Size matters: Doylestown residents continue pushback over scale of proposed hotel project
When Kevin King imagines what it could be like having a four-story hotel as his neighbor, he thinks about the loss of privacy he fears he and his wife would feel inside their home.
“It’s just ridiculously close and intrusive in my mind,” he said during a Doylestown Borough zoning hearing for a proposed boutique hotel at the former site of borough hall and the Central Bucks Regional police station — a property which was purchased in 2021 for $2.3 million by borough resident and developer Larry Thomson.
Plans submitted by ALOK Investments, LLC, outline a hotel that includes 32 guest rooms, a restaurant and an event space inside a 41,385-square-foot, four-story building with a parking garage on its lower level.
The proposal came before the zoning hearing board for a third time Feb. 15, where dozens of residents spoke, some in support of a new hotel and many others with mixed feelings about the size and scope of the overall project.
King was among several residents living on Hamilton Street and Harvey Avenue who worried the proposed building’s planned rooftop deck and third- and fourth-floor balconies would provide hotel guests with a bird’s eye view into their backyards and windows.
“This will change the essential nature of this quaint community of homes,” said Thomas Beahm, who lives on Hamilton Street. “This is an ill-conceived, ill-planned project that will not fit in with this neighborhood.”
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Another neighbor, Tim Edbrooke, presented drone footage and photos he said were taken from an average person’s sightline from the balconies and rooftop deck, using measurements based on the applicant’s submitted sketch plans.
Erika Miller, an associate with Obermeyer who was at the hearing on behalf of ALOK, objected to the drone footage and photos being entered into the record, questioning their authenticity. The board, though, accepted footage and told Miller her argument would be given the weight it deserves.
In addition to privacy, issues around height, parking, traffic, noise and public safety came up several times throughout the hearing. And while many were not opposed to the idea of a hotel, they said their concerns over these problems were being ignored.
"It's a behemoth for that lot," said Karen Coigne, a Hamilton Street resident. "I'd like to see something more to scale."
A few also spoke in support of the project, such as David Opperman, who owns two borough businesses.
“I’m actually for a hotel in town,” he said, while pointing out the parking problem and a need for solutions. He later added, “I’d like to see some more compromise here, so everyone could walk away here with something they want.”
Lisa Pavlov, a resident on nearby Wood Street, spoke mainly in support of the project, saying a boutique hotel would impact the town in a positive way.
“We need to have a hotel and have people stay there and shop in our town,” she said. “There are things to work out, and we can work it out if we try.”
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How big is the Doylestown hotel?
The project would need a variance for its size — 45 feet and four stories in height, 10 feet and a floor higher than allowed by code.
Another variance would allow the hotel 61 on-site parking spaces between the lot and garage. Code requires 72. Thomson said 20 more spots would be available after business hours at the Franklin Building, which he owns.
Other variances address existing nonconforming issues around setbacks and buffers.
The board did not make a decision, instead continuing the issue until April 18. Board counsel, Christen Pionzio said that allows time for the applicant or any one with party status to provide the board with written arguments, findings, letters and any other supporting documents or facts.
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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Doylestown residents take issue with size of proposed boutique hotel
