BrentFor the many reasons expressed at the planning commission and council meetings, the proposed Downtown Residents Inn will add life and vibrance. Always a good thing. The developer’s estimate of occupancy averaging 60%; that means upwards of 80 additional people visiting our downtown streets and shops every day. Also, the developer and franchise operator have West Michigan roots and know our city culture. On balance, it seems like a win all around.
An Observation: The Fifth Third bank facade and columns to my untrained eye don’t look as beat up as many comments suggest. They haven’t been maintained, for sure. But they look to have good “bones”. Should the hotel developer carry the cost to save them, no. If possible, would it be a “neighborly” gesture if the developer went “over and above” to help a preservation group save them; yes. I hope all that happens.
A Question: I was surprised to see a block of hotel rooms along Third Ave. I would have thought it to be along the W side of the lot, not the E side. The sight line on the W is already blocked with existing buildings. Why block an open sight line on the E along Third when you don’t have to?
The current hotel footprint is poor transition from the green space of Central Park. Driving westward down Washington the first thing you see is a huge mass of wall and windows. Akin to the back side of a 5-story prison. Transitioning straight from a nice square block of green space in Central Park to a huge wall mass of brown bricks and windows is shocking; too abrupt. Putting that wing of rooms on the W side of the lot instead of the E side would transition better and not be so “in your face”.
The current hotel footprint is an unsafe blind alley for our DPS officers. The current hotel footprint on the lot is basically a cave enclosure; a trap for our DPS staff. In the planning, did we ask our fire and police depts how they can maneuver an EMS unit, a ladder truck, and a tanker truck into the bowels of a cave with three 50-ft high walls buildings surrounding them to fight the fire? Or confront the shooter? Or attend to an emergency? Our fire and police officers want more than one way in, and more than one way out. They don’t hem themselves into a blind alley. Putting the hotel wing on the W side of the lot allows that “openness” to maneuver. Putting it on the E side along Third Ave doesn’t. I hope the developer revisits this and moves the Third Ave hotel wing to the W side of the lot.
A W side lot footprint would allow more onsite parking spaces. Moving the E hotel wing to the W side also will provide more marking spaces onsite; much needed. It allows an ingress and egress off both Columbus and Third. If Third was given a “bump in” between Washington and Columbus, it would also allow for angle parking on Third, picking up 5 – 10 more parking spaces, alone.
A W side lot footprint would open up more and better sight lines. And, finally, to the hotel Tribune Loft neighbors. With the hotel wing along Third Ave, all of Central Park is cut off to the Tribune’s view. They get all that nice view back by just moving the wing to the W side of the lot, leaving the SE view across Third Ave open.
Again, a downtown hotel seems a “good” fit. Now let’s make it a “best” fit. It will be a best fit if the developer and city can revisit its footprint as noted above. Thank you. Brent Clark
