PROVIDENCE – Two sets of city residents have filed an appeal challenging the City Plan Commission review of the Smart Hotel project, stating the commission overstepped its authority in granting preliminary approval for the College Hill boutique hotel.
The Zoning Board of Review on Aug. 20 will hold a special meeting to consider the two appeals.
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The project would place a five-story, 118-room hotel on Angell Street, near the Brown University campus. The project would involve the demolition of three multifamily structures.
In its approval, the City Plan Commission on June 30 authorized the design and the scale of the building, which is sought by the Smart Princeton Hotel Group LLC. A zoning change for the hotel still has to be approved by the City Council.
The administrative appeals were filed within days of the commission’s approval of the project. They were filed by Walter Bronhard, owner of Walter Bronhard Realty, and by Christopher Tompkins and three other people who live on either Angell or Hope streets.
In his July 14 appeal, Bronhard says the commission had previously rejected the hotel in November 2019 and is prohibited from reconsidering it. He also said the relief granted to the hotel was improper. The commission is allowing an extra floor and less parking than what is typically allowed for a hotel in a commercial zone.
Tompkins filed his appeal on July 20. The document states the commission did not make required findings to support granting the height or parking adjustments. In addition, the appeal states the proposed hotel would not be consistent with the city’s master plan.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at MacDonald@PBN.com.
