NATCHEZ &8212; One of four developers who submitted to build a hotel across Canal Street from the convention center has withdrawn his proposal.

And others still in the running include a company that submitted a proposal after the required deadline but has already built two significant non-hotel developments in central Mississippi.

Glen Simmons, in an e-mail sent Wednesday to City Attorney Walter Brown, said his decision to withdraw was based on two main factors.

Those included plans Simmons had heard for another Hilton hotel in the area and the fact that the city solicited competitive bids rather than dealing just with Simmons.

&8220;The city has elected to go to a competitive bid situation rather than working with us on an exclusive basis to study the development and give us the time to work with all the required municipal officials required to make it a viable project,&8221; Simmons wrote in the e-mail.

Mayor Phillip West said Tuesday he and aldermen would interview on Jan. 9 developers who submitted proposals.

&8220;The requirement to come in for interviews right after the first of the year is impractical and there are so many issues that have to be resolved that we are not prepared to discuss our plans because we have not had the time or cooperation with the city to develop solutions to these many issues,&8221; wrote Simmons, a Natchez native now in Atlanta.

Simmons added he was informed by Hilton that an application and filing fee had been submitted to them to develop another hotel site in Natchez.

However, Simmons also noted that if the city will work with him on an exclusive basis, &8220;then we will re-consider our interest.&8221;

Simmons said by phone Wednesday he does not blame the city for the bid process. &8220;They have a responsibility to work with people who have an interest&8221; in a hotel, he said. &8220;But I told (city officials) four years ago that it&8217;s a tough market and they need to deal with one (developer). Four years later, they still don&8217;t have a hotel.&8221;

Simmons said he remains interested in development in Natchez.

Alderman and Mayor Pro Tem David Massey said Wednesday he was disappointed to see Simmons withdraw his proposal.

&8220;It&8217;s obvious he still loves his hometown,&8221; Massey said.

However, Massey added, &8220;we still have &8230; top-of-the-line developers who are very interested in coming (to that site), and we have ongoing talks with them.&8221;

As far as another Hilton is concerned, Massey said he knows of such plans but can&8217;t yet divulge details.

Representatives of Hilton&8217;s corporate office could not be reached Wednesday.

Others still in the running include Thomas J. Bauer of New Orleans, who is proposing a 120-room hotel for the site, and Akshar LLC of El Dorado, Ark.

Representatives of the latter company, which operates a chain of Days Inns and other hotels, could not be reached for comment on their proposal.

West said Wednesday that another company, ProVisions Inc., submitted a proposal after last month&8217;s deadline to build a hotel at the Canal Street site.

The Bingham Farms, Mich.-based company has most recently built a Bass Pro Shop in Pearl near the site of Trustmark Park, that town&8217;s new minor-league ballpark.

Last month, ProVisions also bought Larry L. &8220;Butch&8221; Brown&8217;s Riverside Central Services building near the Natchez-Adams Port, but it is still unclear what would go there.

Kerry Bean contributed to this report.