Hamden Hotel Application Delayed

A glitch regarding zone lines has delayed the approvals for a hotel, retail and residential development at the site of the former Centerville Lumber.

Bernard Pellegrino, the attorney for NU Development, LLC, told the commission recently that a calculation error put the hotel in a zone where hotels aren't allowed. The property is a split zone, containing two different zones.

The plans call for a 57,000 square foot, 120 room hotel in the back of the property, and two other buildings housing retail, office and residential space.

The Centerville Hardware building would remain and be expanded. The second building that housed the paint store and deli would be demolished and replaced with a five-floor building with retail on the bottom floor, offices on floors two through four and six 2,000 square foot housing units on the fifth floor.

Because of the glitch, the developer is proposing moving the hotel from the back of the site towards the middle, where the height requirements allow for the building. But the new plans weren't ready in time for this month's meeting, Pelligrino said.

"We think the changes only improve the plans," Pelligrino said.

The commission doesn't usually meet in August. When Pelligrino requested an August meeting, some commissioners, including chairman Ann Altman and vice-chairman Brack Poitier, balked.

"Many of us have vacations scheduled for that time," including herself, Altman said. The commission generally meets twice a month for 11 months of the year.

The commission continued the public hearing on the application to its Sept. 10 meeting.