The attached ordinance will amend the Columbia St. Planned Development (PD), replacing a never constructed phase 2 multi-story office building with a 6-story 110-room hotel on the western 2.13-acre portion of the PD. The semi-developed property, located on the north side of Columbia St., west of S. Orange Ave., currently has a 6-story 126-room Hampton Inn & Suites hotel on the eastern 2.87-acre portion of the PD. The applicant is Robert Schanck, with GAI Consultants, representing 51 Columbia Hotel LLC and CJP Columbia Properties, Inc.
The existing PD, previously adopted in May 2013, allowed an increased east side setback of 85 ft. and a slight intensity bonus (for the proposed phase 2 medical office building). With replacement of the never constructed medical office building with a 2nd similar sized hotel, the intensity bonus is no longer needed but the new hotel will still need north side setback relief similar to the existing Hampton Inn hotel to the south. The PD amendment will replace the existing development plan with a new one featuring the proposed 2nd hotel. Two key elements of the PD amendment include a third curbcut onto Columbia St. (two (2) curbcuts were provided with the existing Hampton Inn & Suites site to the east) and shifting of the future trail access to Lake of the Woods further to the west, to be developed when the property to the west is redeveloped. The applicant also provided an updated site plan following the August MPB meeting, showing the possible installation of hotel parking lot gates, to eliminate transient parking on the hotel properties. The proposed gate placement complies with Code.
The Municipal Planning Board recommended approval of the PD amendment on August 15, 2017, with the City Council approving those MPB minutes on September 25, 2017 (under Consent Agenda).