What was once a vibrant business along I-95 has turned into a hotel of horrors in Petersburg.
Neighbors are tired of the former Ramada Inn near Exit 52 on East Washington Street.
Developers closed the project a few months ago with plans to turn it into a Cambria Hotel and Suites.
City leaders released a rendering of what the completed project is supposed to look like.
“This entranceway is going to be the signature piece to really display to everyone who passes through 95, Mayor Samuel Parham said.”
Until then, drivers on I-95 and folks living in Petersburg are greeted to what they call a ‘longtime eyesore.’
Marcus Squires reached out to 8News with concerns of broken windows and graffiti on the building.
“It’s a monument to poverty, every time I see the hotel, I always wonder: ‘is Petersburg going to get itself together?'” Squires said.
The state provided nearly a million dollars for demolition and removing mold.
A dispute between contractors put the project on hold.
Mayor Parham tells 8News the project is set to get back on track soon.
“It’s one of our projects on council that we really feel passionate about because it’s going to the change the image of what people see going into the city,” Parham said.
8News reached out to the developers C.A. Harrison companies by phone and email. The developers have yet to provide comment.
The project is supposed to take up to two years to complete.
Find 8News on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; send your news tips to iReport8@wric.com.