The Historic Resources Commission voted last night to approve two eight-story buildings at the northwest corner of Park and Spruce streets near the North Market. A 163-room AC Hotel is planned for Park Street, while the other building would sit behind the hotel on Spruce and accommodate 234 cars in a four-level garage as well as 80,000 square feet of office space.
The overall design has been changed significantly since the project was first proposed in September of last year. The commission at that time reacted favorably to the idea of putting a hotel, office and parking on the site, but encouraged the developer to find a way to incorporate existing historic buildings into the plan.
After multiple follow-up meetings and a site visit with commissioners, the developer (Continental Real Estate) appears to have done that, preserving significant portion of the two- and three-story buildings fronting Park Street.
Christopher Meyers, Principal of project architect Meyers and Associates, said that the goal is to start construction in the spring of 2017, but there are still several more hurdles for the development to clear.
Last night’s approval from the Historic Resources Commission was conditional on several design modifications requested by the commission, according to the city’s Planning Administrator Kevin Wheeler, so the project will have to return to that board in the future.
It will also need to go before the Downtown Commission, which Meyers said will likely happen sometime this summer.
Renderings via Meyers+Associates Architects.
