Big Thumbs Up for Danville Hotel Project

Residents and visitors tired of seeing the curtains blowing from an empty Wild West-era building on Railroad Avenue can breathe a sigh of relief. 

Plans for the much-anticipated Danville Hotel project are moving forward after a unanimous vote of approval from the Planning and Heritage Resource commissions on Tuesday night.

The project's design team will work on details and construction plans, which Kevin Gailey, chief of planning for Danville, said would take several months.

If all goes as planned, demolition could begin by next spring, he said.

A few residents attended the meeting but only one person spoke for, and none against, the project.

The project will retain the historic Danville Hotel building and the building to its right, the McCauley House, with some modifications.

There will be renovations to the stairway on the side of the Danville Hotel that houses . And final plans could change the stucco on the McCauley House.

The buildings that house Papyrus on Hartz Avenue and Yard Art, Design on the Line, Dragon Fly Studio, Hoot 'n Holler and on Prospect Avenue will be demolished. Vacant buildings on Railroad Avenue and Short Street also will be taken down.

The space will make way for 5,700 square feet of restaurant space, 9,515 square feet of retail and 19,370 square feet of residential units, with 16 to 18 units, primarily for sale.

Residential units will be on the second floor and will include an open-air courtyard and balconies for some of the units. They will be from about 900 to 1,300 square feet and will not be "your conventional townhome," said Robert Lee of William Hezmalhalch Architects, designers of the project. He noted the "loft designs, open floor plans, large windows and unique character" of the proposed units.

A courtyard layout and sidewalk seating for the restaurants are included in lower-level plans.

The buildings will have mixed facades — a "transition to different architectural styles" that appear they were "built over time," said  Lee.

A crosswalk will be added in the middle of Railroad Avenue so people can get from the parking lot next to the  to the new shops and restaurants.

The plans also call for adding 34 parking spaces, including residential parking. A traffic impact study found that other parking lots, and street parking in town have about 215 spaces available, to help accommodate the 89 spaces needed.

Landscape architect Dave Gates presented his plans and told how he sees the new buildings and crosswalk fitting into downtown.

"This is what I would consider a central part of the town," he said. "It works well to link the two streets and take you over to the farmers market, which I think has been a long time coming."

The key downtown property is owned by a partnership of Castle Properties and the Neron Company. Castle, run by longtime Danville resident Thomas Baldacci, owns other residential, retail and office property in town.

"It's been a long journey and I am excited to be in front of you," Baldacci said at Tuesday's meeting. "This is a site that has been central to Danville from a historical standpoint. In front of you is a project that we believe reflects our input, that of town staff, the community, the farmers market and other perspectives."

A  proposal for the project in 2008 included a third story, underground parking and office spaces. But the recession made it not financially feasible.

Town officials say residents have long anticipated the project.

"If I had a dime for every time someone asked me about what was going on with the Danville Hotel, I could buy a nice steak dinner right now," said Town Manager Joe  Calabrigo at a meeting about the project in August. "The economy went from transitioning to worse and these plans, along with most of the other plans in town, got put on the shelf."

Town staff had questions about bike parking and ADA accessibility on Short Street and asked for considerations of both in the final plans, but otherwise seemed happy with the project as proposed.

Planning Commissioner Mark Graham, a longtime Danville resident, said he had watched the Danville Hotel site change over the years and was pleased to see the plans move forward: "I know it has been a long hard road to get here. Danville didn't happen overnight."

See plans presented at the meeting by clicking on the links in the attached PDF file with the meeting agenda from Tuesday night. Click on the photo gallery to view the PDF file.