Board approves Home2 Suites variances; requires dumpster and curb conditions

The Board approved multiple variances for a proposed Home2 Suites hotel between Saint Francis and Saint Michael’s streets, including exceptions for transparency, awning coverage and dumpster maneuvering, but placed design conditions on waste enclosures and curb width.

Design team members explained constraints behind reduced glazing on certain elevations and the choice to use wheeled dumpsters or movable bins rather than a stationary, street‑accessed overhead dump. Adam Martin said the team prefers wheeled 4‑yard bins rolled to the curb for pickup to avoid on‑street maneuvering; board members said an enclosure should use materials consistent with the hotel façade so it does not appear as a deteriorating dumpster area. "We can certainly use a higher grade material that's more complimentary of the building," the team agreed. The board approved the variances while adding a condition that the dumpster enclosure materials match the primary structure and denied an extended curb‑cut width beyond 25 feet.