Zoning Board Hears Testimony On Proposed 32-Room Hotel In Doylestown

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA ? A proposal to tear down the former borough hall and build a 32- room hotel drew a large crowd of neighbors to the December meeting of the Doylestown Borough Zoning Hearing Board.

Property owner Larry Thompson is seeking dimensional variances for parking requirements and building height from the zoning board for his planned hotel, restaurant and event space at 57 West Court Street.

Under the parking requirements, the project is required to provide 72 parking spaces. The plan proposes 61, requiring a variance for 11 parking spaces. To entice the zoning board to approve the relief, the plan proposes providing the 11 additional parking spaces off site.

On the building height, the project proposes a four story hotel at a height of 45 feet where the zoning ordinance limits the height to 35 feet and three stories.

During testimony before the board, Thompson said when he purchased the property his intent was to rent the existing building.

"We had a bank look at it, a daycare operation and a veterinary hospital. It just kept coming back to the same thing. The first level (of the building) is pretty much useless," he said. "The ceiling height is about seven foot. There are no sprinklers or HVAC. You would struggle to get it habitable."

Thompson, who also owns the McCaffrey's building, the Chipotle Grill property and Lenape Hall in the heart of Doylestown Borough, said his focus quickly turned to the redevelopment of the site.

"Initially I wanted to do apartments, but that was not a permitted use (in the zoning district)," he said. "The hotel idea came about after speaking to a lot of retailers in town and knowing people in the hospitality business. We have 17 rooms at the Doylestown Inn. I think the town has grown since then and so there is a demand for that hotel space.

A rendering showing the front of the proposed hotel at 57 West Court Street.

"Several friends of mine have had weddings and they can't accommodate more than 40 people at the Doylestown Inn and are being forced to stay" out of town, continued Thompson. "You lose that synergy when half the party's there and half the party's in the borough, which is where everyone wants to be."

That got Thompson thinking about the need for more hotel and event space in the borough.

"After digging into it a little more, it seems like there would be a need for that," he said.

Thompson said in speaking with Visit Bucks County, he learned that the tourism board finds it next to impossible to push Doylestown as an event venue due to the lack of hotel rooms.

"We have everything else - the walkability, the shops, the restaurants, the train. But we don't have the hotel rooms," he said. "So they were all excited to hear that something was possible because it's difficult to penetrate the Borough of Doylestown with a decent size hotel that would be a viable project."

The proposed hotel would include a mix of one and two bedroom traditional hotel rooms. It would also house a 70-seat upscale sit-down restaurant use, an event venue that would accommodate up to 130 people and an outdoor rooftop terrace where guests can sit outside and "get some fresh air." Live music or bands would not be permitted on the roof, said Thompson.

Thompson said initially he had planned a 40-room hotel, but after talking with the borough and privately to local residents decided to decrease the number of rooms to lessen the size and impact of the proposed building on the neighborhood.

"The ideal minimum for a hotel to be a worthwhile venture they recommend 40 rooms. But given this location, 30ish would be a viable project. But you need an event space to support the hotel," said Thompson.

With regard to parking, Thompson told the zoning board that during the land development process he would be open to discussing the use of "lifts," a type of elevator that lifts vehicles above pavement level parking effectively doubling the available parking spaces.

Thompson said he'd also be willing to work with the borough on a valet service to meet the parking needs of the new hotel.

The proposed hotel would take access solely from Hamilton Avenue. The current Harvey Avenue entrance and exit would be eliminated.

Following Thompson's testimony, residents peppered the owner with questions over traffic flow, parking, noise, building height, and loading and unloading of hotel guests.

At the start of the hearing, the zoning board granted "party status" to seven property owners living within a certain distance of the project site. "Party status" means they are allowed to cross examine witnesses and appeal any decision made by the zoning board.

Many of those who spoke were residents of Harvey Avenue, which already bears the brunt of local downtown traffic. Several days earlier, during an appearance before the Doylestown Borough Council, a handful of neighbors objected to the zoning relief arguing that what's proposed is too much for the site.

In response to the concerns of residents, the borough council directed its solicitor to attend the hearing and to ensure that residents' concerns were heard and taken into account.

During the December hearing, Jefferson Street resident Richard Brown asked if Thompson had considered redeveloping the site using the existing zoning.

"We did," said Thompson. "It wasn't wide enough to accommodate the hallways, the stairwells and the constraints of the hotel."

After three hours of hearing initial testimony and taking questions from residents, the zoning board continued the hearing to Wednesday, Jan. 10 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Doylestown Borough Hall.

The Jan. 10 hearing will include testimony from the applicant's professionals as they continue to make their case for zoning relief from building height and parking requirements. Public comment on the appeal will take place at the conclusion of the hearing.