Another Hurdle for the Terry-Gillette Mansion

In March 2022, when the plan to convert the Terry-Gillette mansion, the former Elks Lodge at 601 Union Street, into a boutique hotel came before the Zoning Board of Appeals for a use variance, the owners of adjacent and nearby properties appeared at the public hearing to speak in support of the project. Diane Townsend, who lives next door at 555 Union Street, seemed to sum up the feeling of the neighborhood when she said of the proposed hotel, "This will benefit the area far more than any other use."

In the intervening time, the plans for the hotel have changed. Original plans to site a pool and event space on the roof had to be abandoned because of structural concerns, and the proposal is now to locate these amenities, along with a kitchen and bar, a gym and spa, an event space, and additional guest rooms, behind the building. These changes require an amended area variance. 

On Friday, February 10, the plans for the hotel were enthusiastically received by the Historic Preservation Commission. On Wednesday, February 15, the Zoning Board of Appeals, which is considering the application for an amended use variance, held a public hearing on the project. At this hearing, negative concern about the project was voiced for the first time. 

Although the proposed new construction is described as being behind the former Elks Lodge, most of it is actually behind the municipal parking lot and behind the historic house and garden at 611 Union Street.

At the public hearing on Wednesday, Walter Brett, who has owned the house at 611 Union Street since 1984 and continues to maintain the gardens created by his late wife, Cassandra Danz, a.k.a. Mrs. Greenthumbs, and memorialized in the book Mrs. Greenthumbs: How I Turned a Boring Yard into a Glorious Garden and How You Can, Too, expressed his concerns about the impact of the hotel's plans on his house. Brett shared with the ZBA this picture of current view from his backyard.

It is in the area beyond the fence that the proposed new buildings would be located. Brett acknowledged that he never imagined this area would remain unchanged forever, but the idea of buildings there was problematic. "It's one thing to have a hotel," Brett told the ZBA, "but all of this in the backyard is going to be noise and light." He noted that the kitchen and bar would be 100 feet from his back bedroom. He predicted that the hotel development would diminish the value of his property. Brett asserted, "It feels like the circus has come to town permanently, and it has settled in my backyard."

Andrew de Forrest, who appeared at the hearing with Brett, noted that the level of Brett's backyard is fifteen feet above the area where they are proposing to build the structure for the additional guest rooms, which would mean that someone standing in Brett's backyard would look right into the rooms on the second floor.

A spokesperson for Casetta, the group proposing the new hotel, offered assurances that the hotel would have a very calm and quiet atmosphere. "We have done this," she stated, "and we know how to do this in a way that does not disrupt our community." She cited a Casetta hotel in Palm Springs, which she said was adjacent to "multi-multimillion dollar homes." 

Kristal Heinz, the lawyer representing the applicant, said they had learned of Brett's concerns only the day before and had not had time to respond. Janis Gomez Anderson, legal counsel to the ZBA, advised that many of the concerns expressed by Brett and de Forrest were matters for the Planning Board not the Zoning Board of Appeals. She reminded them that there are just four criteria to be considered when granting a use variance:

1. The applicant cannot realize a reasonable return, provided that lack of return is substantial as demonstrated by competent financial evidence.
2. The alleged hardship relating to the property in question is unique, and does not apply to a substantial portion of the district or neighborhood.
3. The requested use variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood.
4. The alleged hardship was not self-created.

The ZBA has already granted a use variance for the building to be converted into a hotel. 

Because of the site's proximity to a county building (560 Warren Street, where the Department of Motor Vehicles and the county clerk's office are located), the application must go to the Columbia County Planning Board for a recommendation. The public hearing on the project will remain open until the ZBA's next meeting. The HPC also intends to hold a public hearing on the project.

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