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The Broadway Hotel in Columbia is moving forward with plans to build a second tower after the city council voted to approve $2 million in tax increment financing during last night’s meeting.

This means the hotel will get a property tax break, allowing the owner to put 2 million dollars toward building a second tower for the hotel.

The financing was approved in a 5-2 vote with Mayor Brian Treece and Fourth Ward Councilmember Ian Thomas voting in opposition.

Third Ward Councilmember Karl Skala says he was originally going to vote no on the project.

  Monday night, Columbia City Council voted 5-2 against a plan for a tax increment financing district that City Manager Mike Matthes had been promoting. The TIF would’ve paid for infrastructure projects in the downtown area.

Council member, Ian Thomas, had been hearing a lot of concern about the TIF the week prior to the meeting. He says people did not fully understand it and that they felt it was not constant with community plans. He says this concern was echoed in the meeting.