Holiday Inn Norman loses its flag, now "Hotel Norman"

[Robert_M]

I drove by about a week ago and there was about 20 cars in the parking lot during the day but they were gone by the evening. There is a white pickup that has been in the parking lot for months and hasn't moved.

Definitely don't see signs they are renting out any rooms or making any effort to remodel from the outside.

[s00nr1]

Noticed yesterday two large construction dumpsters have now been placed on the north side of the building and several trucks were present in the parking lot. Perhaps this project is about to begin.

[ChargerAg]

I drove by there the other night. Place is creepy at night. noticed the back wall of the hotel had fallen off on the first story.

[ChargerAg]

I can't find the below permit that is referenced. Anybody else able to find it?

http://www.normantranscript.com/news...03d23d9e3.html

West Norman
A building permit was recently issued for a remodel of the Delta Norman by Marriott, 1000 Interstate Dr. This is the former Norman Hotel.

[Robert_M]

Scaffolding has been put in along the I-35 facing section of the building and three containers have been set on the site. It appears they may be beginning to start working on this.

[macfoucin]

This place is looking rough! No work appears to be happening.

[mattbrafford]

I believe there is some structural damage the new owners discovered when they were remodeling. The southeast corner looks to have structure damage at the entrance and looks to be collapsing. They might be in a lawsuit with the former owners for not disclosing this damage in the sale. If you drive on the frontage road and look at the support column on the southeast corner you can see the damage.

[DowntownMan]

Driving thru Norman this weekend and this property looks horrible. Are they actively working on repairing this building or is is just falling apart? It’s been empty for years now. I looks just abandoned and falling apart

[Video Expert]

Driving thru Norman this weekend and this property looks horrible. Are they actively working on repairing this building or is is just falling apart? It’s been empty for years now. I looks just abandoned and falling apart

Great question. Property is still owned by Norman Hospitality, LLC since 1997. At one time back in the late 80s/early 90s, this was arguably the top hotel in Norman. But they didn't keep the place updated as newer and nicer options came to Norman (Embassy and others). They lost their Holiday Inn Flag in 2014, and they closed for good not long after that.

Around two years ago, they had rolling dumpsters dropped off and it look like a full scale remodel was underway. They started removing the old EFIS that was damaged by the May 2015 EF1 tornado, erected scaffolding on the outside, and they began ripping out all of the interiors. Then after about three/four months or so of progress, everybody packed up and left. Only speculating, but perhaps contractors weren't getting paid or something? Maybe they found mold or asbestos? Severe structural issues? I'm not sure who knows at this point.

You'd think the City of Norman would have made these people do something with this place by now as it's been over 4 years that this facility has sat completely abandoned, in major disrepair, and in plain view to everyone right off of the Interstate. Not only is it an eyesore, but a total embarrassment that doesn't seem to get any attention by city leaders.

[Scott5114]

^ What sort of options would the city have to compel action in a case such as this? Condemn the property and take it under eminent domain?

[DowntownMan]

^ What sort of options would the city have to compel action in a case such as this? Condemn the property and take it under eminent domain?

I think they can issue code violations and fines. If those go untouched/not remedied the city can take action and that could be taking over property and removing building if it is condemned. Currrently it looks like it would make sense to tear down honestly.

I know cities do this with much smaller properties all the time. I think they then own the land and try to sell off.
I’m sure there is a strict process and time frame such must go thru

[Video Expert]

I think they can issue code violations and fines. If those go untouched/not remedied the city can take action and that could be taking over property and removing building if it is condemned. Currrently it looks like it would make sense to tear down honestly.

I know cities do this with much smaller properties all the time. I think they then own the land and try to sell off.
IÂ’m sure there is a strict process and time frame such must go thru

I don't know what remedies the City of Norman has at their disposal, but it appears they aren't using any of them. Parking Enforcement is notorious for writing tickets and placing them on cars parked in the street for more than 24 hours, yet a six story hotel that sits on one of the busiest Interstates in the region can sit abandoned and deteriorate in front of everyone's eyes for nearly 5 years and they do nothing about it? Mayor Clark has been seen at Campus Corner on several occasions over the last year merely to find out who is and who isn't following her and the City Council's mask mandate. With that much time on her hands, one would think she'd have done something about this already.

[Video Expert]

I think they can issue code violations and fines. If those go untouched/not remedied the city can take action and that could be taking over property and removing building if it is condemned. Currrently it looks like it would make sense to tear down honestly.

I know cities do this with much smaller properties all the time. I think they then own the land and try to sell off.
I’m sure there is a strict process and time frame such must go thru

I don't know what remedies the City of Norman has at their disposal, but it appears they haven't been using any of them successfully. In Norman residential areas, Parking Enforcement is notorious for writing tickets and placing them on cars parked in the street for more than 24 hours, yet a six story hotel that sits on one of the busiest Interstates in the region can sit abandoned and deteriorate in front of everyone's eyes for nearly 5 years and they do nothing about it?

Mayor Clark has been seen at Campus Corner on several occasions over the last year merely to find out who is and who isn't following her and the City Council's mask mandate. With that much time on her hands, one would think she'd have done something about this already.

[mugofbeer]

I saw it while staying in Norman a few days ago. It's an eyesore that's really a bad look for Norman. It's location is prime for a hotel, even if torn down and rebuilt. At this point the building looks relatively worthless.

[Midtowner]

IAt this point the building looks relatively worthless.

These days, it'd probably be worth more as a pile of used bricks and fixtures for sale.

[Jersey Boss]

I saw it while staying in Norman a few days ago. It's an eyesore that's really a bad look for Norman. It's location is prime for a hotel, even if torn down and rebuilt. At this point the building looks relatively worthless.

Agree 100%.

[FighttheGoodFight]

I asked our city council about this. I guess the fence went up because it has structural issues (you can see it leaning a bit). They said they aren't allowed to fine the owners any after HB2620 got passed a while ago that doesn't allow cities to fine abandoned properties if they are secure.

So they have a permit open for work. They sure don't look like they are working on it at all. Thing needs to be torn down.

[Video Expert]

I asked our city council about this. I guess the fence went up because it has structural issues (you can see it leaning a bit). They said they aren't allowed to fine the owners any after HB2620 got passed a while ago that doesn't allow cities to fine abandoned properties if they are secure.

So they have a permit open for work. They sure don't look like they are working on it at all. Thing needs to be torn down.

Precisely. I feel bad for the owner but at this point, you have to make a decision (or be forced to by the City) to either tear down and rebuild or sell to someone else who will. Based on the size and the location, the property value itself will at least offset some of their losses. But we can't just continue to allow a structurally unsound abandoned six story building surrounded by a fence to sit there crumbling for the foreseeable future.

[Dob Hooligan]

Precisely. I feel bad for the owner but at this point, you have to make a decision (or be forced to by the City) to either tear down and rebuild or sell to someone else who will. Based on the size and the location, the property value itself will at least offset some of their losses. But we can't just continue to allow a structurally unsound abandoned six story building surrounded by a fence to sit there crumbling for the foreseeable future.

From what I am reading here the city is doing all it is legally allowed to do.

This is not a smart aleck question, but do you have direct knowledge of what the city is allowed to do that is not currently being done?

[dford2]

From what I am reading here the city is doing all it is legally allowed to do.

This is not a smart aleck question, but do you have direct knowledge of what the city is allowed to do that is not currently being done?

The City has the authority to start the condemnation procedure!

[Dob Hooligan]

The City has the authority to start the condemnation procedure!

I read comment #42 to suggest the city does not have that authority because state law has been changed.

[DowntownMan]

Someone who lives in norman should tweet the mayor and ask. She does spend a lot of time on Twitter so maybe we could get a response

[Video Expert]

From what I am reading here the city is doing all it is legally allowed to do.

This is not a smart aleck question, but do you have direct knowledge of what the city is allowed to do that is not currently being done?

Appreciate that. I do not know exactly the full extent of what they can do from a legal perspective to be totally honest, but I think it is something that they should be focusing more of their efforts on publically in order to pressure the owner to resolve as soon as possible.

Take their Mask Mandate for example. They don't have the authority to actually enforce it, but they have spent a lot of time and effort through social media and other outlets to publicize it and to encourage compliance. I may be mistaken, but I have not seen or heard any public remarks from Mayor Clark or anyone on the Council about this issue. If they have, it certainly hasn't made headlines.

[Jeremy Martin]

Let me start this post by saying I am not anti mask/anti vax, but I feel the reason that Mayor Clark and the City Counsel are not publicly talking about this is because this isn't as polarizing as a mask mandate or closing down businesses for safety. They can exert their will on 10's of thousands of people, why waste the time on just one building? I am not at all versed on what the city can or can't do legally so I am not really sure what the options are. I do feel that if they thought it was an issue they would be talking about it publicly just to let everyone know that they are aware of the problem and working on a solution.

[Jersey Boss]

From the office of Sarah Kaplan, Norman Retail marketing Coordinator.
The “Norman Hotel” is owned by Premier Hospitality (http://www.premierhotels.us/development). They have active building permits for façade repair and interior demo and I believe recently received a Certificate of Completion for foundation repair. My understanding is that they are renovating the structure to become a Delta by Marriott. I have a call into our Permit Services division to see if they have any additional details. I believe when they began renovations, the structure needed significantly more structural work than they original anticipations. I also would have to assume that the absolute crushing reality of the pandemic to the hospitality industry slowed the project down as well. Premier Hospitality also owns the Hilton Garden Inn (700 Copperfield), Holiday Inn Express and the almost complete Residence Inn (both on Conference Drive) in Norman.