Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Collegiate Condotel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves downtown condotel waiver and conditional use amid parking concerns
Summary
The commission approved a waiver reducing the ground-floor height requirement and granted conditional-use approval for an 11‑unit condotel at 211 S. Gay Street, while commissioners and neighbors pressed the applicant about an on-site parking shortfall and off‑site leases.
The Auburn Planning Commission voted to approve a height waiver (from 18 to 15 feet) and to grant conditional-use approval for the Collegiate Condotel at 211 South Gay Street (KCU‑2026‑024), a proposal to convert a single‑family lot into an 11‑unit condotel operated through the adjacent Collegiate Hotel.
Staff flagged a parking shortfall in the submitted site plan (23 required spaces for the condotel vs 20 shown on site, with three proposed via off‑site lease). DDRC supported the 15‑foot ground‑story waiver for the condotel use, but staff recommended conditions including: no full‑time residency, guest-room access limited to interior corridors/lobby, a functional frontage entrance from Gay Street, and written documentation for any off‑site parking agreements.
Applicant Lee Tharp and representatives from the Collegiate Hotel described existing and proposed off‑site parking arrangements (including an existing agreement with a nearby church and discussions with other property owners) and said the condotel units would be managed through the hotel’s rental program rather than being offered as individual VRBO units. The hotel owners emphasized downtown parking constraints and said they’ve successfully managed reduced parking ratios for guests in the past.
Commissioners discussed game‑day demand, the potential for multi‑vehicle guest groups in three‑bedroom units, and the importance of codifying restrictions (no long‑term residency, bylaw language and management requirements) into the condotel governance. The commission approved the waiver and conditional use; minutes reflect unanimous voice votes for both motions.
Representative quote: The applicant said the condotel units “will be operated as an extension of the Collegiate Hotel” and “will not be listed on VRBO or otherwise operated independently,” a point staff said should be formalized in governing documents.
What to watch: The city will require written off‑site parking agreements, bylaw language preventing full‑time residency, and DRT review to resolve the final parking and circulation plan before building permits are issued.
