HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – An economic group based in Hot Springs offered to help the city market a historic site that has been barren for nearly a decade after it burned and then was later demolished. The hope is to identify a developer who can find a purpose for the site.

The Majestic Hotel once stood as one of America’s most famous hotels. In 2014, a fire consumed the property and burned it to the ground. Since then, attempts to revitalize the site have fallen through.

“The timeline has been long,” said Mayor Pat McCabe. “It’s been frustrating.”

McCabe said the city board has been talking about this over the last couple weeks. The Hot Springs Metro Partnership pitched marketing the site for a year to attract developers on the city’s behalf.

“We’ll be acting on that the first board meeting in October, the first Tuesday in October,” McCabe said.

McCabe said there is no consensus on what the site should be. Over the summer, a developer canceled plans to open an amphitheater at the site. McCabe said he would prefer a multi-use building that has retail stores.

“We’re anxious to move forward in an appropriate direction,” McCabe said.

Rick Gale owns the Colonial Pancake & Waffle House on Central Ave., right across the street from the Majestic site. He said he used to go inside as a kid.

“There would be bunches of people every time you went in there,” Gale said.

Gale said he would like to see a hotel return to the site, but he thinks the city should sell to the first developer who offers a reasonable price. He said anyone who runs it efficiently could make decent money for a long time considering the area.

“My business has been here for 60 years,” Gale said. “I have people who’ve been coming in here forever.”