Neighbors testify against hotel | Interactive timeline

In 1960, when Mary Nixon moved onto Pine Street at age six, she never imagined that the mansion across the street would turn into a 10-story hotel.

And yesterday, Nixon testified in front of the Zoning Board of Adjustment to say just that. She was one of 10 witnesses at yesterday's hearing for the opponents of the proposed hotel on 40th and Pine streets.

In December 2007, Campus Apartments and a private developer announced plans to build an extended-stay hotel at 40th and Pine streets. The hotel would be aimed at families of patients in area hospitals.

The first witness, Richard Tyler, who had sat on the State Historic Preservation Board, said the proposed 10-story building would "destroy the spatial relationships that characterize the district."

He added that even the demolition of the 19th-century structure and replacement with a more modern building would have a "less negative and detrimental effect on resources and the community" than adding onto the existing structure.

Many neighbors of the proposed hotel objected to the building as well.

Nixon, who lives across the street from the proposed project and has a Ph.D. in Architecture from Penn, displayed a model of the area in order to show the disproportionate scale of the proposed Campus Inn.

Nixon explained that all the buildings in the neighborhood are between one and three stories tall, as opposed to the "overly monstrous object that would now inhabit my three-story neighborhood" that she opposes.

Real-estate developer Guy Laren, a Penn alumnus who had originally submitted a letter in favor of the project and is a major developer in the Penn area, said the site is unsuitable for a hotel.

He provided examples of successful renovations to similar plots in the area that did not include drastic add-ons to the building.

Laren added that while the University claims it advertised the area to prospective developers, he was not contacted about the request for a proposal.

But Laren's testimony was challenged by those on the developers' side, including Campus Apartments CEO David Adelman.

Project developer and former Penn managing director of real estate Tom Lussenhop wrote in an e-mail: "As they pointed out, he has no development experience in the kind of project we are proposing."

Still, numerous architecture and traffic experts spoke about the site's inability to provide proper parking to patrons of the hotel and its accompanying restaurant.

Toward the end of the trial, about 20 to 25 neighbors stood up to show their opposition to the hotel.

Five neighbors in favor of the hotel stood up to display their support.

Attorney for the opponents David Fineman said he left the hearing with positive thoughts.

"I think it went very well," he said. "I have every confidence we'll prevail."

He said he expects to hear the verdict in early April, after he and Carl Primavera, attorney for Campus Apartments, submit their written closing statements and other pending documents on Mar. 8.

For now, his team is looking ahead to Tuesday, when it will appeal the Historical Commission's approval of the hotel in front of the License and Inspection Review Board.

Developers of the proposed Campus Inn project have remained firm in their beliefs that an extended-stay hotel on 40th and Pine streets is a worthwhile enterprise.

"For visiting parents and others, it will be a great and comfortable place to stay within walking distance of everything," Lussenhop wrote.

* This article was edited on Feb. 20 at 1:28 p.m. to reflect the correct number of witnesses for the opposition at the hearing.

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