New Hope Borough Council Tuesday, in a 4-3 vote, decided not to oppose zoning relief that Landmark Hospitality needs to renovate The Landing Restaurant & Bar, which is currently closed.
It was standing-room only at Borough Hall for the meeting where council members were to decide whether to oppose or to remain neutral in Landmark Hospitality’s request to move their renovation project of The Landing to the town’s zoning board.
The proposed renovation plans for The Landing will create a structure with 44 hotel rooms that is approximately 270 feet long on North Main Street.
The meeting began with Borough Township Manager Peter Gray reading aloud a series of public comments pre-submitted via email. The concerns were plentiful. Traffic. Massing. Over-development. Project scale. Obstruction of river views. Threats to wildlife. Removal of mature trees. Overshadowing historic structures. Noise pollution. Preference to out-of-state investors. Taxing the electrical grid. Water and sewer system impacts. The loss of New Hope’s small-town charm.
It was a lengthy list of concerns and as each was presented, those in the room were given the opportunity to demonstrate agreement with the concern by raising their hands. Each time, approximately half the room raised their hands to affirm support.
The wide-ranging comments left Frank Cretella of Landmark Hospitality with much to address during his presentation to council.
Cretella emphasized the economic benefits for local businesses and his longevity with the town, stating at one point, “We’re not coming in here and selling a bunch of homes, and then ‘goodbye.’ We operate businesses in the buildings that we build. We want to be part of the community…The last thing I want to do is to make enemies out of people that I hope are going to be our customers and friends.”
He also pointed to the opportunity that hotel rooms present to bolster neighboring businesses, especially during the weekdays, when foot traffic in town is reduced.
For those concerned about traffic and noise pollution, Cretella cited a study he contracted showing the impacts would be manageable. He also highlighted an aspect of the building design which will enable trucks to enter the facility and make their deliveries within the building’s interior garage. He suggested the design will alleviate congestion on the streets and reduce noise disturbances. When probed about the possibility for delivery timing restrictions by Councilman Dan Dougherty, Cretella expressed willingness to set specific parameters for deliveries. He also suggested that the frequency of deliveries for a hotel are fewer than the routine deliveries required to operate a restaurant.
Councilman Peter Meyer said he was “not convinced” by the traffic study and recommended that alternatives be explored to meet the objectives for stakeholders on both sides of the discussion, such as offsite parking with shuttle services.
Cretella also sought to address concerns about the aesthetics and scale of the project. He called attention to the newest design iteration, which reduced the building height from 40’ to 36’ 8” and the spire from 9’ to 4’, while also emphasizing the importance of preserving visual interest with diversity in roof heights.
Cretella admitted that the first design was “industrial-looking” and drew attention to the efforts made since the first draft to draw inspiration from the buildings already in town. Councilman Ken Maisel expressed concern about the lack of any voids to view the river across the entire length of the structure.
Throughout council’s discussion, Cretella pledged several efforts to address the presented concerns. He pledged a reduction of the number of rooms in the hotel to alleviate concerns about massing. He pledged to support the artistic nature of town with an artist-in-residence program secured by a deed ordinance. To address the potential impacts on the adjacent East Randolph Street Pocket Park, he pledged to renovate and expand the space. In response to concerns about the construction disrupting neighboring businesses, he agreed to develop a plan in response.
For some on the council, who recognized Cretella’s history of running successful businesses in town, the scale of the project in itself was enough to oppose. Councilwoman Louise Feder said, “I am not opposed to change… but it’s not a light switch... It’s not either we do enormous change or no change…To say that our only option is a three-story hotel with a pool…on our tiniest street is not the path forward that makes sense for this section of town.”
Council President Connie Gehring emphasized to meeting attendees that there are many steps remaining for this project and council’s vote does not constitute an approval of the project as presented. Council’s vote was to determine whether the project will move forward to the Zoning Board with opposition from council or if council will remain neutral. In the end, the council voted for neutrality.
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