Salina City Commissioners will again discuss what at one time was one of the nicest hotels in Salina, but now is just a pile of rubble that hasn’t had any disposal efforts in nearly a year.

A show cause hearing has been scheduled for Monday, March 23rd,  at which time the owner must appear and show cause as to why the city should not finish the removal and then recover the the cost.

The property located at 1616 West Crawford Street, formerly the Ambassador Hotel, has been the subject of extended enforcement action due to its unsafe and dilapidated condition. In 2024, the City initiated proceedings after inspections determined the structure posed a risk to public health and safety. Following notice and a public hearing, the City Commission declared the structure unsafe and dangerous and ordered demolition or repair commence and take place within specified timeframes.

The property owner began demolition in 2024, and substantially removed the primary structure. However, demolition activities later slowed, and significant demolition debris remains on site. Equipment was removed, and work toward completion was not consistently maintained.

In December the City denied a request by the owner to reduce landfill fees for the debris, from the $96-per-ton rate for loads consisting primarily of rock, concrete, or masonry to $48-per-ton.

Based on City records, the last documented landfill disposal receipt associated with demolition debris removal from the site is dated March 25, 2025. Since that time, no additional debris disposal activity or other measurable progress toward completion has been observed. As a result, staff has determined that diligent prosecution of the ordered demolition effectively ceased in spring 2025.

Since that time, City staff has continued to engage with the property owner and the owner’s representatives to achieve compliance. In August and September of 2025, the City formally notified the owner that no measurable progress toward completion had occurred and advised that failure to resume and maintain progress of the demolition could result in further enforcement action, including a show cause hearing and City-initiated completion of the work at the owner’s expense.

Those notifications allowed additional time for the owner to assemble and submit required materials related to its pursuit of approval from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for alternative debris disposal options. Despite these efforts and extensions, debris removal has not been completed, and the site remains in a partially demolished condition.

The owner has provided preliminary, conceptual information regarding potential future redevelopment of the property. The owner has indicated an intent to pursue a phased commercial redevelopment, with Phase 1 consisting of a one-story commercial building with multiple retail units, potentially anchored by one or more larger retail tenants, and Phase 2 to be completed at a later date.

The City estimates there is about $240,000 worth of debris left.

The hotel first opened in Salina in 1986 as a Holiday Inn Holidome. Along with 192 rooms on a couple of floors, it had meeting space, a pool and waterslide, a sauna, and a restaurant. The Holiday Inn was later rebranded as a Ramada Inn, before then becoming what was known as the Ambassador.