City officials say they are still negotiating a controversial plan to open a homeless shelter at a Queens hotel after a tweet sent out by the current owner seemed to indicate plans were off.
On Thursday afternoon, the Holiday Inn Express in Maspeth tweeted, "We would like to confirm that the hotel will not be converting to a shelter as suggested. It will continue to operate as a hotel."
We would like to confirm that the Hotel will not be converting to a shelter as suggested. It will continue to operate as a Hotel.
— HolidayInnEx Maspeth (@hiexmaspeth) September 8, 2016
However, the Department of Homeless Services and the borough president's office say they're still working out a deal with the hotel owner.
The department had proposed converting the space into a 115-bed homeless shelter and planned to open in October.
The plan sparked outrage from local residents, who argued the shelter would bring crime to the neighborhood.
Three local lawmakers have filed a lawsuit to block the shelter from opening.