By Toni Miles
Dozens of people gathered at the corner of Fourth Street and Jeff Davis Avenue in downtown Long Beach on Wednesday, January 15, for the official groundbreaking ceremony for Hotel Whiskey.
Local officials, community members and the project team were on hand for the ceremony. Long Beach Mayor George Bass spoke briefly before he and others, including the developer, turned dirt with shovels, concluding the ceremony with the groundbreaking.
According to Long Beach Community Affairs Director Courtney Cuevas, “The new hotel is expected to be a significant addition to the Long Beach area, offering enhanced accommodations and amenities for residents and visitors alike.”
The project was delayed due to controversy over the developer’s plans to remove a centuries-old oak tree on the property, which happened after months of protests and fiery City meetings.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Mayor Bass assured the crowd the development would operate as a hotel, and added that the hotel will now be three stories instead of two stories tall. Officials say twenty-seven rooms are planned, with an investment totaling more than the original $5 million mark estimate. Weather permitting, the build is expected to take around twelve months.
