The city was worried that it would open the door for ballot issues questioning every administrative decision it makes.
The judge, in a two-page decision, ruled in favor of the city.
The union, which wants to derail the project because Hyatt won't agree to total non-interference as it tries to unionize the workers, may still appeal. Andrew Hudson, spokesman for Mayor Wellington Webb, says he hopes the union won't appeal.
''I think they gave it a good shot and our hope is that they will recognize that there shouldn't be any more wasted time or money and they should allow the convention center to be expanded as the public wanted,'' Hudson tells GlobeSt.com. ''Then we can start reaping the benefits.''
Voters approved the expanded convention center in 1999 and city officials say it wouldn't be built unless it was accompanied by a new hotel. Experts agree that without more hotel rooms Downtown there is no point to double the size of the convention center, as there aren't enough hotel rooms to accommodate large conventions.
Bruce and Seth Berger own the block where the hotel would be built and plan to develop it.
''We're pleased with the ruling, but we can't move forward until the appeal issue is resolved,'' Bruce Berger tells GlobeSt.com. ''The union has said in the past that they would appeal. But that's out of our control. All you can do is line up all of your problems and you chip one away, you then you chip another away and chip another away, until, hopefully, you get there.''
Berger tells GlobeSt. he won't give up.
''We're not going away,'' Berger says. ''We're going to fight this through. We have our fingers crossed.''
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
