Scott Wong
After months of infighting among neighbors, an advisory panel this week overwhelmingly approved a plan to expand and renovate the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix.
The Camelback East Village Planning Committee voted 15-1 this week to recommend supporting the $300 million project. The rezoning, which allows for up to 300 new hotel rooms, 44 villas and a 26,000-square-foot spa, still needs approval from the Planning Commission and City Council before construction can begin.
Previous meetings of the homeowners association and village committee have been heated as neighbors voiced concerns that construction would increase traffic and crime in the area. Some feared buildings as tall a six stories would violate their privacy.
But Tuesday's meeting at the Devonshire Senior Center was respectful, without the inflammatory rhetoric and personal attacks of the past.
Those who had been the most vocal opponents of the project, including Jay Swart, said they received assurances from the resort's zoning attorney Nick Wood and Councilman Sal DiCiccio that outstanding traffic and public-safety issues would be addressed.
"What you did today was allow the revitalization of the Biltmore hotel and the protection of neighborhoods," DiCiccio, who represents the Biltmore area, told the committee after the vote.
Committee Chairman Ron Passarelli reminded attendees that the vote marked just the first in a series of hurdles for the project.
"This is the beginning of the review process," he said. "There is room for further review by the city."
Passarelli said the project had the support of the Arizona Biltmore Estates Village Association, Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission and city planning staff.
The owners of the 24th Street resort - Boston-based Pyramid Advisors, Morgan Stanley and two state teacher retirement funds - are seeking to rejuvenate the historic property, which was built in 1929. In addition to new rooms and villas, plans call for a new restaurant, landscaping, canal walking path and upgrades to the main pool, possibly including a lazy river.
"We really need to keep our crown jewel beautiful," said 17-year Biltmore homeowner Maria Pomeroy, who supports the project. "It is what attracts everyone to our area, which brings money to our area."
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