The Washington Urban Redevelopment Authority met Thursday morning and agreed unanimously to recommend that the Washington City Council move forward with the Pope Conference Center hotel project.

The meeting was held at The Pope Center to allow authority members, including Chairman Charles Jackson, Vice Chairman Henry Harris, and Treasurer Toombs McLendon IV, to become more familiar with the facility.

Jackson said that the public hearing held to get input had an impact on their decision. “Everybody who made a presentation was very positive about the project. Personally, I didn’t hear anything that would make me think the project shouldn’t go forward. There are more factors to consider than just building a hotel, and I didn’t hear any negative facts that would change my mind.”

Authority members agreed that the Pope Center was not likely to be successful as a standalone facility. “You’ve got to have accommodations if you’re going to draw people for a two- or three-day conference,” Jackson said.

Jackson also said that the Redevelopment Authority members are aware of concerns among some citizens about the participation of one of the project’s advisors, but the Authority itself is not concerned. “We have our own attorney to ensure that everything is on the up-and-up, and what he [the advisor] did then doesn’t shed a lot of light on what he’s doing now. Surely he wouldn’t do it twice, but we’ve got a good city attorney to shield us in any transaction.”

Jackson said that the authority would make the recommendation to the city council at its next regular meeting, and that he expected the City Council to vote in favor of moving forward with the hotel project.