In response to the approval of the Edgewater Hotel redevelopment proposal last month by the city’s Plan Commission, a group of concerned residents from the city’s Mansion Hill District have submitted an appeal to the commission’s decision.

The March 23 meeting where the initial decision was made went late into the night and into the next morning. Hours of public comment and lengthy discussion by commissioners led to the project’s approval sometime before 2 a.m.

“The elephant in the room is the mass, height and setback of the tower,” Mansion Hill Steering Committee member Fred Mohs said. “But there are other very important issues that need to be developed….”

Many of the issues addressed in the appeal have been recurring talking points throughout the project’s progression through city commissions and agencies.

The committee’s discussion at last month’s meeting, Mohs said, though touching on many of the points of concern voiced previously by Edgewater critics, was not nearly as thorough as many had hoped.

He referenced the Hilldale Target project being an example of a successful project, with developers reacting to public concerns and providing what he portrayed as adequate neighborhood input. The Edgewater project, he added, had not done nearly enough to welcome the opinion of nearby residents.

“At Target, the neighbors didn’t even show up because the issues had been worked out,” Mohs said. “We are exactly the opposite; we keep uncovering issues even as people show up to give input.”

The appeal, which is currently under review by the city attorney’s office, is expected to be taken up by City Council in the coming weeks if approved. Currently, the project is slated to go before the council for final approval on many facets of the project April 20.

City of Madison Planning Division Director Brad Murphy said the attorney’s office is certifying the signatures on the appeal to ensure the correct representation of property owners. Additionally, 20 percent of area residents are required to be notified of the appeal submittal.

“We believe at this time that it does meet the conditions required for an appeal,” Murphy added.

If the appeal process is successful, the decision by City Council will require a three-quarters supermajority in order for the project to move on.

The Edgewater project had previously required a supermajority vote when developer Hammes Co. appealed the decision of the Landmarks Commission to not grant it a certificate of appropriateness in fitting with the district’s aesthetics and height limitations.

Ultimately, that appeal failed to secure the requisite votes to overturn the decision and the project’s plans were once more revised in hopes of winning City Council’s approval.

Murphy said the current appeal could alternatively cause the project to once again go before the Plan Commission.