A revised proposal for a 140-room hotel in downtown San Rafael will need another round of minor design tweaks before it moves on to the Planning Commission for consideration.

The city’s Design Review Board last week conditionally supported the five-story hotel project at 1201 Fifth Ave. Board members asked the applicant to dress up the corners of the building, add more landscaping and modify a proposed drop-off and pick-up area.

The project is set to return to the board at its March 19 meeting as a consent calendar item. This allows the board to kick the project to the Planning Commission without scheduling another Design Review Board public hearing.

“My first reaction was ‘wow’ because I had forgotten the previous plan,” board member Eric Spielman said at the Tuesday meeting, noting the overall improvement from the project’s first iteration presented in July. “Wow, you’ve really done an amazing job.”

The project for the AC by Marriott hotel at the corner of Fifth Avenue and B Street is proposed by Tom Monahan and Jonathan Parker of Monahan Parker Inc.

The project calls for the demolition of a 12,000-square-foot bank building on the 28,719-square-foot lot. There would be 87 on-site parking spaces. A lobby bar and restaurant, event space and fitness center are proposed. A rooftop garden and bar with views of Mount Tamalpais is also planned.

Although the height limit for the site is 42 feet, the city allows a 12-foot height bonus for hotels. City officials will need to OK another foot allowance to approve the project.

The project also requires the approval of a use permit and an environmental and design review to allow demolition.

Originally, the hotel design leaned toward an “urban contemporary” aesthetic, which the board described as “too stark.” The new design incorporates design influences from the surrounding downtown with an overhanging roof and large glass panels at the main entrance and around the ground floor.

“There has not been a new hotel in Marin for a couple of decades and certainly there isn’t one in downtown San Rafael,” Monahan said.

Monahan said with big corporations like BioMarin and Autodesk in the city, the hotel would be well-used. Large gatherings such as the Mill Valley Film Festival, which produces screenings, talks and other events at the Smith Rafael Film Center in downtown San Rafael, also draw crowds, he said.

“We think it’s going to bring a lot of vitality and life to the downtown,” he said.

Overall, board members were pleased with the improved design but wanted a few extra touches.

“I think it has a little further way to go to make it a really great project,” board member Larry Paul said.

Board members suggested adding more landscaping. Paul said this could “soften the pedestrian experience to the building.”

Board members also wanted the developer to design a 360-degree building, meaning, they would like to see a consistent decorative treatment around the building, including at the corners.

Because parking is limited, and the main entrance is at a busy downtown corner, board members were concerned about rideshare services, such as Lyft and Uber, snarling traffic.

Monahan said the development team is working with the city to acquire three metered parking spots, which they would potentially use as a pick-up and drop-off area.

Despite the support from the Design Review Board, residents said the hotel was too big and too glitzy for San Rafael. Residents also complained that the site would be better suited for a housing project.

“I think they just need to tone it down, soften it up and not ask for all these exceptions and not take away parking that is already there so that guests could have a drop off zone,” resident Tauny Kasuya said.

The Design Review Board meeting is at 7 p.m. March 19 at City Hall at 1400 Fifth Ave. The agenda will be posted at cityofsanrafael.org/public-meetings.