A hotel developer was granted extra height for a future project near River Street, a petition filed after hotelier Richard Kessler received a controversial height map amendment earlier this summer.
The Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday unanimously approved Rockbridge Capital’s request for a one-story variance from the city’s height map for a proposed hotel at 412 Williamson St. The property is between Williamson and west River streets, behind the decommissioned power plant Kessler plans to develop.
Rockbridge’s initial hotel plans got the OK in November 2012, with a height of five stories or 78 feet above River Street — before Kessler announced plans for his $200 million hotel complex on the river.
Kessler sought to increase height limits at his property to build to six and four stories, bypassing the Historic Review Board and going to City Council, who approved a text amendment on May 15. He also gained approval for a map amendment a month later following a now-settled lawsuit from neighboring building owners.
Kessler’s height map petition set off a public debate over its implications. Critics argued that such a change would render the existing height map useless and lead to a frenzy of developers seeking taller buildings downtown.
Following City Council’s decision, Rockbridge Capital filed a petition with the Historic Review Board in July asking, among other things, for a recommendation to the zoning board for an additional story to accommodate a rooftop restaurant and bar.
At the time, project architect Patrick Shay said Rockbridge had incurred significant hardship due to the Kessler property’s increased heights.
The historic board recommended denial to the zoning board for the additional story. However, the city’s planning staff suggested approval, saying the conditions prompting the request were outside the petitioner’s control and would restore a lost asset to the property, notably the views of the river.
The proposed rooftop bar and restaurant would cover about 30 percent of the hotel’s roof, requiring the variance.
One person spoke against the change during public comment, according to zoning board secretary Jack Butler. He said some board members also expressed their concerns about the piecemeal nature of such height requests but ultimately voted on approval.
