DIVINITY BUILDING

[Betsy]

Just got this email from a grassroots group fighting the construction of the Divinity Building at the top of Dickson Street. My gut tells me the developers are going to get their way no matter what anybody says or does, and I am quite certain that everyone on City Council has already made up their mind about what they want to do about it so you can talk to them until you're blue in the face and it won't change a thing, but here it is.

My personal opinion about the Divinity Building is that it is UGLY. It looks a lot like the old Mountain Inn, which was just demolished for being an "eyesore". If they would come up with a design that was more in line with the downtown/dickson/campus area, I would support it completely - say, something like Carnall Hall (only bigger obviously), something with some Southern style and charm and class. Not just some monstrosity that resembles the "eyesore" we just tore down.



Consideration of the Divinity proposal

by the Fayetteville City Council:

Hotel, condo, restaurant, and retail complex on 1.96 acres, fronting on Dickson, Block, and Church Streets. The tallest portion would be 169’ from ground level.

KEY ORDINANCE: Section 166.14 (D) (2) (c): "A development should provide compatibility and transition between adjoining developments."

WHEN: Thursday, July 6, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. (last item on the agenda so watch CAT Channel 16, if you don’t want to sit through other items)

WHERE: City Administration Building at 113 Mountain Street, Room 219

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1) Contact the 8 Fayetteville Aldermen and Mayor Coody by email or phone, and express your opinion. Type "Against Divinity" in the subject line. Mayor Coody chairs the council and casts a vote in the event of a tie.

Robert Rhoads RRhoads@HallEstill.com 973-5202

Lioneld Jordan lljordan7@hotmail.com 442-5415

Don Marr donmarr@swbell.net 444-7671

Shirley Lucas SLucasWard4@aol.com 442-4612

Bobby Ferrell rlsferrell@sbcglobal.net 442-3535

Kyle Cook jdseed@swbell.net 521-7632

Brenda Thiel bthiel@cox.net 442-3095

Robert Reynolds no email 443-3799 or

530-9792

Dan Coody dcoody@ci.fayetteville.ar.us 443-6758 or

575-8330

2) FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE YOU THINK MIGHT BE

OPPOSED TO DIVINITY AND SEND NAMES/ADDRESSES TO ADD TO THIS LISTSERV TO ccramer@uark.edu

3) ATTEND THE MEETING AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS

4) SPEAK AT THE MEETING

[Dardedar]

DAR
I received that email too but not any arguments for why someone should be against it. So it's "ugly." Where can one look at a picture or design of the proposed building?

D.

[Betsy]

It was printed in the paper a few times -

The arguments are that there's an ordinance stating that buildings should be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood, and this building will stick out like a sore thumb.

First they made it 15 stories high, which was way higher than the city rules allowed. Now they've lowered it to 10 stories (I think, or so) which is closer to the rules.

People are also complaining, it's too big, it's too tall, it blocks my view of Old Main (yes, really) etc.

Arguments for it are that Fayetteville is growing and this is the way of the future; that money coming in for all those people staying at the hotel will be a boon for the city in taxes; that it creates jobs, etc.

All I'm saying is, it's really ugly. I agree that it's incompatible with the neighborhood, but not so much because it's too big and tall, just because it's ugly.

[Barbara Fitzpatrick]

Modern box buildings, whether horizontal or vertical, are ugly. Developers seem to think beauty is too expensive to deal with - messes with their bottom line and all that. That said, I'd rather we build up than out (as long as Mammoth Cave doesn't have a gallery underneath). Sprawl is something I've lived with most of my life (I grew up in Houston, TX) and it is worse than ugly - it stretches our infrastructure like an army's overextended supply line, leaving us vulnerable to all sorts of unpleasantnesses like fires the fire department can't get to before they spread and more sewage plants that won't get approved until they are not only desparately needed, but they cost 6 times what they would have if approved when the need was first foreseen. Given a choice between ugly and efficient (building up) and ugly and inefficient (building out), I vote for building up. In another 20 years it will be quite compatible with the surrounding buildings - or rather, they will be compatible with it.

[Doug]

DOUG
I talked to someone who went to the city meeting on this. The speakers were overwhelmingly in favor of putting up the building as planned, I was told. I suspect the grassroots movement against it was unsuccessful.

[Betsy]

Here's a letter to the NWA Times "editor" that I sent yesterday, if anyone cares to comment on this issue:

Although I do not personally like the design of the Divinity building on Dickson street, I'm not one to think developers have to build things to my preference. In fact, I've always supported the Downtown/Dickson Street Enhancement project and their work to improve that area. I think the Legacy building, also being developed by The Barber Group, is a beautiful addition to Dickson street and wish I could afford to purchase one of its condominiums. However, I am very disappointed in our city government and in the NW Times for their deference to the Divinity project as it is in direct contradiction to the laws and rules that the city had already established.

Remember, the project was turned down three times by the planning commission before city council approved it -- even after the city attorney expressly reminded the alderpersons orally and in writing that they are not allowed by the city's Unified Development Code to consider economic impact. However, everyone who voted for the project cited the economic benefit to the area from the project.

An editorial in the Northwest Arkansas Times last week called the lawsuit against the city "silly" -- apparently, the editors, as well as Fayetteville City Council, think it's just fine to ignore the law and the advice of the city attorney, just so long as it makes people money.

[JD Allen]

One of the things I really enjoy about Fayetteville is how beautiful it is. We only have to go to Springdale to see what Fay could look like if we let it. Not having seen the building, it is hard to have a hard opinion on this. But I will say that if we always tie ourselves to existing architecture, all we will ever have are buildings that look like the ones we have now. I'd really like to see a picture of this building.

[Betsy]

I don't know where any photos of the design can be found, but that isn't the point of my argument - although it was the point of most people who were against the project. My point is that the city disregarded its own laws to allow the Barber Group to build this project.

[Barbara Fitzpatrick]

It has been reduced to a 9-story building which leaves it right there with the Radisson and various other buildings whose names I don't know in the Fayetteville square area.

[Betsy]

right, regardless, it still doesn't fit within the codes and rules set forth by the city's master plan. Two local citizens - Mike Shirkey and Peter Tooker - have filed a lawsuit against the city because they violated their own rules in passing the project through. Mike Shirkey's home and business is on property next door to the project and Peter Tooker lives nearby. So my letter is more about the rules and the lawsuit than the project itself - in fact, the Barber Group isn't even a defendant in the case. Unfortunately, people get focused on the project and not the point of the lawsuit -- which is what will probably happen if the Times decides to print my letter.

[Guest]

Part of the problem is defining "adjoining developments" - if this is the first, it can't be compatible with adjoining developments because there aren't any. If you are considering the downtown Fayetteville area, of which that portion of Dickson Street is a part, the building isn't out of line. Beauty is pretty much in the eye of the beholder - the Mountain Inn was ugly by the time it was torn down, but then it had been neglected for years. The problem with the Mountain Inn was it was solid concrete (early and not particularly successful attempt at enviro-friendly building), and couldn't be internally renovated to suite any other purpose. The ordinance didn't specify a height limit, so the 9 stories as currently planned is not out of line for downtown Fayetteville (there are taller buildings, although not many - yet). I'm not sure towers - Divine or otherwise - can ever look less than ugly (unless they happen to be corner pieces on castles). I'd still rather build up than out.