said his family has owned the property since 1981.

The hotel redevelopment project near the intersection of Emmet Street and Ivy Road is allowed by-right, but a permit was needed to increase the building’s height from the 60-foot maximum to up to 80 feet.

The building includes a street-level café that will have a roof that screens the parking garage from Emmet Street. The roof of the café would double as a terrace that would serve a community space on the third floor. Additionally, the building will have a guest-only rooftop snack bar that is slated to close by midnight, according to site plans.

Some concerns were raised by residents of the Lewis Mountain neighborhood about the potential for additional traffic from the hotel, stormwater management and building’s visibility from theneighborhood.

A view analysis was performed in Lewis Mountain, and nearly 75 percent of parcels in the neighborhood would have a view of the building. According to city staff, 10 percent of a hypothetical 10,000-square-foot property in the neighborhood would be able to see the hotel at its by-right height, and that number increases to 11 percent with the additional 20 feet.

Throughout the discussion, Commissioner Jody Lahendro indicated that he could not support the building exceeding its 60-foot by-right height and offered an amendment requiring 5-foot setbacks after the building reaches 60 feet.

The building is on the edge of the border between the city and Albemarle County, and it is surrounded by university property. The sloping elevation of the property will reduce the perceived height of the hotel, according