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Developer Asking for Input on Proposed Capitola Hotel
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Developer Asking for Input on Proposed Capitola Hotel
By Linda Fridy
Barry Swenson Builder's Jesse Nickell has been making the rounds of meetings in Capitola Village, trying to build consensus for a new hotel planned for the theater site near the beach and Esplanade.
The vice president of Barry Swenson Builder met with the Chamber of Commerce, village merchants and residents, and the city's transportation subcommittee, all in an effort to come up with a plan that will have already been vetted by the community by the time it's formally presented to the city's planning commission. That's something that the company didn't do when it came to the most recently failed Rispin Inn project on Wharf Road.
In response to the outreach, Nickell is getting feedback.
"People have been concerned about height and massing. We're trying to be sensitive to that and get the maximum number of rooms on the property," he said.
Current plans call for about 70 rooms, up to 3,000 square feet of meeting space and 60 to 70 underground parking spaces.
Although the hotel wants to have a restaurant, Nickell said they may negotiate with the one next door to fill needs such as event catering and room service, rather than including one onsite.
Traffic and parking issues also arose in those discussions.
Parking in Capitola Village has been discussed and studied for many decades with mostly the same conclusions. While the city added the Pacific Cove parking lot in the '80s behind Capitola's city hall, the location has been rejected by most visitors to the area. Drivers will circle the Esplanade looking for parking before using the Pacific Cove lot, despite new signage programs and other incentives. The result is traffic congestion in the Village.
Why is this especially important to Swenson's plan for a big hotel?
A recent study showed that on busy summer weekends, the Village is short of parking spaces, and the California Coastal Commission will not allow any additional development without meeting those space requirements.
One of the mandates of the Coastal Commission is to preserve access to the state's beaches and coastline. One way the commission does that is assuring adequate parking for those wishing to visit such areas.
Victorian or Mediterranean?
The style of the hotel is still under discussion. The developer started with four options – Victorian, Mediterranean, Greek and Spanish – and has narrowed it down to the first two with input from those with whom Nickell has met.
A Victorian influence would have a more block shape in the tradition of the grand hotel that once stood in the same corner, like many wood-framed grand hotels along California's coast in the late 19th century.
A Mediterranean style would be stepped and echo the Venetian Hotel on the other end of Main Beach.
Regardless of the style, the hotel will sit in front of and below the Depot Hill bluff, which Nickell said will help keep the building from appearing out of scale in the Village.
At the same time he's listening to what others would like to see, Nickell is explaining why some requests aren't economically feasible. For example, he can't build a significantly smaller hotel and still make a profit.
"The fees, land and garage are all heavy on the
room costs," he said, explaining that the average nightly room rate must cover those development expenses.
As many rooms as possible will take advantage of the location's views of the bay and wharf, since rooms with a view can command as much as 40 percent more than those without, he said.
Having spent years shepherding the La Bahia project in Santa Cruz and the now-defunct Rispin Mansion boutique hotel in Capitola, Nickell has learned the importance of garnering community support.
"Santa Cruz [County] is all about process. You have to enjoy the process," he said. "The product does get better. I get to hear what fears people have and I can explain my challenges financially."
Nickell said that he has received a lot of response.
"In general, people have been responsive. The merchants in the Village know there's a symbiotic relationship with a hotel, where people will park their cars and stay and walk around the Village," he said.
Swenson has a permit to demolish the Capitola Theater and is awaiting the relocation of a cell tower on the property to begin that process, Nickell said.
"It could be two weeks or it could be two months," he said.
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