Historic board allows Leslie Hotel rooftop policy change; alcohol service and limited holiday hours to be decided by planning board

The Historic Preservation Board on Sept. 16 approved modifications to a long‑standing certificate of appropriateness for the Leslie Hotel at 1244 Ocean Drive, clearing a path for the Planning Board to review a conditional use permit that would allow alcohol service to hotel guests on the hotel’s rooftop terrace and limited, small special events.

The roof terrace and pool were originally approved in an earlier HPB order that included operational restrictions, including a prohibition against serving alcohol to guests on the rooftop and a ban on entertainment without additional approvals. The applicant asked the HPB to remove some of those restrictions so the Planning Board — which has regulatory jurisdiction over rooftop alcohol within 200 feet of residential buildings — can consider a conditional use permit and establish the operational rules.

"We have a beautiful roof terrace with a pool, yet my guests cannot have a beer," said hotel owner representative Juan Pablo Donofrio. He described the hotel as a 35‑room property and said the requested change is oriented to small, private guest functions…