ECU, Daly Seven end plans for Uptown hotel

East Carolina University has notified Daly Seven, a hotel development and management group, of its plan to end the current letter of intention to build a hotel in Uptown Greenville near the university’s main campus. The project would have been a ground-lease arrangement for 65 years with one 34-year option to renew; the letter of intent was originally signed in August 2019 with extensions in 2020 and 2021.

Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Stephanie Coleman met with representatives from Daly Seven on March 30. “We entered a developer contract with Daly Seven in August 2019 with the hopes of a groundbreaking in 2021,” she said. “As we know, COVID-19 changed the landscape in many ways, and we continue to develop the university’s master plan. We feel the time is not right to continue with the planning of this project.”

When ECU and Daly Seven entered their agreement in August 2019, ECU planned to construct a Student One-Stop building with a parking deck near the intended hotel site, which was between 3rd and 4th streets off Reade Street. ECU no longer plans to construct a One-Stop building. The hotel would have also been near a proposed performing arts center that remains part of the university’s long-range master plan but is currently unfunded.

This project was intended to be a catalyst toward more revitalization of the urban core of campus and the Uptown District, Coleman said. “Since our announcement in 2019, other hotel projects have been announced for Greenville. Our project would be the last to open based on our research. We’re excited about what the other projects will bring to Greenville.”

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