This letter is being posted in anticipation of the Feb. 13 meeting about the proposed hotel project at 40th and Pine Sts. It is being submitted on behalf of Barry Grossbach, the Spruce Hill Zoning Committee chairman.
Questions have been raised about what meetings have taken place before the Spruce Hill Zoning Committee regarding the proposed hotel project at 40th and Pine Streets. Here are the facts: Tom Lussenhop asked to speak with the committee about a concept for a proposed project on the abandoned nursing home site. He was added to our meeting agenda on August 1, 2007, and neighbors immediately adjacent to the site were informed and invited to attend. This was simply a preliminary discussion to consider the viability of a hotel project at that location. A recent discovery had revealed that the mansion on the site was listed on the local historic register, and the committee encouraged the developer to find a way to incorporate the original portion of the mansion into any plans. Tom Lussenhop and his architect asked to appear before the committee in September to share some conceptual drawings. Our September 26th meeting placed them last on a crowded agenda. Based on that meeting, the committee gave some limited feedback (concern about the height and about parking), but decided to suspend any further consideration of the project pending the outcome of discussions before the Historical Commission. That was the last time that the zoning committee of Spruce Hill discussed this project. I asked that the hotel proposal be put on the agenda for the annual meeting in November in order to have a broader forum for information and discussion. A mailing about the meeting went to all Spruce Hill members, but without any attached agenda. The omission was Spruce Hill's, not the developers. Additionally, the architect for the project, Sam Olshen, assumed when he appeared twice before the zoning committee that the meetings were open and public. They were open and public, but they were not advertised in public print. The bottom line-no one was operating deceptively or in bad faith. Any mistakes or omissions were made unintentionally. Members of the Spruce Hill Zoning Committee last saw the hotel proposal at the November annual meeting (those who were able to attend), and have not discussed the project at any subsequent zoning meetings. The meeting on Feb.13th will enable all interested parties to see the current state of the proposal and to ask questions and offer comments for the committee's consideration. This, for the zoning committee, is an interim step in the process. Some project opponents have secured legal counsel and are in discussions with attorneys for the applicants, and the committee will reserve any judgment until we see what, if any, points of agreement are reached. In the meantime we will continue to take the pulse of the immediate neighbors and the surrounding communities as the discussions move forward. So, here is where we are: The Spruce Hill Zoning Committee will continue to seek feedback on this project. We will do our best to address concerns on all sides. We will not preempt ongoing discussions between the parties, but will await the outcome to see what, if anything the parties can resolve. Whatever decision we as a zoning committee ultimately reach will be brought to the full board of Spruce Hill for ratification. Whatever the board decides will then become the official position of Spruce Hill for presentation to the city's Zoning Board of Adjustment. I ask that everyone now consider where we are, for that is more important at the moment then how we got here. The important point is what we do with what we have learned. A healthy discussion and debate can enrich a community as long as it is civil in tone and respectful of differences of opinion. I'm confident that our community is up to the task. Barry Grossbach, Chair Spruce Hill Zoning Committee
