A majority of commissioners said Wednesday they were not in favor of allowing height exceptions for the project at the intersection of Park Avenue and Kearns Boulevard.
The property owner wants to demolish the decades-old hotel to make way for a modern mixed-use development. Buildings would be up to 45 feet tall and include a condo hotel, affordable housing and retail and office space.
The proposal exceeds the city zoning 35-foot height limit.
The owner, Singerman Real Estate, said the commission’s repeated opposition to the proposed height likely means the project is dead. The owner’s attorney, Justin Keys, told city planners the group has evaluated several concepts, including the 35-foot maximum height, and said it’s not feasible financially.
“What that means moving forward for the Bonanza Park small area plan is the redevelopment here will likely not occur,” Keys said.
Commissioners opposed to the height exception still lauded the project’s benefits, including a new walkway along Kearns Boulevard.
Despite her opposition to the height, Commissioner Christine Van Dine said she wants to see the project move forward.
“I just want to make sure the community knows that it's not we don’t want to see development,” Van Dine said.
Some commissioners, including Rick Shand and Bill Johnson, were OK with the 45-foot height overage.
When it comes to evaluating the criteria for a height exception, Shand said it’s a battle of perspectives.
“I just think when I look at this project in general, I like it,” Shand said. “I think it checks a lot of the boxes the community needs to get the Bonanza Park area going.”
During public comment, the president of the Park Avenues Condos HOA, the closest residential development to the project, said residents have no concerns about the proposal.
Tony Tyler with Columbus Pacific Development told the commission the project offers an opportunity to kick start change in the Bonanza Park neighborhood, which the city wants to revitalize in the coming years.
“Both upgrading it from a quality perspective, but more importantly from a community and pedestrian perspective,” Tyler said. “I think it’s desperately needed in this particular area. I don’t have a concern about the height. I think it’s stepped back, it’s very minimal. And I just urge you to consider the alternative here, which is that nothing gets built and we’re left with the Yarrow for another 20 or 25 years.”
One resident who spoke during public comment did encourage the commission to keep the 35-foot height limit.
Keys, the property owner’s attorney, said the commission’s opposition to the project’s height is ironic at a time when the city is developing new land use code for Bonanza Park. The city is considering allowing developers to build up to 45 feet under certain exceptions.
No formal decisions were made on the proposed development at Wednesday’s meeting. Commissioners decided to discuss the project at a future meeting. So far, no date has been set.
