HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KAKE) - A vacant Hutchinson hotel that many residents see as an eyesore is now at the center of attention of the city council.

"It is the recommendation of staff that we declare the building unsafe and dangerous," said Hutchinson City Manager Enrico Villegas.

Tuesday, the Hutchinson City Council decided it was time to do something about the run-down, boarded-up Atrium Hotel that's sat vacant for years.

"I really do feel like it needs to be knocked down, it's full of asbestos," said Stacey McAllister-Franklin

Mcallister-Franklin lives just down the road from the Atrium Hotel and says she's tried to get the city to do something about it for years.

Recently, Hutchinson firefighters suited up in full hazmat gear for an inspection. They found hallways riddled with trash, black mold around every corner, untreated asbestos issues, and practically every inch of copper wire stripped from both inside and from every A/C unit on the roof.

Residents like McAllister-Franklin think the city should just tear it down… but Villegas says it's not that simple when it comes to privately owned property.

"There is another misconception that the city can just demo a building at will. There is a new process that we're going to follow, and step one tonight is to issue a resolution. And then the second step is to actually have the public hearing where all the evidence will be provided by both parties," said Villegas.

Hutchinson City Council approved the resolution and scheduled the public hearing for August 20th to get the ball rolling on potentially condemning and tearing down the old hotel, and people like McAllister-Franklin are already marking their calendars.

"I think everybody needs to attend this meeting. Everybody, if possible, needs to attend this meeting and voice their opinion," said McAllister-Franklin.

The owner of the hotel told KAKE News that he’s tried to negotiate with the City of Hutchinson multiple times since the hotel closed in 2019, but feels like every resolution so far has been full of empty promises.