by Levi Benjamin •
January 30, 2017 •
Development, Hotel & Hospitality •
Comments (0) •
4345
After receiving approval from the City Planning Commission in December, the developer of a proposed five-story, 44-room hotel on St. Bernard Avenue won unanimous approval last week from the City Council.
Developer Calvin Arnold Lain of Devalepay Inc. proposed building a 44-room, 34,000-square-foot hotel with a rooftop deck. The project will also feature 1,550 square feet of retail space, a street-level patio and eight off-street parking spaces at 1201-1221 St. Bernard Ave., one block away from the new St. Claude Avenue streetcar line.
The development has a height of 60-feet. According to the CZO, commercial development with more than 10,000 square feet require a conditional-use from the city.
Devalepay requested four waivers: a height waiver to allow for a building height of 60 feet (current zoning in the district allows for a maximum height of 50 feet0; a waiver for a floor area ratio (FAR) of 3.32 (max is 2.2. FAR); a waiver for an open-space requirement; a parking waiver to allow eight off-street spots.
The City Council voted 7-0 to approve the conditional-use permit. The site is currently a car wash, billboard and old warehouse.
The developer purchased the property in 2015 for $179,000. The site is a former car wash of 8,300 square feet.
