The Ramada hotel at 6210 Tower Road in Denver A Ramada hotel near Denver International Airport has landed in the hands of a new owner after financial turbulence Northglenn-based Colorado Hospitality Services The property entered foreclosure last June and its then-owner A lawsuit against Alpine over a loan on the property is still pending Alpine bought the hotel — once a Comfort Suites — in December 2001 for $3.1 million Alpine refinanced the property with a five-year 5.5% interest loan for $5.2 million from North Valley Bank North Valley sued Alpine Hospitality in Denver District Court for failing to pay off the loan upon maturity which initiated the foreclosure proceedings “Our company has experience in receiverships upgrading properties as necessary to reposition them we are evaluating future plans for this property to best compete in the Tower Road market,” Jordan Anderson who works in development and acquisitions for CHS Alpine objected to the loan sale and indicated the company had hoped to reach a deal with North Valley “NVB’s plan to secretly sell its note to a competitor of Alpine’s in the middle of a normal and usual loan renewal frustrated the reasonable expectations of Alpine NVB thus violated its covenant of good faith and fair dealing in its loan documentation,” Alpine Hospitality wrote in January calling Alpine’s arguments “bizarre” and saying the company failed to explain the basis for its allegations A judge has yet to rule on CHS’ late 2024 request for summary judgment Alpine said it had an unidentified buyer willing to pay $8.3 million for the property and asked a judge to approve the sale They cited a lack of information about the possible transaction and stated that the price was less than the $8.4 million in total debt on the property Alpine told the court at the end of February that the buyer “changed its mind.”  Filings in the Denver District Court lawsuit indicate Alpine once contemplated a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure in which it would hand the property to CHS bankruptcy court filings show Alpine and CHS reached an alternate resolution: the $7.5 million purchase of the property by CHS The amount Alpine owed CHS on the loan — which had ballooned to $5.7 million — counted as a credit bid meaning it was subtracted from the purchase price CHS will want to make some changes at the Ramada “The Ramada is in close proximity to other properties we own and operate on Tower Road making this a fitting addition to our company,” said CHS employee Anderson This story is for our paid subscribers only Please become one of the thousands of BusinessDen members today Renew now by choosing a subscription below ALL MEMBERSHIPS RENEW AUTOMATICALLY. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR A 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL AT THE RATE IN EFFECT AT THAT TIME UNLESS YOU CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY LOGGING IN OR BY CONTACTING [email protected] ALL CHARGES FOR MONTHLY OR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS ARE NONREFUNDABLE EACH MEMBERSHIP WILL ONLY FUNCTION ON UP TO 3 MACHINES ACCOUNTS ABUSING THAT LIMIT WILL BE DISCONTINUED FOR ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE EMAIL [email protected] Matt Geiger covers commercial real estate and development for BusinessDen He joined the newsroom in October 2023 after interning in the summer of 2022 © 2025 BusinessDen - All Rights Reserved Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now × a Macon hotel has sat vacant…attracting theft and vandalism filling with water in lower areas at times and causing other issues that are not part of a rejuvenating Several groups have tried over the years to bring the property back to life and capitalize on the ongoing and increasing success of Downtown but none of those plans have come to fruition and Target Contractors are preparing to implode the 16-story hotel that sits in the block bordered by Riverside Drive Still to be scheduled are a public forum for people to hear the details of the plan and the finalization of an Exclusion Map to help people keep a safe distance that morning Crews have already begun meeting with nearby businesses about the process If you’re looking for a safe and fun place to watch implosion of the abandoned hotel Downtown and other community partners at Coleman Hill for a viewing party beginning at 8:00 a.m Bring your own chairs and blankets to watch the implosion at 9:00 a.m “We’ll have plenty of opportunities for you to see the building coming down online the best place would be on Coleman Hill with us,” said Mayor Lester Miller “We want you to stay safe and stay out of the exclusion area.” The current building has undergone multiple rounds of attempts to renovate it but there are too many challenges in the outdated design and lack of meeting current fire and safety codes to make renovation viable There’s also too much damage to the building itself from not being used for so long if that part of Downtown was to benefit as other areas have we needed to rethink the area and take a more direct role in its future,” says Mayor Lester Miller “That area of First Street and Riverside Drive have such great potential as a gateway to our Downtown and the interest in developments across the street…that we knew the opportunity was there to have a huge impact on the future of our city.” “The ceilings are too low for central heating and air to be installed the parking deck underneath floods whenever it rains too much there are large holes in sections of the roof Executive Director of the Urban Development Authority “The best path forward is to clear the site and find a developer to build something that will truly move our Downtown forward.” Mayor Lester Miller signed an Executive Order establishing the Exclusion Zone to begin at 6:00 a.m The Exclusion Zone is the area around the implosion that should not have anyone in it while it’s active You can view the Exclusion Zone map below and read the Executive Order here.(View the Executive Order (PDF)) Target Contractors also held a public forum for people to come out and ask questions Representatives from Target Contractors began talking with the businesses closest to the hotel several weeks ago to introduce themselves provide early information about the process Only authorized personnel will be allowed in the Exclusion Zone on January 1 Avoid distractions when walking or driving Keep your eyes on your surroundings and not on your phone Being aware of your environment can help you notice potential hazards or suspicious activity early on Whether it’s a fire escape route at home or knowing the nearest exits in public spaces Protect your personal information online by using strong Enable two-factor authentication wherever possible Avoid clicking on suspicious links or providing sensitive information to unknown contacts We’re LIVE at Coleman Hill to watch the implosion of the abandoned hotel on First Street Target Contractors is holding a forum to discuss the abandoned hotel implosion happening January 1 at 9:00 a.m and other partners met with Target Contractors to begin coordinating the demolition of 108 First Street They’re working to make sure every aspect of the demolition is thoroughly considered from safety to preparation to the demolition itself to cleanup to talking with businesses to public notifications Structural Deterioration and Flooding Issues Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus Customer Service Sign up for email updates from Macon-Bibb County to get information on announcements Two members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency were given accounts on classified networks that hold highly guarded details about America's nuclear weapons have had accounts on the computer systems for at least two weeks according to the sources who also have access to the networks neither Farritor nor Ramada appear to have had experience with either nuclear weapons or handling classified information A spokesperson for the Department of Energy initially denied that Farritor and Ramada had accessed the networks No DOGE personnel have accessed these NNSA systems The two DOGE individuals in question worked within the agency for several days and departed DOE in February," the spokesperson told NPR in an emailed statement In a second statement later Monday evening the spokesperson clarified that the accounts had been created but said they were never used by the DOGE staffers "DOE is able to confirm that these accounts in question were never activated and have never been accessed," the email statement read The two sources contacted by NPR declined to be identified publicly because they were not authorized to speak about the matter to the press They were able to directly see Ramada and Farritor's names in the directories of the networks The network directories are visible to thousands of employees involved in nuclear weapons work at facilities and laboratories throughout the U.S. but the networks themselves can only be accessed on specific terminals in secure rooms designated for the handling of classified information The DOGE employees' presence on the network would not by itself be enough for them to gain access to that secret information as data even within the networks is carefully controlled on a need-to-know basis according to several experts reached by NPR In February, CNN reported that DOGE employees were seeking access to the secretive computer systems Energy Secretary Chris Wright denied that they would be allowed on the networks "I've heard these rumors, 'They're like seeing our nuclear secrets.' None of that is true at all; they don't have security clearances," Wright told CNBC The sources say that the networks in question are used by the National Nuclear Security Administration the agency within the Department of Energy that oversees the nation's vast nuclear stockpile The first network, known as the NNSA Enterprise Secure Network, is used to transmit detailed "restricted data" about America's nuclear weapons designs and the special nuclear materials used in the weapons The network is used to transfer this extremely sensitive technical information between the NNSA the nation's nuclear weapons laboratories and the production facilities that store maintain and upgrade the nation's nuclear arsenal known as the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet) is used by the Department of Defense to communicate with the Department of Energy about nuclear weapons SIPRNet is also used more broadly for sharing information classified at the secret level information that "could potentially damage or harm national security if it were to get out," explained a former career civil servant at the Department of Defense who requested anonymity to discuss classified systems Access to both networks would normally require a "Q" clearance the highest level of security clearance at the Department of Energy Obtaining a Q clearance is a lengthy process It remains unclear just how much access to classified data the two DOGE staffers could have actually had if they had used their accounts who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity due to sensitivities around the Department of Energy's systems that hold classified information said that the presence of DOGE officials on DOE's classified systems would represent an escalation in DOGE's recent privileges inside the agency but those accounts would not give them carte blanche access to all files hosted on those systems They described the access as a "toehold" that would allow DOGE staffers to request information classified at the secret level it's something to make note of," they concluded The DOE statement did not explain why the accounts were created but DOGE employees might have wanted access to classified information in order to discuss program details and future budget priorities director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists Although large portions of the nuclear weapons budget are ultimately unclassified a lot of classified details likely go into setting those numbers "I don't think any of that would be open," he says NNSA has already felt the effects of the Trump administration's efforts to slash the government hundreds of workers were fired from the nuclear agency at the direction of DOGE and ultimately fewer than 50 employees were dismissed News of the accounts comes amid growing concern about DOGE's handling of data elsewhere in the government Earlier this month, NPR reported on a whistleblower at the National Labor Relations Board who had evidence that DOGE employees got high level access and may have copied and removed sensitive data from internal systems at their agency The DOGE team asked that their activities not be logged on the system and then appeared to try and cover their tracks by turning off monitoring tools and deleting records of their access particularly after detecting suspicious log-in attempts from an IP address in Russia using the newly created DOGE credentials It also comes during a controversy over Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's use of the publicly available encrypted messaging app Signal to send sensitive details of a military strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen Hegseth's use of the app became public after the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic the New York Times reported about a second chat that included Hegseth's wife Become an NPR sponsor (WGXA) -- Downtown Macon is preparing for the implosion of the Ramada hotel The hotel has sat vacant for over a decade Officials did a walkthrough on Thursday afternoon to show some of the longstanding issues We have 7ft ceilings by the time you do a drop-down ceiling you can't really have any heat or air in the building There no way you could save this building," said Mayor Lester Miller The construction of the hotel dates back to 1969 Alex Morrison the director of planning and public spaces says after the implosion their goal is to create a hotel convention center to bring more people to downtown Macon "We have a critical need for new hotel spaces especially as we anticipate a national park having a 1st class facility for to come spend a weekend a week here is very important to growing our local economy," said Morrison James Martin with Target Contractors says they are making sure everyone will be safe during the implosion "We installed some protections to protect their property to the best of our ability depending on the distance they are from the building that is coming down in addition to that we start preparing the building for the blast We installed various controls to help mitigate anything flying from the building It's not an explosion and what that means is that we use a limited amount of explosions to weaken the structural members and let gravity do the rest," said Martin and Royal Farms is set to open on the property has been removed from the company's website and apparently shut down There is also a large "Royal Farms - Coming Soon" sign A Yonkers hotel that served as a migrant shelter for New York City for 20 months has paid a $515,000 fine to settle a lawsuit claiming it was being used as an illegal boarding house The payment was meant to compensate Yonkers for tax revenue it lost when the 103-room Ramada by Wyndham was operating as a shelter rather than a hotel City officials had estimated the arrangement was costing Yonkers roughly $22,000 a month in sales and hotel occupancy taxes that the Ramada would ordinarily be paying The asylum-seeking families who were living in the hotel on Tuckahoe Road have since moved into more permanent housing or New York City's own shelters Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said in announcing the resolution the residents have now vacated without disruption," Spano said in a statement "I am pleased that through our partnerships with local non-for-profits and social services these families now can continue their journey in seeking asylum in our country.” Are asylum seekers still living in the Yonkers hotel?The number of migrants at the Ramada was already dwindling as the influx of asylum seekers into New York City subsided last year The city had contracted with as many as 14 hotels around the state in 2023 to supplement its shelter space but ended that practice by the end of the year Unlike other counties and towns in the Hudson Valley, Yonkers and Westchester County took no legal action to block New York City's hotel placements. But Yonkers sued the Ramada a few months after the first families arrived there in May 2023 claiming the owners were violating their certificate of occupancy and city codes City officials demanded $200,000 in reimbursement for lost revenue as of that time The Ramada was renamed Plaza Esperanza while serving as a shelter and was nearly filled for a time housing more than 200 parents and children That count gradually dropped last year and had sunk to about 75 by mid-December when New York City had already emptied most of the other hotels it had used outside its borders 2023 lawsuit: Yonkers seeks fines against hotel for housing asylum seekers longer than a month The $515,000 settlement exceeds the $440,000 that the city may have collected over 20 months, based on its $22,000-per-month estimate. But it doesn't appear to account for a separate claim city officials made in court papers: that schooling for children living in the hotel had cost Yonkers School District more than $600,000 by the end of September. Richard Portale, an attorney for the Ramada's owners, confirmed on Wednesday that the hotel had paid Yonkers $515,000 to settle the case and replace lost revenue. The Ramada has not yet reopened since ceasing to operate as a shelter, Portale said. Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com. Ramada By Wyndham Yonkers on Tuckahoe Road On Jan. 24, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano today announced over 100 families seeking asylum who were housed at the Ramada by Wyndam in Yonkers since 2023 have vacated the hotel and are transitioning to permanent housing or to shelters operated by New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS). The vacancy comes after the City of Yonkers successfully sued the hotel for violations of the Yonkers City Code and its Certificate of Occupancy. “While the City of Yonkers was not initially notified by New York City of the asylum seekers’ arrival two years ago, we have since supported these families,” said Mayor Spano. “Their transition to alternate housing is the result of the hotel’s irresponsible refusal to adhere to Yonkers’ local zoning, housing and fire ordinances, which placed many of the hotel’s residents in danger.” Mayor Spano continued, “As a result, we decided to take legal action against the hotel to pay for lost revenue and violations against our local laws. Through a settlement with Ramada, the residents have now vacated without disruption. I am pleased that through our partnerships with local non-for-profits and social services, these families now can continue their journey in seeking asylum in our country.” Despite claiming the housing at the Ramada would be temporary, the hotel boarded the asylum seekers for nearly two years, violating the Yonkers City Code and the hotel’s certificate of occupancy, which prohibits non-transient residences.  Subsequently, the Ramada has paid the City of Yonkers $515,000 in penalties, an amount which exceeds the City’s estimated loss of hotel tax revenue for the 20-month occupancy. In May 2023, New York City transported 100 families to the Ramada, located at 125 Tuckahoe Road, in response to the surge of asylum seekers brought to the New York area. READ MORE'Kind of sad in a way': Maconites and visitors share reactions to Ramada hotel demolition by William Bazzone (WGXA) – — Macon-Bibb County rang in the new year with a bang; the implosion of the Ramada hotel on First Street in downtown Macon occurred just as the clock struck 9 a.m Over 50 years of history vanished from the Macon skyline in just fifteen seconds with visitors and locals alike gathering in Coleman Hill Park to watch the event Retired electrician Charlie Matthews recalled that his company’s first service job was on the hotel’s elevator system in the early 1990s “It's not heartwarming," Matthews said "One of my friends that I went on the service call with that was amazing to see that thing come down.” Retired Macon-Bibb Fire Sargeant Dickie Malone has lived in Macon his whole life he admits that there were many memories in the walls of that building seniors [prom] (sic) down there," Malone said we had the state fire convention down there too in (19)87 I believe it was.. that have done a lot of things there over the years as well and they’re going to miss the building.. We talked with out-of-towners like Alexis Miller coming to Macon from Texas to visit Josie Hadaway Both of them had completely different reactions I was kind of speechless," Miller said "I’d never seen anything like that before Macon Mayor Lester Miller said he also noticed quite a few visitors among the crowd and said the support from the community - and beyond - has been a big moment “We got somebody who drove 19 hours to come here and watch this implosion," Miller told WGXA we had the mayor from Forsyth came down to Macon and I think about our community here locally.. As the smoke settled and sun rose over downtown Macon Miller said the goal of the new project is to find a way that connects both banks of the river together “We will probably look at the possibility of a new hotel, convention center this side of the river," Miller said. We think it’ll tie nicely into the river project that will be coming up soon and all the wonderful things we have going on downtown." Miller added that "from studies," Macon-Bibb needs more hotel and events space to help accommodate the influx of tourism to Middle Georgia LEWISTON (WGME) -- Lewiston has once again condemned the Ramada Inn This is the second time in less than a year The Ramada Inn has been a solution for the community and it was also used as an emergency shelter for Lewiston residents who were evacuated during flooding The city says the hotel's fire suppression and heating systems are broken “Their main water line for their fire suppression system burst so now there's some water in the building but they are trying to get it taken care of and corrected and they are working with the city to do that,” Lewiston Code Enforcement Officer Jon Connor said An old hotel slated for demolition in a central Georgia town was sent collapsing into a cloud of dust and debris on New Year's Day The old Ramada hotel in Macon had been a fixture of the city's downtown skyline before it fell into years of disrepair, sitting vacant aside from the vandalism, theft and other crime it attracted, according to city officials While several groups had tried over the years to renovate and revitalize the building the city said none of those plans ever came to fruition when the Macon-Bibb County government purchased the aging building in 2023 officials decided the best course of action would be to knock down the hotel and start anew So, on New Year's Day, hundreds of Macon residents gathered in the early morning on Coleman Hill Park to watch as the hotel crumbled into the ground in a planned demolition. In a video the government shared on Facebook Macon Mayor Lester Miller can be seen doing the honors of hitting a button to start the blast As a series of explosions could be heard destroying the structure's support pillars the crowd of onlookers are heard in the video erupting in cheers The county government purchased the downtown Ramada in 2023 for $4.5 million and immediately scheduled it for demolition due to the $100 million price tag to restore it, the Macon Telegraph reported While others had attempted to renovate the building in the past those plans were always thwarted by the "many challenges in the outdated design and lack of meeting current fire and safety codes to make renovation viable," the city said in a public notice about the planned implosion “If that part of downtown was to benefit as other areas have we needed to rethink the area and take a more direct role in its future,” Miller said in a statement "We knew the opportunity was there to have a huge impact on the future of our city.” Macon-Bibb officials plan to find a developer for the site "to build something that will truly move our Downtown forward," Alex Morrison executive director of the Urban Development Authority The county hasn’t yet announced any formal plans for the site Contributing: Ryne Dennis Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY a leading hotel development company in Vasundhara is proud to announce its partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to launch the Ramada by Wyndham hotel in Ghaziabad This franchise agreement signifies IPCPL's commitment to enhancing the property and delivering the high-quality service that Ramada is known for The 'Ramada by Wyndham Ghaziabad Vasundhara' will be a dynamic conversion hotel offering 160 keys featuring a range of amenities including All-Day Dining the property will provide a state-of-the-art gym and a range of other modern conveniences designed to meet the needs of today's discerning travelers The hotel is currently undergoing renovation and expansion and is expected to open in 2025 Located in the heart of the rapidly developing Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) Ramada by Wyndham Ghaziabad Vasundhara is ideally situated between Noida's thriving IT hub and the Sahibabad Industrial Zone The property is conveniently located just 9 km from Hindon Airport and 30 km from Indira Gandhi International Airport making it easily accessible for both business and leisure travelers and an extensive range of services tailored to provide a seamless and comfortable stay for guests Hotel website Brand OwnerWyndham Hotels & Resorts Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Macon-Bibb County Commission unanimously approved a $2.475 million contract on Tuesday to demolish the long-vacant former Hilton and Ramada Hotel at 108 First Street “We hope that that continues to happen and that’s to be the goal—to get that thing down and start the new year with a clean slate,” Mayor Lester Miller said during Tuesday’s meeting Macon-Bibb County purchased the property in early 2024 as part of its ongoing effort to eliminate blight and prepare sites for redevelopment was built in 1969 and formerly operated under the Hilton and Ramada brands “It is a dilapidated hotel that is not structurally sound to build any affordable housing,” Miller said mentioning suggestions he’d heard from people in the community The contract was awarded to Target Contractors a South Carolina-based firm selected through a bidding process representing nearby Christ Church Episcopal raised concerns about potential risks to nearby historic properties including the church’s Tiffany stained-glass window which he said is valued at millions of dollars “We just ask that extreme caution be taken,” Henry said during public comments and so I just ask that there are precautions built in to protect everyone.” Miller assured Henry safety measures will be in place “We will make sure that every effort is taken care of and of course we have a contract that provides the necessary safeguards adding that engagement sessions with neighboring property owners will happen before the demolition Miller said Tuesday the investment in the purchase and demolition will pay off I believe that not only ten-fold—I told somebody ten-fold—that we would recoup our money and our value there,” he said “I think it’d be twice that amount and everybody’s going to be satisfied with the project that goes there.” The other 50 former hotel rooms would be designated as affordable housing for people earning at or below 50% of the area median income That's an annual income of $32,700 for one person in the Asheville metro area Department of Housing and Urban Development a land foreclosure and the shift to a new lead developer since December 2021 the basic plan for the former Ramada Inn in East Asheville has remained largely the same: 113 units of permanent supportive housing for the homeless specifying any future development must include 100 units of permanent supportive housing — a model that targets chronically homeless individuals offering long-term housing with wraparound services Why the change?Concerns around the original proposal from the area Continuum of Care — whose funding committee did not recommend approval, though the board narrowly did in August — feedback from the city's Housing and Community Development committee and input from the community The new proposal was heard by the CoC Sept the board ultimately recommended the new iteration It would require Asheville City Council to modify the property's deed restriction Purchase and renovation of the project would be funded by an estimated $18 million in Friendship's private capital The project is also contingent on confirmation of project-based vouchers for the proposed affordable housing from the Asheville housing authority The proposal will move next to the Housing and Community Development committee Sept I'm going to support this reiteration of this project but with deep disappointment," said Mayor Esther Manheimer who sits on the CoC board as as nonvoting member "I don't think it moves the needle enough for our community and I think it's a lost opportunity I'm not sure we can make up." permanent supportive housing director with Homeward Bound "I do think it's important, also, that our board understands that beds for (permanent supportive housing) do not come up frequently. When Homeward Bound opened Compass Point Village, with 85 units that was almost a six-year endeavor for us to come up with the funding and the resources for those 85 beds," she said "So to lose these 50 beds means that we're going to need put our heads together to think through how else we can serve this chronically homeless population because these are the folks in our community who are the most seen .. who are suffering the most from being outside in the elements who are likely to not be going to any of the shelters that are currently open .. we will have a challenge for the board moving forward." Getachew addressed the board virtually Sept fielding questions about the reconfigured project we think this is an appropriate response to the loads and loads of community feedback that we got that talked about their issues of concern and how to ameliorate that and so this is what we think is probably a better solution," she said Moving this iteration of the project forward would free up the city's $1.5 million to be redirected elsewhere If Friendship closes on the property in October Friendship will invest in development elsewhere More: Asheville homelessness board moves new Ramada proposal forward; Council has final say More: A new CA-based company is under contract to buy the Ramada for homeless housing: Now what? More: Asheville Aston Park felony littering cases dismissed: Buncombe County DA Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on X, formerly Twitter, at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times ASHEVILLE - Friendship for Affordable Housing, the newest developer to take on a project at the former Ramada Inn, has closed on the site, says a principal at the company. The East Asheville motel is slated to become 50 units of permanent supportive housing for previously homeless veterans Ayahlushim Getachew, on Friendship's leadership team, said they finalized the property transfer Dec. 2. The sale price is around $6.6 million, purchased from Stormfield Capital Funding, the lender that acquired the property after former developer Shangri-La lost it to foreclosure. We're excited that we've come this far," she said given what the previous history is of the site." The deed was recorded with the Buncombe County Register of Deeds' office Dec Friendship originally expected to close on the property Oct. 1, a process delayed by Tropical Storm Helene, which swept through Western North Carolina in late September. Beyond even natural disasters, the site, and subsequent proposed projects, have been fraught with challenges The city had initially pursued a project at the Ramada in 2021, before assigning its contract to LA-based for-profit developer Shangri-La Industries. After months of delays, that project fell apart, and Shangri-La left town. Several former Shangri-La employees are now on staff with Friendship. Friendship's initial proposal, first presented to the Continuum of Care in June, was for 113 units of permanent supportive housing at the site. After community feedback, the newest iteration of the project — 50 supportive units and 50 affordable housing units — got the go-ahead from Asheville City Council in September, days before the storm The affordable units will target people at 50% area median income and below, the Citizen Times reported previously. That's an annual income of $32,700 for one person in the Asheville metro area Getachew said there was delay getting the needed project-based vouchers from the Asheville housing authority and Friendship is "ready to move forward quickly." Once the site is permitted it is critical to be able to provide responses to all of those individuals who lost housing we are trying to make it faster … we are going to do everything we can," she said More: 50 affordable units, 50 beds for homeless veterans: Ramada proposal gets council OK More: Ramada Inn proposal changes: Less dedicated housing for homeless, now affordable units ASHEVILLE - The fate of the former Ramada Inn was back before Asheville City Council Sept Council narrowly approved an amendment to the existing deed restriction on the East Asheville property — allowing 50 units of supportive housing for homeless veterans and 50 units of affordable housing the developer plans to close on the property Oct contingent on securing project-based vouchers from the Asheville Housing Authority the property will move forward with this newest iteration of housing after nearly a year left in limbo There was hugging in the hallway outside the council chambers following the 4-3 vote this version of the project was a letdown — offering fewer dedicated units for those among the city's most vulnerable unhoused — while others such as nearby business and property owners decried any housing for the homeless at the former hotel more speakers and council members said while perhaps not everything they had hoped the proposed project was better than losing out on housing altogether Mayor Esther Manheimer said she shared the disappointment and concern around releasing 50 of the permanent supportive housing units a decision she described as giving her "heartburn." "This has been a really difficult journey for all of us to work through," she said along with Vice Mayor Sandra Kilgore and council members Sage Turner and Maggie Ullman urged council not to change the deed restriction She helped raise $17 million for the nonprofit's own permanent supportive housing project resulted in the most "fragile and traumatized" members of community being left behind the change will provide 50 units of affordable housing "It should not be at the expense of our unhoused neighbors If they lose the opportunity for this type of housing the parcel's deed restriction required that any future development must include 100 units of permanent supportive housing a model that targets chronically homeless individuals typically those who have been unhoused for at least a year and have a disability The new proposal is a loss of the 50 units that would have housed those in the city's general chronically homeless population with supportive services for those beds provided through a contract with Homeward Bound freeing up more than a million dollars in city funds This iteration of the project is headed by another California-based developer, Friendship for Affordable Housing, which will purchase the property for acquisition and renovation with an estimated $18 million in private capital. Several former Shangri-La employees are now on staff with Friendship. Rather than all 113 units being transformed into permanent supportive housing — what homeless service providers have stressed is a deep need in the Asheville community and was the initial pitch from Friendship in June — it will instead convert 50 of its motel rooms to house homeless veterans through the HUD-VASH program with another 50 designated affordable housing for people earning 50% of the area median income using project-based vouchers from the Asheville housing authority The remaining 13 rooms would also be affordable units but without vouchers or a specified population The reconfiguration came after feedback from the Continuum of Care a community-driven planning body addressing homelessness in Asheville and Buncombe County; City Council's Housing and Community Development Committee; and community members said the pivot helped address those financial concerns — most of which lingered around how to continue funding Homeward Bound's supportive services once the $1.5 million was spent and a hefty security budget There were questions from council members around co-locating voucher-based affordable units on the same parcel as housing for formerly homeless veterans "If you're living in a community and your neighbor might have some type of crisis that's why we have models like restorative justice because an incident can effect and harm more people involved than just the individuals in crisis," said council member Sheneika Smith "So if we're having high-acuity individuals in one living space even though they are two separate buildings Smith said she would prefer to see supportive service for the "civilian" residents as well Council member Antanette Mosley said a community member who lived in public housing likened it to "placing Compass Point in the middle of Hillcrest." said in the city's current housing landscape there are many pockets of neighborhoods where there are "large concentration of high-acuity veterans and civilians who may or may not be on federal rental assistance for what affordable housing already looks like in Asheville "I'm more inclined to support the original proposal or a new proposal not just supporting half the residents," said council member Kim Roney "It does feel like we're operating from appropriate urgency and that is why it feels like eating scraps of bread 24 to redirect the $1.5 million no longer set aside for supportive services at the Ramada Reserved for the project was $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds and $1 million in city capital funding The ARPA funds were previously authorized for this project and The $1 million can be reprogrammed at any time The staff report recommended its use be reconsidered as part of the fiscal year 2026 budget development process Council members voted unanimously to redirect the $500,000 — with $278,000 to fill gaps in requested Code Purple funding this winter which are shelter beds that triggers when temperatures drop below freezing; and $222,000 for emergency shelter and supportive services with recommendations to come later this winter from the CoC HVS announces the opportunity to acquire the Ramada by Wyndham Burkburnett/Wichita Falls hotel limited-service hotel asset is situated in Burkburnett The acquisition offers potential investors the chance to own a recently renovated property thus providing a blank canvas to implement their sales and revenue-management strategies The lender claimed the hotel in October 2024 and is currently managed by a third party It will be delivered free from any management agreements making it an ideal opportunity for an owner/operator A 51-key count is considered a perfect size for an owner/operator the hotel's performance placed it seventh among its eight competitors for year-end RevPAR This ranking indicates a significant scope for improvement the lender has invested substantial capital to convert the hotel into a Ramada by Wyndham a minimal change-of-ownership property improvement plan (PIP) is expected The hotel demonstrated a consistent room revenue trend from 2020 to 2023 stabilized rooms revenue is projected to exceed $1,120,000 with a net operating income (NOI) flow-through of $355,000 The property's location along State Highway 240/Sheppard Road provides excellent visibility and accessibility With a planned Downtown revitalization project within two miles of the property is positioned to capture high-rated transient and commercial demand Recreational demand generators in the Wichita Falls area located roughly 13 miles north of Wichita Falls has a diversified economy spanning the healthcare is home to the 80th Flying Training Wing and the EURO-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program has announced a $300-million expansion of its facility located between Wichita Falls and Burkburnett The expansion plans include creating nearly 300 new jobs further boosting the area's economic prospects Inquire at HVS Click here to join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest hotel news and trends Copyright © Hotel News Resource & Nevistas | All rights reserved (WGXA) - People near downtown Macon may hear a thunderous bang as the county welcomes the new year The old Ramada high-rise hotel on First Street faces demolition The Macon-Bibb County Commission discussed plans to demolish the building Tuesday night This gave the go-ahead for the mayor to come to terms with Target Contractors LLC Construction of the hotel dates back to 1969 While some folks may have memories of celebrating some of life's biggest moments there the mayor says it's unfit to be repurposed "It's a dilapidated hotel that sat vacant for 10 years," Mayor Lester Miller said In 2009, the place fell under financial hardship After a competitive bidding process last year, Macon-Bibb County emerged as the buyer with a $4.5 million purchase of the property at a fair market value purchase price Russ Henry of Christ Church shared concerns during public comment He says he sits on the vestry of the church that sits within eyeshot of the old hotel "I'm not here to oppose the demolition "The main reason I'm here is to ask you to proceed with caution "Most of the buildings were built in 1829 He said a 2015 movie set demo had damaging consequences to some of downtown's structures; bringing him concern for the irreplicable such as the Tiffany stained glass windows of his church In the past there was a demolition for a movie set," Henry shared with WGXA News following the meeting but there were some buildings that got damaged We have a historic church that we own or are affiliated with and they are very fragile to us." Mayor Miller said he plans to ensure everyone is protected The mayor also said there will be an engagement session with everyone in the surrounding vicinity before the building is turned to rubble As for what will become of the property after the building is gone Mayor Miller said those conversations can be expected to take place over the coming months Stay with WGXA News for updates as this story develops A franchise agreement has been signed between hospitality entrepreneur Mr Atul Sisodiya and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to introduce the Ramada Encore by Wyndham brand in the spiritual city of Vrindavan This partnership reflects the growing demand for high-quality offering an enhanced hospitality experience for visitors at an ideal location in the heart of the city The Ramada Encore by Wyndham hotel will be located in Rukmani Vihar The brownfield property is expected to open by the end of 2026 and will be ideally situated near the city's most significant cultural and religious attractions Vrindavan is home to more than 5,500 temples most notably dedicated to the worship of Radhakrishna and is an essential part of India's growing "Krishna Pilgrimage Circuit," currently under development by the Ministry of Tourism The hotel site is just 4 km from the Shri Radha Madan Mohan Ji Temple one of Vrindavan's oldest and most revered temples Wyndham Hotels & Resorts have 16 hotels with over 1,400 keys in Uttar Pradesh state Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is the world's largest hotel franchising company with approximately 9,300 hotels with 9,03,000 keys across more than 95 countries The company has 70 hotels operating and 49 hotels in the pipeline in Eurasia region Hotel website Today’s PaperPolitics|The People Carrying Out Musk’s Plans at DOGEhttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/02/27/us/politics/doge-staff-list.htmlShare full articleAdvertisement By The New York Times Share full articleThe New York Times identified more than 60 people within the so-called Department of Government Efficiency a group formed by Elon Musk that in a short few weeks has radically upended federal agencies Few members have formal Washington experience All seem to have a clear mandate: Shrink and disrupt the federal government Musk’s team has taken aim at more than 30 agencies while gaining access to sensitive government data systems But the full extent of its reach or ambitions is unclear and most of its personnel have not been disclosed by the Trump administration and it is unclear exactly how large the operation is President Trump moved the team from the Office of Management and Budget where it had been housed as the United States Digital Service since its founding into the White House — a transition that effectively shielded its work from open records laws that could give the public insight into its operations The list below includes some of Mr. Musk’s allies; engineers — many of whom are young men — with backgrounds in artificial intelligence; former employees; and others who have helped the operation The Times has published these photographs to show the individuals who are carrying out the sweeping actions of Mr. Musk’s initiative. Despite their prominent role in reshaping the government, members of the group have not operated transparently, with many details about their work being revealed only through lawsuits Several have deleted their social media accounts after their names appeared in news reports Do you have information to share about DOGE? The New York Times wants to hear from you Agency involvement: Office of Personnel Management Agency involvement: Department of Homeland Security Agency involvement: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Agency involvement: Department of Education Agency involvement: General Services Administration Agency involvement: Department of Housing and Urban Development United States Agency for International Development Agency involvement: Department of Veterans Affairs Federal Housing Finance Agency and Department of Housing and Urban Development Agency involvement: Department of the Interior Agency involvement: Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Agency involvement: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Agency involvement: Social Security Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Agency involvement: United States Digital Service National Aeronautics and Space Administration Agency involvement: Office of Management and Budget The Times attempted to contact each DOGE staffer on this list through a combination of verified email addresses and social media accounts For those without known contact information Times reporters tried to reach them by sending emails to a name and address pattern consistent with other known email addresses No one returned the Times’s requests for comment Do you have information to share with Times reporters about the Department of Government Efficiency? You can securely contact us on this page Share full articleImage credits: Elon Musk Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; Brad Smith Big Data & AI Conference via Youtube; Anthony Armstrong FOX 11 Los Angeles via YouTube; Adam Ramada University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Christopher Stanley Graham Dickie/The New York Times; Ethan Shaotran george hotz archive via YouTube; Ryan Riedel The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Christina Hanna Operation Underground Railroad; Nicole Hollander Sequel Youth and Family Services ; Michael Grimes Social Security Administration; Stephen Ehikian General Services Administration; Baris Akis by | Nov 4 Ten months after taking over a shuttered hotel that was set to become supportive housing for low-income Salt Lakers Miller Companies is moving forward with plans to demolish the North Temple building at the Power District Its next move is to tear down a former Ramada Inn hotel at 1659 W. North Temple, which was set to become home to low-income housing and was the long-time home of a popular Indian restaurant called the Star of India That restaurant will now temporarily move to the Ballpark and hopes to open its doors again in a strip mall at 1000 S its owner told Building Salt Lake on Monday morning The restaurant closed abruptly in August after apparent thieves stole wiring from the building and robbed its source of power The restaurant had been preparing to relocate to a building under construction down the street at some point next year But the theft and power outage resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars of food and a source of income for the restaurant’s owners the Miller group is moving to push forward its plans to wipe the property clean The developer submitted for a demolition permit on Sunday A developer had secured a long-term lease with the property owner and began accumulating millions of dollars in state and local subsidies to convert the hotel into supportive housing before hitting delays with the city It’s still unclear what led the developer — who had amassed enough subsidies to cover about a third of the anticipated cost of the project — to abandon the effort.  Around the same time, the Millers were buying the remaining privately owned land that isn’t owned by the state or Rocky Mountain Power in the Power District, as they were pushing ahead with their vision of a mixed-use neighborhood supporting a potential future MLB team The Legislature created a mechanism to collect public money and direct it to improvements near the potential stadium It also required the city to reach a development agreement in support of the vision to improve the Fairpark and the Power District by Dec If the city and Millers don’t reach an agreement by that date the Power District won’t be subject to city zoning rules That work to update zoning for the area is now moving through City Hall and the Planning Commission last week sent a positive recommendation to the City Council In September, the Miller group formally requested the city to create a new zoning type that would allow buildings up to 400 feet tall in the roughly 93 acres known as the Power District The Millers initially secured the Ramada developer’s long-term lease and bought the property outright in July A separate filing shows that the Millers have reached a development agreement with Rocky Mountain Power the Miller company acknowledged the purchase and said the land would be incorporated into the broader development of the area Miller Real Estate purchased the Ramada and will incorporate that land into the master plan of the Power District which will be complementary to the Fairpark’s master development plans,” the company said It’s not immediately clear what might be in that development agreement, as previous renderings from the Power District showed renderings of buildings that were much shorter than 400 feet Email Taylor Anderson Data is out for Q1 2025 market performance across multiple product classes A developer has submitted plans to replace a former single-family home near the North Temple corridor with a new 35-unit micro studio apartment.. Four months after the previous owner was sentenced to probation on marijuana conspiracy charges the Downtown music venue The Complex has been sold.. The Delta Center overhaul is officially underway — and the arena we all know will look much different next year You must be logged in to post a comment Site built by John Battenfeld MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Macon-Bibb County heard from residents and business owners concerned about the upcoming old Ramada Hotel implosion city hall opened its doors to those concerned about the demolition to ask questions and get answers from city officials City leaders say Target identified an area around the old hotel that will be closed to the public before the implosion and shortly thereafter RELATED | Macon officials take walkthrough old Ramada hotel before planned implosion says Macon-Bibb there is not much concern about property damage "The actual impact of the implosion will be minimal on adjacent properties," said Morrison there's not much concern about property damage but we are making sure to take every available precaution But the main this that there are just no people in the exclusion zone." an employee at Third Wave Digital business plaza adjacent to the abandoned hotel "I guess our biggest concern is of course the safety of our employees and just making sure they weren't in the building but then also our building," said Ringley "And making sure that the tenants in our building are still able to successfully operate." The Ramada Hotel implosion is scheduled for New Year's Day at 9:00 a.m RELATED | City creates website hub for Downtown Macon abandoned hotel implosion RICHMOND – A developer who purchased the dilapidated Ramada Inn in Petersburg with the promise to rehabilitate it only to sell it back to the city in an even more deteriorated state was indicted this week on federal embezzlement charges District Court grand jury on Tuesday indicted Christopher A engaging in monetary transactions with criminally derived property and aggravated identity theft the 52-year-old Harrison faces a total maximum prison time of 52 years The charges were announced Thursday afternoon by the U.S attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Harrison improperly secured loans totaling almost $23 million from Iowa-based Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust to develop two projects the Model Tobacco apartments in Richmond and the Whitaker Park community in Winston-Salem He then reportedly set up a straw construction company and forged documents to show that the company had done work prior to those developments then skimmed roughly $3.6 million of proceeds from the loan to pay for personal and business expenditures including ones related to the development of the Ramada Inn in Petersburg which was $500,000 more than he paid for it in 2015 More: 'No ill will': Owner of Petersburg's rundown Ramada Inn talks efforts to end deal Harrison is alleged to have made numerous purchases at luxury-goods and fashion stores He also purportedly used those proceeds to pay off his mortgage and cover tuition and tutoring for his child Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI FAIRFIELD — The man killed in Friday's shooting at the Ramada by Wyndham Hotel has been identified as Mohammad Sahariar Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly announced Saturday that an unidentified surviving victim remains hospitalized and that the investigation is active and ongoing Stephens II and Fairfield Police Chief Anthony Manna announced Friday the investigation of the fatal shooting at the hotel In response to a 911 call reporting unknown trouble at the hotel One man was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:35 p.m The second victim was rushed to a hospital Essex County crime: Bloomfield woman shot and killed inside Newark supermarket The incident is being investigated by the prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force and detectives from the Fairfield Police Department Anyone with further information is asked to contact the prosecutor’s tips line at 877-847-7432.