On the heels of the city council’s recent approval of a zoning ordinance that allows a minor step forward in the Edgewater Hotel review process, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is continuing to solicit support for the project.

In a blog post Wednesday, Cieslewicz assured that despite numerous delays and changes in plans, the project is moving forward. He also called for a reform of the city’s arduous review process.

Addressing concerns of Edgewater opponents, hotel developer Hammes Co. recently changed the placement of the building, moving it further away from Wisconsin Avenue. This concession, along with the change in zoning ordinance, Cieslewicz’s spokesperson Rachel Strauch-Nelson said, has won new supporters of the project.

“There is a group of opponents that, to some degree, is shrinking,” Strauch-Nelson said. “The developer has made a number of concessions, including some of the new plans [Bob Dunn, Hammes Co. president] has brought to the Urban Design Commission. So I think that there is a good level of support for the project.”

Among the most significant advantages of the project, Strauch-Nelson said, is the creation of hundreds of jobs during construction amid a recession, the addition of a new tax base while the city’s current tax base is shrinking and the message it would send to potential investors.

Despite the potential benefits, however, Edgewater opponents continue to voice concerns over the project.

Preservation of the aesthetics of the Mansion Hill District and compliance with the historic district’s zoning codes, are the most prominent issues for Edgewater opponents, Mansion Hill Steering Committee member Fred Mohs said.

“New construction must be visually compatible with the surrounding buildings in the historic district,” Mohs said. “This building is bigger in volume than all of the surrounding, visually-related buildings put together.”

Likewise, Mohs said the project will have serious ramifications for the Langdon Street neighborhood. If developers construct Edgewater, Mohs said it would set a precedent of building “high-rises” throughout the district.

Furthermore, Mohs said Langdon Street residents are not in favor of the project and contended their representatives are not responding accordingly.

“I know from my conversations with some of the leaders of fraternities, sororities and co-ops that they don’t agree with the approach of their elected officials,” Mohs said. “They are interested in preserving Langdon Street. The question is why don’t these student alders see the danger here?”

Concerns have pushed the final council vote back to mid-April. Until then, the project must undergo an extensive approval process by various committees.

Currently, the project will require 13 approvals before returning to the council.

Despite the continued opposition to the project and forthcoming review process, Strauch-Nelson said the mayor is optimistic about the project.

“I think there is a good level of support both on the council and in the community at large, so we hope that it can get back to the council soon for that final vote on the project as a whole,” Strauch-Nelson said.