Use permit, variance approved for Colfax Hotel

The Colfax City Council approved the conditional use permit and variance for the historic Colfax Hotel in downtown. City of Colfax Planning Director Emmanuel Ursu said plans for the hotel include converting the first floor into commercial space in the front end with eight hotel rooms behind. The second and third floors will be converted into eight two-story apartment units for long-term and short-term rental. According to Ursu, the approval of the conditional use permit will allow for the multi-family residential use in a commercial zoning district. The staff report notes the variance is required to allow parking on the south side of the property to back out onto Gillen Alley where Colfax Municipal Code requires vehicles to enter a public right-of-way in a forward direction. Property owner Leif Lowery confirmed the plans for use were dictated by the layout of the building as the eight units on the second and third floors were already developed. "This hotel, over the years, it's been stripped and a lot of the original moldings and stuff have been taken out," Lowery said. "So our goal is to hopefully put it back to look like it did years ago. Lowery shared he and his wife, Wendy, own a couple of small boutique-style motels and Airbnb rentals, including the Dutch Flat Hotel where they retained a lot of the original building, furniture and decorations. Lowery said they found an impediment in the Colfax Hotel that will allow them to copy the crown molding and details, and they are working off old photos of the building. The council received one comment from Jane Gallagher asking if access to the hotel's parking could be from a right-hand only turn into the side street. Ursu said the city engineer is comfortable with two-way access along the alley. Colfax Mayor Trinity Burruss asked if there will be parking reserved specifically for the long-term and short-term rental units. Lowery confirmed the details have not been confirmed yet, but improvements will be made to the alley and they can explore having enough spots for the tenants there and allow for customers to park out front. The council expressed appreciation of the plan and Lowery's goal to keep the historic aspects of the hotel. The council approved the use permit and variance in a unanimous vote of 4-0. Councilmember David Ackerman was absent. Lowery said the hotel is anticipated to be complete in summer of 2023. Updates on the hotel's progress can be found at squarenail.co.