Adios, Marriott!

On November 20th there was a preliminary meeting between members of the East Hill Alliance, two EHOA Board members, Eugenia Vogel, Councilman Michael Wildes, Mayor Fader and developer Aram Minnetian, one of the owners of Liberty Gate. The meeting took place in the Municipal Building. According to Mr. Minnetian, Liberty Gate has a signed contract with Marriott and the Presbyterian Church to buy their land. Twenty-five luxury town homes will be built on this site. Each unit will have about 3000 square feet and a two-car garage. The townhouses are expected to sell for $700,000 or more. Elevators are being planned for each townhouse, at the request of buyers. A drawing of the townhouses showed a stone façade and shingled roof. The units will have three bedrooms with room for a fourth on the first floor. The name of the complex is “Beacon Hill”. The total height of the units will be 35 feet. Representatives of the East Hill Alliance and the EHOA insisted on high buffering of evergreens (like pines and rhododendrons) between the bordering lines of Sutton Place, 45 Dwight Place and the complex. Also, it was agreed there would not be an entrance or exit through the parking lot of the church on Dwight Place (as Marriott had planned).

Developer Aram Minnetian will now have to appear before the Board of Adjustments, with a detailed construction plan to obtain a variance. We sincerely hope that the Board of Adjustments, after reviewing the plans and making sure the proper buffers and engineering issues (water problems on the land of the church) are in order, will grant the proper variance.

Finally, after five years of relentless effort and legal fighting against the Marriott Assisted Living Facility project, (which would have destroyed the quality of life for hundreds of homeowners in the first and second wards) we can PROCLAIM VICTORY!

Our thanks to all the EHOA members who contributed to the legal fund that was established to defend our quality of life and our residential zones.

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