By Dustin Gardiner | The Republic
As Phoenix negotiates the sale of the city-owned Sheraton hotel in downtown, a new aspect of the deal is sparking controversy: a proposed $97 million tax break for the buyer.
The city already expects to take a hefty loss on the Sheraton. In July, Phoenix entered into exclusive talks to sell to TLG Phoenix LLC, an investment company based in Florida, for $255 million.
Phoenix still owes $306 million on the hotel — the largest in the state with 1,000 rooms — and the city has already sunk about $47 million of taxpayers’ money into it.