The Ellington: Taking the A Train to passage?

The Ellington hotel/condo project comes back before Ashvegas City Council Tuesday, and it should provide another riveting topic for discussion over the future of our fair city.

The Ellington is a massive new building proposed for Biltmore Avenue. We’re not sure of the exact specs because council has asked the developers to scale the project down. Initially, it was to be a 23-story building with about 48 condos and 125 hotel rooms. There was also a restaurant, penthouse apartments and terrace planned.

A couple of meetings ago, City Council put off its vote on the project. The marathon session allowed residents to air their views. It also gave us the first public view of where each council member stood. Everybody had something to say, and in the end, council gave the developers a list of things they wanted to see happen for approval.

The project comes amid continuing concerns over the pace and size of development in Ashvegas. And it also comes to council during high political season. Last week’s primary election showed the three incumbents up for re-election – Jan Davis, Brownie Newman and Bryan Freeborn – atop the pack. But Elaine Lite and Bill Russell are close on the heels of Freeborn.

The Ellington proposal has made it through all of the city’s planning commissions. The Grove Park folks are in on this project, and have gone to great behind-th-scenes lengths to assuage city council members’ concerns. Plenty of people spoke out in favor of the Ellington project, along with the project’s critics.

Now the decision rests with city council. It’s important to note that council is considering whether or not the project meets all seven standards for approval of a conditional use permit, which the Ellington folks are seeking. Here’s what council has to consider:

1.That the proposed use or development of the land will not materially endanger the public health or safety.

2. That the proposed use or development of the land is reasonably compatible with significant natural and topographic features on the site and within the immediate vicinity of the site given the proposed site design and any mitigation techniques or measures proposed by the applicant.

3. That the proposed use or development of the land will not substantially injure the value of adjoining or abutting property.

4. That the proposed use or development of the land will be in harmony with the scale, bulk, coverage, density, and character of the area or neighborhood in which it is located.

5. That the proposed use or development of the land will generally conform to the comprehensive plan, smart growth policies, sustainable economic development strategic plan and other official plans adopted by the City.

6. That the proposed use is appropriately located with respect to transportation facilities, water supply, fire and police protection, waste disposal, and similar facilities.

7. That the proposed use will not cause undue traffic congestion or create a traffic hazard.

The two keys here are the traffic impact and the over size of the proposed building.

So what will happen on Tuesday? We’ll give you our prediction, with the caveat that we wouldn’t be surprised to see council put off this critical vote until after the November election.

We see a 4-3 vote in favor the Ellington. This is based on general observations and comments from council members the last time the Ellington was up for discussion. That, and there wasn’t a strong anti-council result in the primary election.

Carl Mumpower, Jan Davis, Holly Jones and Terry Bellamy will vote for approval, while Bryan Freeborn, Robin Cape and Brownie Newman will vote against.

A couple of these positions appear a little squishy to us. Jones appeared positive about the project, but held some reservations. Cape appeared against the Ellington based on an issue of access along Biltmore Avenue, but then seemed to indicate that overall, she thought the project was good.

Council members clearly told the developers what their reservations were, and the developers said they’d address them. If the developers do, how can council members vote against the Ellington?