ASHEVILLE — The developer of a proposed $40 million mixed-use development with 150 hotel rooms on Broadway Street in downtown Asheville will state a case for approval this week before a city planning board.

Along with the hotel rooms, the plan for a development now known as Create 72 Broadway calls for 30 residential units, 75 parking spaces and some 3,800 square feet of commercial space fronting both Broadway and North Market streets near Asheville Masonic Temple. Its conditional zoning request is scheduled to be heard Aug. 7 by the Planning and Zoning Commission, the final step prior to going to City Council — which has the ultimate say on all lodging projects in the city — for approval.

Getting the go-ahead can be a tall task lately for prospective hoteliers, particularly as several recent projects have sparked differing degrees of community backlash. Several members of council are considering a temporary ban on hotel construction to firm up city guidelines on which projects to allow, and where.

But Birju Patel, the project's Greensboro-based developer and president of BPR Properties, said he and architect Peter Alberice believe the effort is "different than any that has come before us." In that way, he cites the project's link to local art, including its six affordable units available only to artists at a cost of about $500 a month and its six exterior display cases, as strong selling points.

The development also has been purposefully designed to be pedestrian-friendly and in line with the look of the surrounding neighborhood, Patel said.

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"Change and growth are going to happen, whether people want it or not — but it's about being smart about it," Patel said. "What we've tried to accomplish is: Is this good for the community? What are we trying to accomplish here and are we doing that?

"If we keep those at the forefronts of our processes, this should be an incredible development."

Patel's proposal heads to the planning board with the recommendation of city planning staff, who say it is "largely consistent" with the city's comprehensive development guidelines. It was deemed compatible by staff for its mix of uses integrated into a nine-story structure, including parking. It's also credited for reducing curb cuts, integrating structured parking and providing downtown housing options, among other benefits.

The staff notes it does not have "objective criteria" to apply to determine if there's value or need for additional downtown hotel rooms "nor for evaluating whether there are potential impacts caused by the lodging use."

The staff report is posted below in its entirety.

Members of the city's Downtown Commission offered mixed feedback on the project at its July 12 meeting, but ultimately voted 6-3 in approval of it. City Councilman Brian Haynes and board members Andrew Fletcher and Ruth Summers dissented. Several members said they desire projects with more residential units and fewer hotel rooms and others argued the project "seemed too large in scale," meeting minutes show.

Another potential issue suggested by city staff is that the project may negatively impact Asheville City Market, a seasonal farmer's market on Market Street which operates Saturdays from April through December.

But Patel said the project plans to accommodate the market "in any way possible."

"It's actually an amenity to the building and the folks that are going to be living there are going to want that there," he said.

It is not yet known when Create 72 Broadway is expected to be heard by council. The body's next meetings are scheduled for Aug. 27 and Sept. 10. If the project wins approval, project developers expect to begin construction this year with an eye at opening in 2022.