Two recent developments regarding the approval of the Edgewater Hotel redevelopment occurred Thursday: the denial of the Mansion Hill residents’ appeal and the postponement of the Landmarks Commission’s decision.
A memo by Assistant City Attorney Katherine Noonan said the appeal filed by Mansion Hill residents concerning the Plan Commission’s approval of the hotel redevelopment failed to fulfill the requirements for a formal appeal of the Plan Commission’s approval of the project’s plans.
The appeal requires at least 20 percent of area residents be notified and sign the petition to appeal.
“Thirty-one property owners were notified, and six of those notified signed the appeal,” Noonan said in the memo. “Two signatures were disqualified because the properties were not within the notification area.”
Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District 2, who represents the area in which the development is set to take place, said there is a 200-foot limit surrounding the property, and anyone outside that radius is not considered to be a valid participant in the appeal process.
Additionally, the window in which residents may appeal a decision is limited.
“There is a time limit on when someone can appeal the process — 10 days — and they are now past that point, and they cannot appeal this specific decision anymore,” Maniaci said.
The Plan Commission’s approval of the project took place March 23, after hours of public comment. The final decision to approve came shortly before 2 a.m.
Mansion Hill Steering Committee member Fred Mohs said he was disappointed in the outcome of the appeal process but that this setback was by no means the final decision.
“At any rate, we think the city will do the right thing, and if they don’t, we will continue to pursue that,” Mohs said.
In an unrelated development, city Planning Division Director Brad Murphy said in an email to the City Council the scheduled April 14 Landmarks Commission meeting has been cancelled at the request of Edgewater developer Hammes Co. As a result of this delay, it will not be taken up by City Council until May at the earliest.
Murphy added an additional meeting could be scheduled as early as April 26, pending information and a request by the developer.
Representatives from Hammes Co. were unavailable for comment as of press time.
