by Don Moniak

May 18, 2025

The leadup to this moment in the saga of the downtown Aiken’s Pascalis Properties is summarized in Local Politics and Planning in 2025. As reported there, in November 2024 Colliers representative Tommy Tapp informed Aiken City Council that, in reference to potential bidders for the property:

“Another concern, is their bid going to be kept secret? They don’t want it shopped around in the press or made public because one of the criteria is ingenuity and creativity and what they can do with the project.”

Six months later, one of the six bidders, known as the Winter Colony Development Group, has taken the odd and unusual step of urging Aiken citizens to lobby “Aiken City Hall” on their behalf; in large part by shopping their creative ideas on Facebook.

The lobbying and public relations effort involves two videos.

First, there is the video titled Winter Colony Development Group’s Proposal for the City, released this weekend and already enjoying 1,000+ views. (It is the same video as the one titled Final 2 Winter Colony Development Group that can be found on the group’s You Tube Channel 256. That video was provided to Colliers and the City of Aiken four months ago—but not publicized. It has 173 views.)

The proposal video presents the group’s vision for the Pascalis properties: “reimagining” the Hotel Aiken into fourteen luxury condominiums, two restaurants on the ground floor, thirteen townhouses replacing the motel on Bee Lane, a 56-spot parking garage behind the Warneke Cleaners property (with no indication of the future of that historic business), and an assortment of retail space along Richland and Laurens.

In the comment section of the latest popular release, the group wrote:

“City Hall is about to vote to turn the historic Aiken Hotel into a budget hotel without enough parking. If you prefer the alternative of Downtown Family Living with Shopping, Dining and Live Outdoor Entertainment, call Aiken City Hall at 803 642 7600 and demand the Winter Colony Proposal be chosen. Thank you for your support and tell your friends!”

The latest version also urges citizens to link to a music video titled Aiken Downtown Family Living; in which the group further disparages an undisclosed competitor’s proposal. The video features a folksy country song with the refrain “if it speaks to what you feel, call the City. Let’s make it real.”

The song is an advertising gimmick concocted by one of the group’s partners. That partner is the Ransom Company, whose website features a dozen product “jingles” by branding expert Tim Ransom. The Aiken Community Downtown Family Living video “jingle” is described on the site as a “Social Media PSA.”

Now compare the folksy Aiken Community Downtown Family Living PSA to a third related Channel 256 video, called RH Winter Colony; which was produced six months ago and has 27 views. RH Winter Colony is a sales pitch for potential investors, and the pitch is the history of Aiken and American elites as embodied by the Aiken Winter Colony. The “RH” brand is described as capturing the “American Recreational Spirit” of both the Winter Colony era and today.

Do watch both videos, RH Winter Colony and Aiken Downtown Family Living, back to back for a sales pitch dichotomy lesson. The former pitches elitism, exclusivity, 5th avenue, Rodeo Drive, luxury, and the planned, stylistic poses of unsmiling recreationists; a vision without children, and without family.

The latter pitches down to earth folksiness, images of Aiken’s common, humble, and popular places; smiles and spontaneity among both local children and adults. It has family.

RH Winter Colony seeks to lure financial investors; Aiken Downtown Family Living seeks investments of public opinion.

The two videos are the two faces of the Winter Colony group’s brands, both presented by the creators of the “iconic” brands for Fruit of the Loom/Star Wars boys underwear, Saranac Lake beer, Grizzly smokeless tobacco, and Lotrimin fungal cream; among others.

Why?

Why did Winter Colony Group choose to participate in a secret selection process up until the moment it appeared the process was leading to the selection of another bidder? Given the fact that one requirement in Request for Offers was to divulge the bidders’ financial sources, would Winter Colony publicly disclose that information–along with its proposed purchase price, portfolio, and more complete concept plans?

It could be that the Winter Colony Group is exactly what Aiken wants and needs. The group has arguably performed a service by reminding citizens that a competition is ongoing. But the manner in which it has pursued its goals and attempted to manipulate public opinion leaves more questions than answers.

The entire spectacle, and all the intrigue, might be resolved if other bidders were to follow suit and trot out summaries of their offers, whether it be promotional videos or a power point program. City Council could also release a summary of all six offers without divulging names. Some, if not all, of the secrecy could be lifted.

But at this point, one competitor’s proposal has merely been branded as a “budget hotel without enough parking” by a branding expert who has only provided a few minutes of details about its own plans. The owners of the Pascalis properties, the citizens of Aiken, deserve more than more stumbling by many of the same parties—City Council and the City Manager—who helped bring Project Pascalis to the table more than three years ago.

Above: Images from RH Winter Colony video.

*Footnote:

*Submission requirement in the Colliers’ November 2024 Request for Offers bidder’s packet. (Obtained via a Freedom of Information Act Request.)