Salsbury: Inn cell towers higher than expected

By Brett Salsbury

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Oread Inn has added a new piece to Lawrence’s skyline, but it may be an even bigger piece than was originally thought. With the new hotel already 33 feet higher than originally planned, builders should continue with caution because of the hotel’s proximity to campus and a historic district.

The original drawings of the hotel showed the four flagpoles on top of the building as being 33 feet shorter than their current length. The flagpoles, which also will serve as cellular phone towers, add significant height to the building, bringing the total height to 156 feet. This increased height was mentioned in a technical note submitted with the plan but was not shown in the drawings.

City Planning Director Scott McCullough noted that though the increased height caused some concern, it was indeed a part of the governing body’s survey of the plans.

“The building itself went through a public process and they were not concerned with the height,” McCullough said. “I hope there’s not a perception that it is meant to compete with other buildings in the area.”

The construction of the Oread Inn has faced opposition in the past, but no complaints have had a significant effect. Initially, Student Senate voted on a thin 22-30 margin to reject a resolution against the Oread Inn. In addition to Student Senate’s support, city commissioners voted unanimously to approve the ambitious project. But now, it is evident the public should have been better informed about the technicalities of the plans.

Even with the recent height detail coming into focus, McCullough said he was looking forward to seeing the building’s completion.

“The detail was approved by the governing body, and it wasn’t overlooked,” McCullough said. “As I recall, there were no questions about it, and as I understood, the commission knew what it was, that it included larger flagpoles, and there were no questions raised about the height.”

The commission might have known how large they would be, but because it was a technical note, it could have been misleading to the public.

The Oread Inn is a valuable new part of the city and the University. Its construction will bring in revenue and add a new dynamic to an already historic area. However, the increased height of the hotel adds a new point of focus to the historic Lawrence skyline, and in doing so, is a competing focal point with other campus buildings, most notably the flags atop Fraser Hall. The visual center of campus for visitors and community members should be one of the oldest academic buildings on campus as opposed to an off-campus business.

Comments

sam07211 (anonymous) says...

For one, you stated in your article that despite being in the fine print, the true height of The Oread was disclosed before building began. Unfortunately, the hotel may shift the view of the Lawrence skyline to a certain degree, but the hotel is a very good looking building (and is still not nearly as tall as Fraser). The hotel also has the same limestone surface that many buildings have on campus. I agree that the tan colored towers are an eye-sore and wish that the hotel did not add them. But I do believe that the hotel is an overall benefit to the University and its skyline.

November 2, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Geiiga (anonymous) says...

Seriously? Every week that hotel seems to get bigger and uglier. They should knock it down and put a bar there.

November 2, 2009 at 5:11 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kennebec (anonymous) says...

By the way, the hotel is called The Oread, not the Oread Inn

November 2, 2009 at 9:44 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

sjschlag (anonymous) says...

I'm glad they put limestone on it. It looks alot better than the ugly stucco crap they were originally planning to put on there.

What insults me is that the developers think they can replace Yello Sub with, of all things, a JIMMY JOHN'S. How many Jimmy John's are there in Lawrence already? Granted, Jimmy Johns is great at 3 am, but can't we get something different in there besides ANOTHER national chain restaurant. I know Yello Sub is a chain, but atleast it's a regional chain and isn't nearly as generic as Jimmy John's is.

November 3, 2009 at 11:27 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

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