Cambria Hotel (Old HBJ Lot)

[Spartan]

It looks like a mini-storage building to me. It's certainly bland for contemporary a modern building, but like I said with the one on Pine Street, it's good to get a few of these around town to show that Spartanburg is keeping up with the Joneses.

Anyone know how parking will work? I feel like they would have to use the Dunbar Street deck. 

[westsider28]

2 hours ago, Spartan said:

It looks like a mini-storage building to me. It's certainly bland for contemporary a modern building, but like I said with the one on Pine Street, it's good to get a few of these around town to show that Spartanburg is keeping up with the Joneses.

Anyone know how parking will work? I feel like they would have to use the Dunbar Street deck. 

Like I said with 142 Social on Magnolia, I don't like the proliferation of grey buildings.  However, I don't mind the design in general and like the orange accent.  Materials will be important, and it looks like at least the first 2 floors are brick.  Not all our buildings can be legacy projects like the AC Hotel.  We'll see what the DRB says about it.

As for parking, there's a good bit of land behind the building.  I suspect it will have a 2-level deck back there.  I'm guessing it will be like the one behind the 2 East Main office buildings; that is, each level is accessed separately (no car ramp).  If you look at the slope of Trade Street on Google Streetview, it seems like it would be conducive to that setup.  I'll likely be attending the DRB meeting, so I'll try to get more details about the building/site.

[roads-scholar]

3 hours ago, westsider28 said:

Like I said with 142 Social on Magnolia, I don't like the proliferation of grey buildings.  However, I don't mind the design in general and like the orange accent.  Materials will be important, and it looks like at least the first 2 floors are brick.  Not all our buildings can be legacy projects like the AC Hotel.  We'll see what the DRB says about it.

As for parking, there's a good bit of land behind the building.  I suspect it will have a 2-level deck back there.  I'm guessing it will be like the one behind the 2 East Main office buildings; that is, each level is accessed separately (no car ramp).  If you look at the slope of Trade Street on Google Streetview, it seems like it would be conducive to that setup.  I'll likely be attending the DRB meeting, so I'll try to get more details about the building/site.

Its interesting that Google Streetview shows some sort of site work going on at this address.

I'm not an authority on design but really like that something contemporary is going up on a prominent downtown intersection.  The building may appear in the rendering to be "bland" but it will give downtown a fresh look.   

 

Can't wait to hear what the DRB says about it. 

Edited November 2, 2018 by roads-scholar

[spartanburgh]

I am happy to see more diverse architecture in Spartanburg. Looks good to me and the contrast between the MB and

the Cambria will make it seem even more diverse. I had always hoped that our next high rise would have been built on

this corner, but this is a good development. It is interesting that the Cambria brand is Choice Hotels highest brand. It

seems that our market will still not have a mid segment hotel such as a Hampton, Holiday Inn Express, or Spring Hill Suites

etc. Maybe we will have a fourth Hotel built in the near future that satisfies that segment.

[Spartan]

On 11/2/2018 at 12:45 PM, westsider28 said:

Like I said with 142 Social on Magnolia, I don't like the proliferation of grey buildings.  However, I don't mind the design in general and like the orange accent.  Materials will be important, and it looks like at least the first 2 floors are brick.  Not all our buildings can be legacy projects like the AC Hotel.  We'll see what the DRB says about it.

 

It's not a secret that I hate modern architecture, and I dislike most contemporary stuff for similar reasons. . I agree that the AC is not going to be the norm, and while I would like it if it were, I don't have that expectation for all buildings. This building, however, offers little in the way of architectural significance or urban design other than the large boxy entry thing. The rest of it may as well be out on I-85 somewhere. If the DRB can get the sides of it to have something unique going for it, I'll consider it a win.

 

[sptgguy]

I don't mind this at all. I actually like the ombre effect that is in the picture. The one thing that I would like to see is a change to the corner. I'd like to see something a bit more prominent there instead of it just going straight up.  Possible an awning of sorts that wraps around the corner??

[westsider28]

4 hours ago, sptgguy said:

I don't mind this at all. I actually like the ombre effect that is in the picture. The one thing that I would like to see is a change to the corner. I'd like to see something a bit more prominent there instead of it just going straight up.  Possible an awning of sorts that wraps around the corner??

I agree about the corner.  It doesn't even look like there's an entrance there, just windows.

17 hours ago, Spartan said:

It's not a secret that I hate modern architecture, and I dislike most contemporary stuff for similar reasons. . I agree that the AC is not going to be the norm, and while I would like it if it were, I don't have that expectation for all buildings. This building, however, offers little in the way of architectural significance or urban design other than the large boxy entry thing. The rest of it may as well be out on I-85 somewhere. If the DRB can get the sides of it to have something unique going for it, I'll consider it a win.

It is a bit of a "stock" design, but I like the way the recessed orange portions break up the facade into multiple volumes.  It has cornice elements, canopies, lots of windows at street level.  Much better than an interstate hotel, IMO.  What specific design elements would you like to see?

(reposting rendering for this page:)

[roads-scholar]

Looking at the Cambria Suites website this design looks similar to other  Cambria hotels around the country   

 

[Spartan]

On 11/4/2018 at 5:07 PM, westsider28 said:

I agree about the corner.  It doesn't even look like there's an entrance there, just windows.

It is a bit of a "stock" design, but I like the way the recessed orange portions break up the facade into multiple volumes.  It has cornice elements, canopies, lots of windows at street level.  Much better than an interstate hotel, IMO.  What specific design elements would you like to see?

(reposting rendering for this page:)

I agree that it has relatively good urban design. I didn't realize that the main entrance wasn't on the corner, and I think that's a big miss when there is such a prominent architectural feature at the corner.

I guess what I don't like is the large thing at the corner because it's trendy, not timeless. I don't think every building needs to be the AC hotel, but I hate it when stuff looks dated soon after it's built. I still think its a good addition to downtown. I do hope the move the main entrance to the corner though.

[westsider28]

At the DRB meeting tonight, board members criticized the extensive use of EIFS on the upper floors of the hotel.  That is the biggest issue for me, as well.  The DRB suggested real stucco or cementitious panels as better options (obviously brick is ideal, but there are cost pressures).  So the applicant will have to change the design and bring it back.  Hopefully we get an improved product.

And I was correct about the parking.  It will be 2 levels: one at St John grade, and one above at top-of-Trade grade.  Here are site plans and first floor plans:

Also, you can see the developer wanted drop-offs on Church and St John.  SCDOT nixed the Church one, but approved the St John one.

[westsider28]

The Cambria Hotel received preliminary approval at the DRB meeting tonight.  There is now real stucco (which is allowed in the Urban Code) on the street facing sides (still EIFS on the inner facing walls).  Also, the two-level parking has been changed to just a surface lot (50-ish spaces vs 80-ish before) with overflow parking to use nearby parking decks.  The DRB didn't like how bright the orange accents appear, and would prefer the color to be toned down. They also want to see more material details as the process moves along.

[mainonmain]

"The DRB didn't like how bright the orange accents appear, and would prefer the color to be toned down."

Good grief. 

[Spartan]

I think the DRB does a really great job of getting a good end product. Orange is a harsh color, and there's a reason you don't see much of it except on small buildings on large highways where its designed to get the attention of drivers going 50-60mph.

[westsider28]

The Cambria Hotel will seek final approval at the February 5th DRB meeting.  It will be interesting to see how they've tweaked the design to respond to DRB feedback.  Hopefully it will be the best version yet, and it can be approved.

[westsider28]

So apparently, this was just a design update and final approval will hopefully be in the next few months.  The process is taking longer than they expected, but the DRB is rightfully being thorough.  The architects changed the color of the rear and side stairwells from orange to grey, reserving the orange for more of an accent role.  Not much changed otherwise.  Honestly, the biggest issue is SCDOT's asinine restrictions on street trees (not really a developer issue).

Edited February 6, 2019 by westsider28

[Spartan]

Thanks for the update. Trees are known to actively seek out and kill millions of drivers every year, so they have to be careful.

[gman430]

5 hours ago, Spartan said:

Thanks for the update. Trees are known to actively seek out and kill millions of drivers every year, so they have to be careful.

Yeah..just like guns.   

[westsider28]

Here's an official Choice Hotels press release about the hotel from several days ago.

This project is scheduled to be seeking final approval at the DRB's March 5th meeting.  Hopefully for real this time.

[westsider28]

The Cambria Hotel received final approval, with conditions.  The conditions relate to the parking lot and whether cars could be seen from the sidewalk (screening, etc).  There is a decorative low wall and landscaping planned between the lot and the sidewalk.  The top left corner of the parking lot was the main area of consternation (see site plan below).

Here are a few views from Church Street, to show the scale.  The hotel will be 82 feet tall at its tallest point (the corner).

Edit:  Also, the City is working hard to convince SCDOT to allow street trees.  As I understand it, they're trying to work out a comprehensive plan for all DOT roads in downtown, not just this specific site.  Cross your fingers that that process works out favorably.

Edited March 6, 2019 by westsider28

[gman430]

Wish it was a little taller and had a garage instead of a lot but I like it. 

Edited March 6, 2019 by gman430

[spartanburgh]

Good looking, solid development. Wish it had ground floor shop space and the hotel on top, would add another floor and some height.

[roads-scholar]

2 hours ago, spartanburgh said:

Good looking, solid development. Wish it had ground floor shop space and the hotel on top, would add another floor and some height.

Agree.  But at least we got a high-quality development on high visibility intersection.  Hope the city can get approval for the trees.  That stretch of North Church needs warmth.  

Edited March 6, 2019 by roads-scholar

[Spartan]

11 hours ago, spartanburgh said:

Good looking, solid development. Wish it had ground floor shop space and the hotel on top, would add another floor and some height.

Well said. I like how this looks a lot better. I wish it had retail too, but I will take an active hotel lobby over an expansive office building lobby any day. Overall, I'd say this is a nice project for Spartanburg.

[westsider28]

Small update: I saw on a bid website that June 24 is the estimated start date for construction.

[mainonmain]

Need to support this developer and this hotel as much as possible. Doing a good project with no incentives when other developers of similar projects have insisted they're not economically feasible otherwise.