Public Hearing Next Month On Major Downtown Project
The City Council voted unanimously last night to accept the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Lecount Square project, bringing this major downtown development one step closer to approval.
Lecount Square, as you may recall from previous bulletins, is a mixed-use project with significant office, retail, housing, and hotel components, as well as extensive public open space and restaurants. It will be sited on the large block bounded by Huguenot, North, Lecount, and Anderson. The various uses would be arranged in a three-story podium, with two towers rising above, one at 493 feet, the other at 261 feet, and several levels of new underground parking. Since its last iteration, the project has been reduced in overall size by approximately 130,000 square feet in order to achieve a balance between parking demand and supply. The FEIS also includes several City-mandated investments and infrastructure improvements intended to mitigate various project impacts.
The FEIS will be the subject of a public hearing in November, and then the City will complete the environmental review process by issuing a findings statement.
I strongly support the Lecount Square project, because I believe it will substantially improve the downtown business climate, provide a healthy mix of uses and activities, and contribute to the City’s tax base. The precise timetable for commencing construction will depend upon overall economic conditions and upon finalizing an agreement with the United State Postal Service for maintaining or relocating its on-site operations.