Sierra Suites plans are revised after hearings
Despite controversy over the design, a Midwest developer is making strides toward winning over local opinion and furthering the goal of giving Providence its first extended-stay hotel.
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The 11-story, 161-room hotel would have a Washington Street address but stretch out all the way to Fountain Street. Part of the site is now a parking lot; in addition, the developer would tear down a former McDonald’s restaurant and a building that currently houses the Cuban Revolution and New Japan restaurants.
Denny Meikleham, senior vice president of development and partner at Kansas-based LodgeWorks, said the company decided to build a Sierra Suites Hotel in Providence because there is currently nothing of its kind in the city.
“I think we’re adding a product to the market that’s not there now,” Meikleham said. The Sierra Suites would feature rooms with a kitchen and living room that is separate from the bedroom. Currently, the only hotels of this type are near T.F. Green Airport in Warwick.
“The airport is a separate lodging market,” Meikleham said. “If you’re down for two or three days, why would you want to be at the airport?”
Although Sierra Suites is described as an extended-stay hotel because of its ability to attract travelers who want something more than just a bedroom, there is no minimum-stay requirement. “We’re able to cater to people staying one night or several weeks,” Meikleham said. The prices, he added, would be similar as at other four-star hotels in Providence.
Meikleham said the vitality of downtown Providence was a great draw for the company.
“It’s a great location for a hotel,” he said. “Providence has colleges, business, restaurants and a fantastic nightlife.”
But Meikleham’s excitement wasn’t immediately contagious. When the city’s Downtown District Design Review Committee first looked at the project in January, members expressed concern about the design, including the height of the building (105 feet), the lack of an entrance on Fountain Street, the limited number of windows, and the possible detriment to pedestrian traffic because of the absence of “ground-floor activity.”
The hotel is to be built on top of a proposed three-story parking garage to be erected by Civic Center Parking Associates, which already owns a parking garage next door.
The Providence Preservation Society has also expressed doubts about the project. At the January meeting, Executive Director Jack Gold said he opposed the development because it required the demolition of the building that houses Cuban Revolution and New Japan, which the National Register lists as contributing to downtown’s historic character.
“There was strong opposition because of the incompatibility of the design with the historic streetscape of Washington Street,” said Mark Van Noppen, president of the Preservation Society. “We all know it will contribute economically. The question is will it contribute visually?”
Meikleham said he understands the trepidation and is trying to work with the design committee.
“We came in with a design in January without meeting with the board, and hindsight is 20/20,” he said. “We should’ve worked with the board. Their response was negative, and you can try to be argumentative, or you can work with them.”
According to those watching the project, LodgeWorks has taken the latter tack.
Van Noppen commended LodgeWorks for not being a “bullying developer” and instead trying to understand the character of the city by hiring a local architect.
“They’ve made huge progress and have made significant efforts to understand and respond to the local context and local architecture,” Van Noppen said.
While the committee also praised the developer for incorporating many of its suggestions from the January meeting and a Feb. 13 work session, it still hasn’t approved a revised design. Committee members want several more changes, including more windows and the use of different materials for the garage.
David Barricelli, a lawyer for LodgeWorks, said those changes were taken into consideration when the most recent draft was made. “We were trying to design a project that meets with their approval,” he said. “We integrated all of their suggestions into the project.”
But another local developer said that, although it is important to be sensitive to the area and conform to the local context, the design committee can go too far.
“It’s important for it to be cosmetically appealing to the community,” said Joseph Paolino Jr., a major landlord in the city, developer and former mayor. “I think the review board just thinks they’re the developer and oversteps their bounds.”
Paolino said because this development will have such a beneficial impact the committee should make more of an effort to work with LodgeWorks.
“The reason that the convention center hasn’t been as successful as we planned is because there haven’t been hotel developments,” he said. “We as a city should do all we can to make that hotel development a reality. Preservation is important, but at the same time we need progress.”
LodgeWorks was hoping to get approval of its plans at the committee’s March 22 meeting, but there was no quorum, so the matter was continued until April 3. If the committee gives its OK, and the City Council approves it as well, Meikleham said, construction would likely begin in the fall.
