Lincoln Hotel Site Could Be Redeveloped

A big hole containing several giant chunks of concrete from the foundation of the old Lincoln Hotel are all that remains of the building that was destroyed by fire early this month.

The Clinton Street property remains fenced off as residents and officials contemplate the future of the site.

The First Ward Action Council is interested in redeveloping the property.

Council executive director Jerry Willard says there had been plans to rehabilitate the former hotel building before the June 6 fire.

Willard told WNBF News the council now is considering the possibility of constructing a mixed-use building with a "couple of storefronts on the first floor." He said there could be several small apartments upstairs in the structure he envisions for the site.

Willard said: "We like to think of it as the New Lincoln Hotel."

As discussions get underway regarding the future of the site, Binghamton police detectives are continuing to investigate the cause of the suspicious fire and other apparent arson incidents nearby.