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Developers propose 48-room "Inn at Spy Hill" with valet, off-site parking agreements; board adopts SEQRA negative declaration
Summary
Applicant seeks site plan and special-use approval to convert two existing buildings into a 48-room hotel with an accessory restaurant at 1064 Walcott Avenue; plans include 39 on-site spaces, valet to add capacity up to 49 cars and an in-principle 14-space agreement with a funeral home, with shuttle options for rare peak conflicts. The board adopted a SEQRA negative declaration and approved an amended LWRP consistency statement.
The planning board continued the public hearing on an adaptive-reuse hotel proposed at 1064 Walcott Avenue, to be called the Inn at Spy Hill. Taylor Palmer (Speaker 12), attorney for the applicant, said the project would reuse two existing buildings to create a 48-room hotel with an accessory restaurant and associated amenity spaces, and would provide a mix of on-site and off-site parking with a valet system.
"The applicant proposes to adaptively reuse the property for, a hotel to be known as the, Inn at Spy Hill," Palmer said, summarizing the Jan. 28 supplemental submission that updated landscaping, stormwater, lighting and clarified mechanical screening. The site plan shows 39 on-site spaces (the city code—s minimum is 28 and maximum 78 for the site). With valet operations and an in-principle agreement with a nearby funeral home for up to 14 additional spaces, the applicant said it can meet peak demands; the team also said it is exploring shuttle service to municipal lots as a backup.
Preservation consultants confirmed the project was submitted to State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and accepted into CRIS; SHPO recommended simplifying new construction details and a construction-protection plan for nearby historic resources. Board staff and consultants asked the applicant to annotate elevations to show which historic features will be altered or retained, provide final lighting and tree-removal notes (applicant said many removals are Norway maples), and finalize off-site parking agreements.
After deliberations and hearing public comments on parking and screening, the board adopted a SEQRA negative declaration for the project, finding the materials presented did not indicate a significant adverse environmental impact. The board also amended and approved an LWRP consistency statement to avoid characterizing exterior changes as "minimal" where the record showed more substantial alterations might occur. Further site-plan refinements and required variance hearings (for rear-yard setback) remain on the schedule.
