VIDEO: College Hill Residents Critical of Proposed Hotel—“It Looks Cheap and Inexpensive”
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
A meeting of the College Hill Neighborhood Association on Monday night saw community members question the placement and design of a proposed six-story hotel on the corner of Angell and Brook Streets in Providence.
As GoLocal was first to report, the proposal was introduced by Smart Hotels LLC, a Shaker Heights, Ohio company, to build a 6 story hotel with 130 rooms.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOn Monday, Ed Small, the President of Smart Hotels, was joined by lawyer Rob Stolzman, and architect Eric Zuena to present the proposal to the overflow crowd at the Lippit House.
"We’ve asked to get community feedback — we’ve asked for a zoning change and master plan approval with the city plan commission," said Stolzman. "We’ve met with many of the neighbors — not all. This is one of our first community meetings.
Small told attendees he wanted to hear community feedback -- which at times got pointed.
"The fact that you’re all here tonight means you all care — we look forward to hearing [from you]. Everything that we do is oriented to the community as well," said Small, who said the feedback -- and involvement of Stolzman and Zuena was to help Smart Hotels "understand what is truly local, truly authentic."
Small stressed that the rendering of the hotel was "just a concept" that was the "general shape, and likely to evolve."
Community Feedback
"It looks very cheap, inexpensive. It doesn’t have any of the architectural interests Wheeler [School] has. It looks like it could be in a strip mall in Ohio," said one attendee, during the feedback portion of the meeting.
"I have the narrow feeling is what makes our neighborhood so 'special' is the very houses you’re looking to tear down," said another attendee to Small.
Brian Bishop, the son of Ed Bishop -- who owns the three properties slated to be torn down -- warned the crowd that if the hotel proposal does not move forward, that there will likely be other development.
"Plan B for us is not the status quo. The option is not hotel or status quo — there’s either going to be a sale or change of use," said Bishop. "The alternative is not maintaining the status quo. The status quo won’t support [the current properties.]"
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