50+ wanted to testify about a Thompson Hill hotel. They didn’t get the chance
About 50 people signed up to speak at a Kennewick hearing Monday on a proposal for a boutique hotel project on Thompson Hill. But no one got to speak.
As late at 3 p.m. Monday, city staff said additional information was submitted by attorney James Carmody on behalf of Tri-Cities developer Jose Chavallo on the proposal to rezone his 40 acres from low-density to high-density residential.
Chavallo said Tuesday that Carmody asked to delay the hearing to give the Kennewick Planning Commission more time to review all documents.
The commission unanimously voted to move the public hearing to May 3 at 6:30 p.m. The delay also gives the city more time to plan for all the expected testimony since each person who signs up to comment is allowed 3 minutes to speak.
Chavallo, who lives in the sole house on top of the prominent 1,000-foot hill in south Kennewick, has been pushing for years to build a boutique hotel with a spa and fine-dining restaurant on the hill.
He told the Herald he needs the high-density designation to allow that dream to come to fruition.
The current density on Chavallo’s land on the south side of the hill allows about six units per acre. At a minimum, he can build 240 homes and a restaurant in what he calls Citadel South.
A high density designation would allow up to 27 units per acre. Under high density, he would be able to have about 1,100 units, including apartments, townhomes, condos or houses.
However, he emphasized to the Herald on Tuesday that the impetus for the proposed zoning change is to build a 60-room boutique hotel called the Citadel Resort.
He said he believes under the city’s current codes he should be allowed a 20% increase in housing units if he submits a planned residential development document (PRD).
However, his intent is for no more than 370 townhomes on his property on the south side of the hill, in addition to the proposed hotel.
Already, Chavallo plans to build up to 36 homes on the north side of Thompson Hill. He says the exclusive gated-community is the only Thompson Hill project that would add traffic in the Panoramic Heights neighborhood.
However, many neighbors are upset about the zoning change and the Panoramic Homeowners Association organized a campaign against it.
The highest concerns of about 200 people surveyed by the association were traffic, reduced property values, slope hazards and apartments and townhomes too close to single-family houses, according to documents submitted to the city.
For more information, go to go2kennewick.com/598/Planning-Commission as well as register to speak at the Kennewick Planning Commission public hearing at 6:30 p.m. May 3.
This story was originally published April 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM.