I respectfully disagree. "How we got here" is indeed important. If
mistakes were made regarding advertising previous meetings then those
meetings should be held again and advertised correctly. Ignoring the
fact that mistakes were made doesn't make it right. This is exactly
the type of behavior that makes residents distrust their community
associations.
Frank
On Feb 13, 2008, at 03:30 PM, Dan Morton wrote:
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
26thmeeting 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
