Historic design commission rejects Hays Street Bridge apartment plans

Image 1 of / 80 Caption Close Historic design commission rejects Hays Street Bridge apartment plans 1 / 80 Back to Gallery

The city’s historic commission narrowly rejected a new design for an apartment complex next to the Hays Street Bridge on Friday after three hours of heated testimony from East Side residents who said it would tower over the iconic bridge and nearby historic homes.

The Historic and Design Review Commission was initially split, with four members supporting the five-story complex and four against it, but chairman Michael Guarino reversed his support in a second vote to break the logjam. He said after the meeting that he thought it likely the developer would appeal the vote to the city’s Board of Adjustment.

The proposed development “is so complex that it probably is something that the Board of Adjustment is going to want to consider,” he said. “This is at least a resolution, of a type.”

RELATED: Lone Star Brewery owner avoids foreclosure with $11M loan

The vote marks the project’s second failure before the HDRC. The commission voted it down in December after another contentious hours-long meeting.

Its developer, Mitch Meyer, unveiled a new design last month that responded to many of the commission’s concerns, including by pulling the 147-unit complex 10 feet farther away from the bridge. Instead of having a parking garage on the ground floor, the new design would feature live-work units — units that could be used as residences, office space or both — as well as retail and common areas.

The new design also split up the complex’s façade into several parts to make it appear less monolithic, and ensured that a small property in between the complex and the bridge wouldn’t be built on in the future, as residents feared.

“We started from scratch, building from the ground up using the comments and concerns,” said James McKnight, a lawyer who represented Meyer before the commission.

Meyer didn’t respond to a phone call seeking comment after the meeting.

Turn to Saturday’s Business section or click here on ExpressNews.com to read the full article.