CHARLOTTE — A hotel project on a major intersection in north Charlotte has been stalled for a year. Some call it a major eyesore.
Two years ago construction began on a new 118-room Courtyard Marriott hotel at the corner of Statesville Road and W.T. Harris Boulevard.
Property owners said the building failed to pass most code inspections in summer 2013, which led to a dispute between them and the builder. Construction came to a halt in September 2013.
For more than a year, the unfinished building and dirt parking lot, filled with trash bags and chain link fences, has greeted drivers on one of Charlotte's busiest roads.
"What we are known for is our chicken pot pies," said Jim Mussen. He and his wife own the Clucking Cup restaurant across the street. He was looking forward to more business, but now he's left looking at the unfinished hotel's mess.
"It does look bad. I think it has an effect on the area, and the growth of the area," Mussen said.
Charlotte Mayor Pro-Tem Michael Barnes said he also noticed the eyesore at the corner.
"Our goal as a city is to have high-profile corridors like that be as neat as possible," Barnes said.
While the legal battle plays out, the mess will remain.
A lawyer for Pro Construction, which was building the hotel, blamed the developer for failed inspections saying the plans were incomplete. They say they stopped work in September 2013 because they were not paid $2M for work and materials supplied for the hotel.
WSOC
