Community Corner

Time Running Out for Hacienda Hotel Fundraising

New Port Richey has 40 days left to meet a fundraising goal of $37,800.

An effort to raise money online to aid the redevelopment of New Port Richey's Hacienda Hotel has reached only about 8.4 percent of its $37,800 goal.

The project must reach its goal in the next 40 days or supporters who have pledged money through Citizinvestor.com will not be charged.

So far, only 25 people have come forward to help, pledging $3,200 combined since March 6 when the city launched the campaign on the crowdfunding website.

Find out what's happening in New Port Richeywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We’re still optimistic we’ll raise some money, but we still a have a ways to go,” said John Hagen, president of the Pasco Economic Development Council, which the city is paying to advise it on economic development and marketing issues.

The council launched the campaign on behalf of the city.

Find out what's happening in New Port Richeywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If the city is successful in its bid for donations, the money will pay for a number of improvements at the historic hotel, including structural repairs, replacement doors and windows, an air quality test, an asbestos survey, a mold inspection and a lead-based paint survey. 

Tampa-based Citizinvestor is a startup that gives municipalities an opportunity to raise money for projects. It features civic projects and has played host to fundraising attempts for projects all over the country, including some in Boston and Tampa.

The Hacienda opened for business as a hotel in 1927 and was once used as an assisted living facility. The city bought the property in the early years of last decade, and the building has been vacant since 2006. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Pasco Economic Development Council has given two architects a look at the building and met with a restaurant developer to see if there is any interest in doing something with the building, Hagen said. The group is now taking a survey of what residents want to do with the building. In the meantime, funding is needed to make sure the building doesn't deteriorate further as it remains vacant.

Want to donate to the effort? Check out the Hacienda project on Citizinvestor.

What do you think should be done with the Hacienda property? Share your ideas by commenting below.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here