Historic-design commission approves elevated dining deck at Crockett Street with neighborhood mitigation stipulation

The Historic and Design Review Commission on Aug. 6 approved a certificate of appropriateness for an elevated dining deck at 235 East Commerce (also addressed as 214 Crockett) on the River Walk, requiring the applicant to work with the adjacent Mokara Hotel & Spa to explore mitigation measures during the construction document/design development (CD/DD to CD) phase.

The decision follows public testimony from hotel operators and attorneys who said the proposed platform would obstruct historic views, increase noise and fire risk, and harm guests at nearby hotels. Rusty Wallace, managing director at Omni La Mansion del Rio and the Mokara Hotel & Spa, told commissioners the deck "would block views of both buildings from La Mansion, the street, and the Riverwalk itself" and warned a 60-person dining deck would "significantly degrade the views and violate the peaceful atmosphere our guests have come to expect." Mickey Steinberg, hotel manager at Mokara Hotel & Spa, said the hotel is "a symbol of authenticity"…