In addition to the proposed 11 story hotel downtown, a new Hampton Suites hotel is already under construction on Glenwood Avenue. Photo: The Telegram.
By Ariella Monti, The Raleigh Public Record, Reprinted By The Raleigh Telegram With Permission
RALEIGH – Raleigh City Councilors Tuesday voted to move forward with negotiations to put a new hotel downtown, but they want to make sure the design fits in the space.
Developers want to build Residence Inn-Marriott on a piece of city-owned land on Salisbury Street near the Performing Arts Center. The proposed 11-story hotel will house between 140 and 155 rooms and include ground floor retail and restaurant space.
While it was clear that all city councilors wanted the Appearance Commission’s input into the project, there was some debate as to how early that could be done.
Councilor Thomas Crowder said they “need to have a very clear understanding of how this is going to integrate into the urban fabric downtown” and wanted the commission to be involved from the very beginning. He said the commission’s recommendations should be included in the city’s negotiations.
The company submitted conceptual plans, but generally, the Appearance Commission is not brought into the design process until site plans are created.
Councilor John Odom said he doesn’t want the new hotel to be another Mint, referring to recently-closed restaurant that sits on city property. He added that he didn’t want the city to design it and end up with a building that isn’t functional.
Ultimately, councilors approved moving forward and asked that the Appearance Commission become involved in the design at the beginning of the site plan process.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This article originally appeared in The Raleigh Public Record and was reprinted with permission under their reprint agreement. The original story URL is here.
Article Posted: Thursday, April 19th, 2012.
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Ben Levitan
April 20, 2012 at 8:01 pm
Raleigh has an “appearance committee”. Really? What are they going for…Early American Parking Structure Look? Or Modern Ghost Towns.
Ben Levitan
April 20, 2012 at 8:05 pm
“urban fabric downtown”
HUH? These people have a high opinion of the moribund downtown they created.
Jenny
April 22, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Ben, sounds as if you’re an educated man. Why not join the committee and be the change you want to see?