NEWS RELEASES City of Knoxville, Tennessee Bill Haslam, Mayor

Chancellor Releases Hotel Ruling

Martin Opinion [PDF] October 20, 2008 - Chancellor Daryl R. Fansler has ruled that the Development Agreement between the City of Knoxville and Metropolitan Plaza for the construction of a mixed-use development containing a boutique hotel at the former Tennessee Supreme Court site does not violate the city ordinance dealing with a convention center hotel. In the case "Emanuel Martin v. City of Knoxville," the Court found that no public funds or financial resources of the City of Knoxville will be used for the development. In addition the Court found that "to apply this ordinance to a mixed use development that might incidentally be of some benefit to the convention center unduly expands the coverage of the ordinance beyond the intent expressed in the poorly worded ordinance." A pdf of the opinion is available at http://www.cityofknoxville.org/policy/hotel_opinion.pdf. For more information contact Bill Lyons at 215-2029.

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