhood meetings is the employment of a flyer printing service.
Nick Morris, a member of the neighborhood, explained the overriding sentiment of locals, which was the number of ways the sanctuary and adjoining buildings could be developed was limited.
The property could qualify for historical tax incentives, but only if the building’s historic aspects are preserved. This means that only limited changes could be made to the old sanctuary.