NATCHEZ — The owner of the former Natchez Eola hotel is again promising the beginning of the hotel’s redevelopment soon: hopefully within the next three months.

Virginia attorney Robert Lubin, who has owned the property since 2014, said he still plans to build a 70- to 80-room hotel with a few apartments along the top floor.

Although he would only guarantee that construction would begin this year, Lubin said he hopes to get a concrete plan in front of city leaders in a few months.

“I think once we get a final plan out over the next two to three months, people will be excited,” Lubin said. “It definitely will be the nicest place to stay in town.”

Lubin had discussed converting the hotel into a senior living facility or keeping it as a hotel for several months before officially announcing

in September 2017, that he would convert the Eola into a senior-living facility, prompting pushback from the community. The project was slated to begin immediately, but the outcry derailed that plan and forced Lubin back to the drawing board.

After quickly adhering to the feedback, Lubin said he would have a final proposal for the city within 30 days. At the same time, he warned that the process of reforming the hotel would take longer than going the route of making the building into an apartment complex.

When asked this week why the process has been delayed, Lubin said his group had been trying to partner with various groups, but those prospects had fallen through.

One potential partner could still be in the works, though Lubin would not name the group.

The city can expect a 10- to 12-month build-out for the hotel once work begins, Lubin said.