OCC tables Old Courthouse conversion into Hotel

At their monthly meeting Tuesday night, the Oconee County Council voted to table the conversion of the old county courthouse into a hotel in downtown Walhalla.  The Council will now consider the motion on third reading at their meeting scheduled for February 19.  County leaders wanted more time to negotiate a deal with the hotel developers.  The plan calls for a five-story hotel in the abandoned 1950s-era building. It would also include a restaurant, retail space and meeting rooms. Under the proposed agreement, Oconee County would repair the roof, and transfer the old courthouse to Oconee Courthouse Ventures LLC. It also calls for a $500,000 grant from the county, plus fee-in-lieu-of taxes agreement. The developers would then commit to an investment of at least $5 million.