By BEX Staff for AZBEX
The Mesa Board of Adjustment has approved a set of requested variances for a planned AC Hotel on a 0.9-acre lot at 104 E. Main St., on the NEC of Main Street and Centennial Way.
According to submitted materials and a local news report, the requested variances cover:
- Ceilings on the ground and upper floors,
- Floor depths,
- Courtyard width and
- Private frontage types, dooryard size and storefront size.
The owner has also requested to opt into the Form Based Code administrative process.
The Mesa General Plan has designated the area as Downtown, and the zoning is Downtown Core-Downtown Event. Hotels are a supported land use.
The staff report notes the size and shape of the proposed project, “and its context within a developed urban area makes adherence to the FBC extremely difficult without the granting of variances.”
It later says the site’s special circumstances were not created by the developer and granting the variance would not confer special privileges. “While the proposed development is consistent in form, scale and design with the surrounding area, the detailed standards of the FBC did not anticipate developments of this scale and form. To facilitate redevelopment and infill, several projects within the Downtown Mesa area have been granted a variance to the FBC standards. The Proposed Project is requesting a similar variance to those granted to other projects developing under the FBC standards.”
The article quoted City staff’s presentation to the Board in its April 1 meeting. The five-story, 88.9KSF hotel will have a pedestrian entrance at the intersection, with the main entrance on the property’s northeast side via a courtyard. Parking will be provided from the Hibbert parking garage, with the hotel renting 100 spaces.
The 164 rooms will be a mix of king-size, double queen and corner layouts, according to the narrative and Marriott branding standards.
According to the narrative, “At the ground floor, the lobby provides a sleek, understated arrival experience that transitions seamlessly into the lobby bar and lounge—the social heart of the hotel where guests gather for morning rituals and evening tapas-style service. To support business and community engagement, the hotel offers flexible meeting space with pre-function areas, complemented by an outdoor patio for breakout sessions and social events.”
It also notes, “The design of the project encourages transition of the ground floor space to active commercial uses in the future by complying with FBC building form and private frontage standards for commercial uses. The ground floor is constructed with concrete columns and a concrete deck above with a 17’-0” floor-to-floor height to allow for maximum future flexibility for future commercial uses should the hotel use change in the future.”
The design firm and project applicant is DLR Group. The ownership group is comprised of Bunker’s Garden Chapel LLC, Network Holding LLC and OCAP Main Street LLC. OCAP Main Street LLC is a subsidiary of Okland Capital, a division of Okland Construction.
