An appeal board has overturned the planning board's rejection of a project to turn a northeast Calgary hotel into affordable housing for the city’s working poor.

The Drop-In Centre bought the old Quality Inn at Edmonton Trail and McKnight Boulevard N.E. back in the spring of 2012.

The organization’s goal is to transform the building into an affordable housing complex that would provide 79 housing units.

The project has been tied up in red tape for several years and the city rejected the original plans for the mixed-use development.

Some residents in nearby communities are also opposed to the idea.

“It comes down essentially to anybody that we’ve sought advice for in the social sectors field as well as politicians that we’ve spoken to that we’re talking about an agency that plays by their own rules and is very difficult to work with so that’s primarily it,” said Marvin Quashnick, Thorncliffe Greenview Community Association. "The biggest concern that we feel is that we are going to have new residents come into the community and we want to be able to have access to work on their behalf and make sure they're treated humanely."

On Thursday, an appeal board overturned the planning board's rejection of the project saying "the evidence of the appellant is more compelling than those who spoke in opposition."

The Drop-In Centre’s Executive Director, Debbie Newman, says they now need to look at the next steps in development.

“It’s all about fighting for the people that you serve. It’s about the people that live in poverty every day, that don’t have access to all the resources. It’s about creating a community, an environment, where everyone can thrive, that’s what the Drop-in Centre is, but this a new project that will allow people to start rebuilding their lives,” she said. "This project may not come to fruition for the next year and a half, if not longer, but there's an opportunity to work with the community during that time to ensure that all of the guidelines that were set out by the chair are achieved."

The ruling comes with a number of conditions and security staff will be required to be on site at all times.

For more information on the project, click HERE.