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Log inCouncil to vote on island condo plan tonight
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Council to vote on island condo plan tonight
by Outspoken on Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:22 am
Council to vote on island condo plan tonight
The Great Diamond hotel condominium project has stirred fervent public debate and a lawsuit.
By ELBERT AULL
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
City councilors are scheduled to vote tonight on a controversial proposal to put a hotel condominium complex on Great Diamond Island.
The vote comes a little more than a month after the plan spurred both a lawsuit and a crowded, two-hour public meeting that produced impassioned debate.
Developer David Bateman wants to build a 32-unit hotel condominium on the site of Fort McKinley in what is now Diamond Cove – the residential neighborhood Bateman spearheaded more than 20 years ago.
The city wants Bateman to rehabilitate the fort's dilapidated hospital and barracks buildings and last year gave the developer an option to buy and renovate the buildings. With hospitality management company Hart Hotels, he plans a $6.5 million facility that includes a swimming pool.
The Inn at Diamond Cove ran into opposition from Great Diamond residents and island advocacy groups. It is also the subject of a lawsuit filed just over a month ago in Cumberland County Superior Court.
The project needs council approval because it would sit in an area that does not allow so-called "hotelminiums" – a hybrid that offers condominium owners, renters and guests access to amenities typically offered by hotels. Owners would be allowed to rent out their units.
Councilors postponed a vote on the issue in a meeting Sept. 3, citing questions that arose during more than two hours of public comment.
Supporters said the project would create jobs and bring in additional property tax revenue. They said the development may be the best chance to restore the crumbling buildings that housed soldiers during World War II and have since found a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Opponents said the project would spoil island life. They said the complex would bring too much traffic and too many short-term visitors to a quiet area.
Councilor Kevin Donoghue said he plans to vote against the project because it seeks a hotel in the middle of a residential area, a move out of step with Portland's comprehensive plan.
"I question whether perverting the city's zoning power is the best way to promote historic preservation," said Donoghue, whose district includes the island.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=214246&ac=PHnws
The Great Diamond hotel condominium project has stirred fervent public debate and a lawsuit.
By ELBERT AULL
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
City councilors are scheduled to vote tonight on a controversial proposal to put a hotel condominium complex on Great Diamond Island.
The vote comes a little more than a month after the plan spurred both a lawsuit and a crowded, two-hour public meeting that produced impassioned debate.
Developer David Bateman wants to build a 32-unit hotel condominium on the site of Fort McKinley in what is now Diamond Cove – the residential neighborhood Bateman spearheaded more than 20 years ago.
The city wants Bateman to rehabilitate the fort's dilapidated hospital and barracks buildings and last year gave the developer an option to buy and renovate the buildings. With hospitality management company Hart Hotels, he plans a $6.5 million facility that includes a swimming pool.
The Inn at Diamond Cove ran into opposition from Great Diamond residents and island advocacy groups. It is also the subject of a lawsuit filed just over a month ago in Cumberland County Superior Court.
The project needs council approval because it would sit in an area that does not allow so-called "hotelminiums" – a hybrid that offers condominium owners, renters and guests access to amenities typically offered by hotels. Owners would be allowed to rent out their units.
Councilors postponed a vote on the issue in a meeting Sept. 3, citing questions that arose during more than two hours of public comment.
Supporters said the project would create jobs and bring in additional property tax revenue. They said the development may be the best chance to restore the crumbling buildings that housed soldiers during World War II and have since found a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Opponents said the project would spoil island life. They said the complex would bring too much traffic and too many short-term visitors to a quiet area.
Councilor Kevin Donoghue said he plans to vote against the project because it seeks a hotel in the middle of a residential area, a move out of step with Portland's comprehensive plan.
"I question whether perverting the city's zoning power is the best way to promote historic preservation," said Donoghue, whose district includes the island.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=214246&ac=PHnws
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
