CHATHAM — Plans to build a 90-room hotel at 76th and State Street have been withdrawn.
For months, 6th Ward Ald. Roderick Sawyer has been telling the lot’s owner, South Shore businessman Herbert Hedgeman, to revise his plans, raising concerns about financing, operation, and the hotel's status as a "flagship" for a chain brand.
Sawyer said he wanted to give Hedgeman a chance because he’s a big supporter of black-owned businesses.
“I’m trying to give him every opportunity to do it the right way,” Sawyer said at a Dec. 3 community meeting about the hotel.
The alderman said he refused to give Hedgeman his support until his concerns and his ward’s concerns were met. When it appeared that Hedgeman wasn’t going to make the necessary changes, Sawyer drafted up a letter for the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
Before Sawyer could submit the letter, Hedgeman withdrew the application ahead of the Dec. 18 zoning meeting, Sawyer said.
“I can’t say that I was upset,” Sawyer said about the withdrawal.
Hedgeman couldn't be reached for comment.
Looking ahead, Sawyer said he’d like to see a restaurant or a national chain move onto the empty land. He said he’s open to meeting with Hedgeman to discuss options.
“I look forward to talking to him about the future of the lot if he wants to talk,” Sawyer said.
Chatham native Brian Garner, 52, said he wants to see a “family-friendly” restaurant like Red Lobster or Golden Corral move onto the lot.
Another business that would fill a need would be an indoor play facility so children in the community have somewhere fun and safe to go, he said, like a Dave and Buster's, Chuck E. Cheese or Jump Zone.
Just “someplace for children and parents to have a good time and a good meal,” he said.
Earlier this month, the community came together to express its concern about the site's future to Sawyer. Neither Hedgeman nor the developer were invited, Sawyer said.
The biggest issue the Chatham community raised with the proposed hotel was that it wouldn’t have been a flagship, which they said was problematic because flagships — primary locations for franchises within a larger brand — place more accountability on the owner.
“If he’s not going to do it correctly, then no, I don’t want it,” said resident Constance Daniels. “If it’s done correctly, I’m all for it.”
Daniels said she would like to see a flagship hotel, retail and nice restaurants along the State street corridor. A hotel in the community would be good because people can host weddings and family reunions in their neighborhood, Daniels said.
It wasn’t just adults who had reservations about the plans. Eleven-year-old Khary Shaw was very adamant about why he opposed the project.
“I think this neighborhood would turn into a very bad place," if the plan went through, he told DNAinfo Chicago. He worried the hotel would be a hideout for “fugitives” and would attract “gangbangers and prostitutes.”
“This is a very quiet and peaceful neighborhood, so I don’t want the hotel here," he said.
A friend of Hedgeman said that he’s been facing health issues, which is why he couldn’t be reached for comment.
The future of the site is uncertain.
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