ASHEVILLE - They came, they saw and they ultimately voted it down — unanimously.

The mixed-use development known as Create 72 Broadway was shot down in a swift 7-0 vote during a loaded Sept. 24 City Council meeting. It was the second try at council this month for BPR Properties' proposal, which was planned to include 138 hotel rooms, 37 residential units and about 1,100 square feet of commercial space.

It met steady opposition in its first go-around, largely from organizers and supporters of Asheville City Market, who argue Create 72 would be detrimental to the 60-vendor farmers market on Market Street.

Project attorney Derek Allen told council that father-and-son developers Bhuben and Birju Patel offered a number of concessions to benefit the market, which they have said they want to accommodate "in any way possible." Details included adding access to the property from its north side with permission of the Asheville Masonic Temple — quelling a concern from some residents about using an adjacent alley for access — and halting construction during Saturday market hours.

Allen said the project would be of interest downtown with its inclusion of six affordable units, a feature not typical of recent local hotel proposals.

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But on a night when council also unanimously approved a temporary hotel construction moratorium, the body took in about 25 minutes of public comments on the proposal before turning it back. It was a decision Birju Patel said he knew was "a strong possibility," but he was left feeling the vote was "politically driven" more than it was about the merits of the project.

The rejection coupled with the moratorium now means Patel would not be able to move ahead with Create 72 until at least next September. With that, Patel said he sees his team's options as "very limited."

They now are exploring the possibility of walking away from the the project altogether, he said.

"What do you do?" Patel said. "I don't know. Our options are limited right now. We'll see. We have to regroup and restrategize and see if we're still interested in doing business in this town. If we're not wanted here, we're not wanted here, you know?"

Several members of council asked clarifying questions to Allen and city urban planner Jessica Bernstein but did not provide any additional explanations ahead of the vote. Council member Julie Mayfield offered a motion to deny the project's conditional zoning request prior to public comment on the basis the denial was "reasonable, in the public interest and consistent with the city's comprehensive plan."

"The project is primarily lodging in use and as such does not meet the comprehensive plan goal of a diverse and sustainable mix of uses in the downtown, as it would contribute to a growing concentration of lodging uses and loss of opportunity for other new uses," Mayfield said.

She added the proposed access points to and from the proposal were "not sufficient."

It came to council with the endorsement of city planning staff and several lower planning bodies, including the Planning and Zoning Commission, which approved it unanimously. Council previously voted 4-3 on Sept. 10 to continue the project at the request of Allen after Mayfield and Vijay Kapoor said they would vote against it.

Much of the feedback from residents urged council to deny the project, again on the basis of its expected impact to the market and for concerns of downtown hotel saturation.

"There's a lot of excitement and momentum here for the hotel moratorium," resident Brynn Estelle said. "There's a sense it's long overdue. Given that attitude, I think a lot of folks don't want to see one more squeak on through, right? We do not want to see the character and history of this town compromised any further. We don't want to see the downtown farmers market compromised."

The few speaking in support offered concerns about how denying Create 72 and implementing a moratorium would have a ripple effect in the community, in areas such as affordable housing development, for example.

Joe Archibald, an architect who sits on the Planning and Zoning Commission, said there's "an urgent call" for the city to find partners — including hoteliers — to help make a dent in its affordable housing needs.

"I believe this developer can be seen as one of those partners," Archibald said.

George Hining of MHA Works — the architecture firm working with the Patels on Create 72 — pushed council to approve Create 72, arguing that turning it away sends a clear signal to other potential property developers.

"This project is on a silver platter," Hining said. "The developers I mentioned earlier, they're watching right now. If this project is turned down, they're going to run away and we're not going to hear from them for another five years."

He added, "The negative impact of turning this down will be far greater than the negative impact of approving one more hotel."