Image of the Old Convention Center site redevelopment schematic model courtesy Hines|Archstone

The Washington Post is reporting on Mayor Adrian Fenty’s announcement today that the city has scrapped any plans to build a new main library at the old convention center site, and instead has reached an agreement with a developer to construct a four-star, 400-room hotel.

The agreement dooms forever former Mayor Anthony Williams’ proposal to close the current Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library and construct a brand new main library facility on the parcel of land just a couple of blocks away. While the current main library is often criticized for being ugly, not fitting in with the style of the neighborhood, and being seriously rundown and in need of major rehabilitation, Williams’ idea stirred up controversy thanks to the efforts of architectural preservationists, who have argued that the Mies van der Rohe-designed building should be saved.

Development company Hines-Archstone-Smith has branded the new 10-acre development, scheduled to break ground in January, as CityCenter DC. Plans to build an $850 million residential, office and retail project were announced in December. The luxury hotel development will sit north of the mixed-use development, theoretically close enough to serve the new Washington Convention Center.