HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-06-20 Public Comment - A. Holloran - Armory Appeal 4.5.20 Re: Appeal from 5 West Residential HOA To Whom it May Concern: My name is Andy Holloran and I am a resident of 5 West, a mixed use project located directly across Mendenhall St of the Etha Hotel. I am writing to express my support of the appeal submitted by the 5 West Residential HOA. We cannot emphasize enough the negative impact the proposed changes to the Armory Hotel will have for the residents of 5 West. While changes during construction are inevitable, there is a clear process by which the city and developers follow. It is clear and evident these processes, rules, and law were not followed for the Armory Hotel project, to the detriment of the public and specifically the residents of 5 West. While we remain dismayed that so many changes have been implemented without public notice and without City Planning Approval, we CAN accept many requested modifications, including: the addition of a ninth floor, the installation of inexpensive stimulated divided light windows on the historic Armory building, the addition of 19 hotel rooms, change in operation of the “ballroom”, and numerous other interior changes. However, a handful of requested changes are too much to accept and will cause significant long term damage to the residents of 5 West, including: The removal of the pool, garden and terrace on the rooftop of the historic Armory building and replacing it with a mechanical equipment farm; the installation of exterior lighting that does not meet Code and; the significant departure of the exterior facade from its original design. Like the other 42 residents of 5 West, I relied on the original design of the Etha before making a purchase decision. The changes identified in this letter and articulated in the City Staff Report were all made WITHOUT public notice or input! In fact, the Armory developer is still using the original rendering as approved in 2014 in its Site Plan Modification Application AND their Appeal, which demonstrates the willingness of the Armory team to continue to mislead the public. We implore the city commissioners to support our appeal and require the Armory Hotel to implement three modifications, namely; (1) remove the mechanical equipment currently located on the rooftop of the historic Armory building and relocate them to the ninth level of the Tower as originally proposed and approved, (2) replace the exterior lighting that does not meet Code with Code compliant lighting and (3) uphold the Community Development Director’s decision to require the Armory to design and install exterior material to bring the percentage of exposed EIFS to 25% of the exterior façade. (By the way, the Armory’s appeal to this decision is completely void of facts. The facts are; metal paneling can easily be designed and installed over existing EIFS. EIFS, by design, includes water and vapor barrier, and is a great underlayment for a material such as metal paneling, to be placed over it. Safety, long term warranty and installation can easily be
implemented in this application. One only needs to look at the installation of the mechanical equipment and screen on the historic Armory rooftop to see an example of water proofing and penetration of the exterior in a safe, efficient application) Some have said the appeal by 5 West Residential HOA is the work of a “competing developer”. This could not be further than the truth. The residents of 5 West are the aggrieved party and depending on your decision may have to live with these wreckless actions for years to come. As the leader of HomeBase Partners, we have always supported the Etha project. In my numerous meetings with the Armory developer, we have always expressed our support with the idea “a rising tide lifts all boats”. We at HomeBase remain supportive of the Armory project, as it was originally presented and approved in 2014. Sincerely, Andy Holloran Unit 410 5 West Mendenhall