March 2, 2009

Commissioner Dever

Commissioner Highberger

Commissioner Hack

Commissioner Chestnut

Commissioner Amyx

Dear Sirs:

I cannot attend the City Commission meeting tonight as I had planned, so I’ve asked Sandra Day to enter my statement into the public comment record.

On January 23, representatives of the Oread Neighborhood Association met with the architects, managers, and owners of the Oread Inn to discuss revisions to the development plan.  The proposed changes that we discussed included reallocation of condominium space to hotel rooms, additional retail space on the first floor, a reduction in the number of parking spaces, the addition of a temporary removable shelter for the public terrace areas and the addition of roof mounted antenna for communication providers.  Also discussed was the desirability of providing handicapped accessibility and a glass enclosure on the upper-most level.  It was the opinion of the ONA representatives that these changes would not have a substantive negative effect on the surrounding neighborhood.

Traffic patterns and the closure of the 1100 block of Indiana Street were discussed in considerable detail.  In an effort to attempt to balance the safety of pedestrians and workers, the inconvenience of permanent residents in the immediate vicinity, and the interests of the developer, there was agreement that it would be best for all concerned to leave Indiana closed for the fall semester. 

Thank you for your continued consideration of the neighborhood when you discuss the details of this project.

Respectfully,

Carol von Tersch

706 West 12^th Street