In a ribbon cutting ceremony jointly held today by the City of Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality on the site of the former Majestic Hotel, the property was officially declared ready for development, marking the beginning of the public input phase on the future of Hot Springs’ iconic treasure.
Speakers included Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Lance Spicer, who oversaw site demolition, cleanup and remediation, presided at the ceremony. Speakers included Mayor Pat McCabe; Garland County Historical Society Executive Director Liz Robbins; and Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality Director Becky W. Keogh. Keogh presented a Certificate of Completion to the City of Hot Springs for the Former Majestic Hotel Property Brownfield Redevelopment Project, commending the city and the partnerships that resulted in the project’s success. The certificate read, in part, “A Certificate of Completion is an acknowledgement that environmental conditions on the Property are protective of human health and the environment based on its current and anticipated future use.”
Immediately following today's ribbon cutting ceremony, Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Lance Spicer initiated the public input phase for the future of the Majestic Hotel property. Those interested in providing their ideas online for the site's future use can click on the Majestic Property Redevelopment photo portal on the city's website at cityhs.net (the direct link to the page is https://www.cityhs.net/689/Majestic-Property-Redevelopment). The page contains a link to a public input form. The public is asked to consider the city's four guiding values when submitting their suggestions:
Enhance economic opportunities;
Improve the local quality of life and enhance the visitor experience;
Celebrate the natural wonder of our thermal water; and
Respect the arts, culture and history of Hot Springs.
The page also includes links to various documents and previous studies related to the property's history, cleanup and future use in relation to the greater downtown area.