Rezoning for Hotel Next to Merchant’s House Rejected

(image on right via The Villager)

We are pleased to report that today the City Council rejected the requested rezoning for a hotel next door to the Merchant’s House Museum, which the museum has argued would seriously endanger their historic structure.  The rejection was unanimous, led by local Councilmember Carlina Rivera, and virtually assures rejection by the full Council.  Thank you to everyone who wrote, attended hearings, and spoke out against the requested rezoning!
 
But the fight is not over.  The developer could still pursue a development on this site even without the rezoning, though we hope they will not.  The developer also owns a large adjacent lot on Lafayette Street where a well-designed and reasonably-scaled development could go that would not endanger the Merchant’s House.  We have been working with the Museum to encourage them to consider this alternative.
 
We will keep you posted, but this is a significant victory for efforts to preserve and protect this beloved landmark of our neighborhood.

September 20, 2018