SC Lawmakers Try To Halt USC’s Plans For Hotel On Campus

COLUMBIA, SC— Some state lawmakers are telling University of South Carolina (USC) officials to back off their plan to build a 125-room hotel on campus. Several top South Carolina Republicans claim a university hotel would give the school “an unfair advantage over private hotel operators and doesnt fit with USCs mission,” reported The State (Columbia, SC). USCs trustee chairman and officials with its development foundation— the universitys private fund-raising arm— are undeterred and say they will keep trying to bring a hotel to the university. That stance comes despite USC’s new president, Andrew Sorensen, who said hes done with the issue. That could set the stage for a showdown between lawmakers and USCs board of trustees, one that puts Sorensen in the middle. Local and state hotel groups have been lobbying dozens of legislators for weeks to halt USCs hotel project. Tom Sponseller, president of the Hospitality Association of SC, said hotel operators have gotten verbal support from about 40 lawmakers. Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, wrote a letter to university officials, including Sorensen, urging them to rethink their plan. He said USC ought to stick to educating students rather than making money on hotels that cut into private businesses. USCs development foundation had planned to build the hotel across from the National Advocacy Center on Pendleton Street. Foundation officials indicated the hotel would primarily serve an overflow of prosecutors from across the country studying at the Advocacy Center, which doesnt have enough rooms for them. But the project was halted when preservationists and the city of Columbia balked because two existing buildings on the Pendleton Street site would have to be moved or destroyed. Those buildings have since been designated local historical landmarks, preventing their demolition. USCs Sorensen has said he wont waste any more time trying to reach a resolution on a hotel. After spending weeks trying to broker a deal, he told trustees he didnt care if one is ever built on the site. He further noted that he was unaware of lawmakers concern over the project. Senate Education Committee Chairman Sen. Warren Giese, R-Richland, said while he hasnt come to any conclusions about the hotel, USC needs to answer a lot of questions before it moves ahead, such those regarding its true intentions for running a hotel. Sponseller is sending a letter to all state legislators urging them to pass a new law that would prevent public institutions like USC from directly competing with private businesses. North Carolina is considering similar legislation. Plans to build a hotel and conference center on North Carolina States Centennial campus stalled this summer after meeting with opposition from lawmakers. However, House Majority leader Rick Quinn, R-Richland said he didnt believe it would get that far in South Carolina. SOURCE: The State (Columbia, SC)