From Staff Reports

The Ellington, a proposed 23-story hotel and condominium building planned for Biltmore Avenue, received the approval of the cityís Downtown Commission last Friday.

The board voted 7-1 to back the plan, with commission member Julie Brandt opposing it.

Brandt said she voted against it because of concerns that the structureís size and style would conflict with the scope and scale of downtown. Bottom to top, the building will be about the same height as the BB&T Building, which is the tallest structure in Asheville.

Though the project did not legally require the commissionís approval, it will probably make it easier for The Ellington to get the blessing of City Council, which is necessary.

After being reviewed by the cityís Technical Review Committee last Monday, the proposal will now have to go to the Planning and Zoning Commission and then City Council for a more extensive debate later this year.

The vote by the Downtown Commission follows a public hearing on June 8. At that time, the commission had asked the developers to come back last Friday with more† information.

The plan calls for 125 hotel rooms and 44 to 52 condominiums as well as a small retail space toward the rear of the building, at the corner of Aston Street and South Lexington Avenue.

Developers also plan to include large windows in that area that will showcase works by local artists.
Though the project does not include any affordable housing, developers say they will contribute 1.25 percent of the initial sale price of developed real estate to a fund for creating affordable housing. An additional half a percent of subsequent sales up to 75 years also would go into the fund.