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PROPOSED: Hotel Sierra (aka Sierra Suites)


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This recessed driveway and their contention of not wanting to impede traffic on Washington makes me think even more that this hotel should be primarily oriented toward Fountain Street (with a pedestrian entrance and retail on Washington).

As part of the redesign of Emmett and LaSalle Squares, Fountain Street is supposed to be narrowed and straightened (this would allow for a larger footprint for the Fogarty Building site, though that seems unneeded now that TPG has said they are keeping the Fogarty Building). A redesigned Fountain Street should allow the hotel to have plenty of room for a driveway in the same style as the Biltmore's on Dorrance Street.

What about the surface lots @ Weybosset and Empire? Perfect location..It could be a signature design at a very important gateway.

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What about the surface lots @ Weybosset and Empire? Perfect location..It could be a signature design at a very important gateway.

I really don't think you are going to get much of a signature building from a place like Sierra Suites. We can always hope, but I don't see them doing anything grand. It's not like we're talking about a luxury hotel. the best to hope for is a traffic pattern that makes some sense, a decent facade, and some ground floor retail.

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I really don't think you are going to get much of a signature building from a place like Sierra Suites.

That was one of the points I made at the meeting. While certainly 90+ percent of their designs are suburb/airport style dreck, they have some branches (like their Napa, CA branch) that are quite stylish and that would actually fit into Washington St better than the design they proposed.

While landmark may be too much to ask for, they obviously can and have done "appropriate" right in other locales.

- Garris

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  • 3 weeks later...

Found this photo in the Alaska Section:

large.jpg

It's the Springhill Suites Mariott Hotel in Fairbanks. Made me think of Sierra Suites.

Which side of the street would you walk on in Fairbanks? I'm totally attracted to the right side with the eclectic shops/signs vs. the left which presents nothing interesting to look at.

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Which side of the street would you walk on in Fairbanks? I'm totally attracted to the right side with the eclectic shops/signs vs. the left which presents nothing interesting to look at.

Why do you think that person is in the crosswalk? They were walking down the street, minding their own, then they threw-up in their mouth a little and dashed to the other side of the street. :lol:

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Someone should print a copy of this Alaska photo and distribute it at the next design meeting as an example of what could happen.

With such a small amount of surface area dedicated to windows, that place looks like a fortress designed to protect tourists from raiding bands of locals. Why not just use arrow slits on the walls?

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  • 2 weeks later...

http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffi.../2006/21100.pdf

The continuing discussion of this proposed project is on the agenda of next Monday's Downcity District Design Review Committee public meeting. The only detail given is that the review of the existing building demolition and new construction is continued from the Jan. 9th meeting. It would be nice to have a good turnout of our fellow concerned citizens. Can anybody here attend?

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Is it bad form to arrive at these meetings late? I have to leave work early on Tuesday, and I could get out early on Monday, but don't want to have to leave too early two days in a row.

The risk of arriving late is that you will not be able to add your name to the list of people making comments. Plus, it appears that, due to the short agenda, discussion on this item will begin almost immediately after the start of the meeting.

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I didn't get to attend because I could not get out of work in time, I also have to leave early today.

They eliminated the gables and the balconies. They moved the main entrance from an interior parking tunnel to Washington Street and created retail space on the Washington Street and Fountain Street sides. They adopted design techniques to make the first five floors connect to the neighboring Mercantile Block, and they set back the upper floors. They also extended the Fountain Street side to the edge of the sidewalk.
Not having actually seen what they presented, this does sound much better. I don't have any problem with them having balconies, and I'm not sure why they would need to eliminate them, but whatever.

said Barbara Macaulay, a committee member and architect. "I'm just asking for it to be better."

OK, seriously, I can see the developer's frustration. Comments like that are not going to make anyone want to do business with us.

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I'm not gonna lie, I don't see a lot of problems with the second design. I've made the point before, but this is basically a Sierra suites. Assuming the first five floors do kind of match up with the neighboring building, I don't think you can have a huge argument with this design. Perhaps some more detail on the cornices and tell them they can't use dryvit for the outside (which would be "perfect" for this design in terms of building it, but would look crappy). I think the big problem with the new design is the parking garage next door, which really isn't their responsibility. Like Cotuit, I don't see a problem with the balconies from the first design, although maybe they scrapped them for cost. I do see what the review team was concerned with regarding the windowless protion of the Washington St. facade. That would seem to be an artifact from the first design that they just overlooked filling in. Also, there isn't much you can do about the double garage entrances other than tell them that they can't have a garage, which seems to be something that would stop the project. I guess they could put it on the other side of the building?

I wouldn't expect major changes for the better from that design.

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