MARQUETTE - A group of Marquette residents gathered at the Landmark Inn Friday to discuss concerns the residents have with a proposed six-story addition to the Marquette Citadel on Blaker Street.
One of the main concerns voiced was the proposed addition does not fit in with the historical context of the neighborhood.
"I think we all feel it somehow violates the character of the national historic district," said Barb Kelly, a resident of East Arch Street and member of the Marquette Beautification and Restoration Committee. "It doesn't add to it but it subtracts from it. I think partly because it's so large, partly the design, partially the scale of it dwarfs the Citadel and is an inappropriate scale to a historic building."
In addition, attendees at the meeting said the project will present parking issues, eliminate green space and trees on the citadel property and may block off portions of the neighborhood during construction. They said they were not opposed to development but believe the proposal does not reflect the historical character of the area. Kelly said residents in the neighborhood were given no official notification the project had been proposed.
"I think that is a huge mistake, to have huge things going on in neighborhoods and never even consult any neighbors or ever have any kind of communication about ... what's going on," she said.
John Larson, the architect for the project, said he was at the meeting to listen to the neighborhood resident's concerns and bring those concerns to the property owner, who he said is sensitive to the concerns of the neighborhood.
The property is owned by Marquette Citadel LLC. On the site plan review application submitted to the city, the application is signed by Safaa El Naggar.
The project was up for site plan review before the Marquette City Planning Commission in mid-August. The commission tabled discussion of the item until meeting next Tuesday and requested the applicant provide information regarding the proposed relocation of utility lines, exterior building materials and specific landscape, lighting and buffering plans.
People at Friday's meeting said they encourage others in the surrounding neighborhoods to attend the planning commission meeting, which is at 6 p.m. in commission chambers at city hall.
The addition to the citadel would consist of garages and storage space on the first floor, loft-style apartments on the second, third, fourth and fifth floors and a terrace room and open roof terrace on the sixth floor, accessible from the fifth floor apartment. The building would have four apartments in total. The citadel building currently contains a ballroom and three suites that can be rented on a monthly or yearly basis, which has not been proposed to change.
The citadel property lies within the city's Central Business District and is subject to the same type of zoning rules that regulate buildings downtown.
The property is within the Arch and Ridge Streets Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. However, city staff said the citadel building is not on the state register of historic buildings and the proposed addition does not require review by the State Historic Preservation Office or by any federal office.
Christopher Diem can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. His e-mail address is cdiem@miningjournal.net.