Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Submitted For Public Review
The Lecount Square project — slated for the superblock bound by Huguenot, North, Anderson, and Lecount — took another step forward this week. The Council voted unanimously to submit the applicant’s Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for public review and comment. The modified project now includes 380,000 square feet of office space, 212,000 square feet of retail space, 258 condominium apartments, a 209-room hotel, and a sizable public open space component. The office tower has been reduced in height from its previous iteration and now includes an extensive trading floor.
On balance, I believe that this project would be greatly beneficial to our downtown economy, offering a balance of uses that would enhance our tax base, lend vitality to our central business district, and provide residents with a wider range of goods and services. However, several elements of the project’s impacts and service needs have not yet been addressed to the City’s satisfaction, and we will continue working to resolve these outstanding issues between now and the adoption of a Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Revised renderings of the project can be viewed HERE. As you view these simulations, please keep in mind that the project has not yet been vetted through our now-mandatory architectural peer review process and is likely to undergo design changes. In my opinion, the podium extending several floors up from the ground level requires significant improvement.