TAMPA - A five-story boutique hotel project in Ybor City has received initial approval from the Tampa City Council and soon will go before the Barrio Latino Commission for consideration of the building's design.

The vacant site is at 1315 E. Fifth Ave., between Nuccio Parkway and 14th Street in the Ybor City Historic District.

The city council will take a final vote within two weeks.

The Barrio Latino Commission in January gave its initial OK but included a list of conditions, including an objection to a ramp for a two-story enclosed parking garage. The hotel must meet historic design guidelines to receive the commission's final approval.

The ramp also concerned city council members, who discussed the hotel proposal at a meeting Thursday.

"This is a foreign element to the historic district," said Ron Vila, a preservation specialist with the city's Historic Preservation Commission.
Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena said the garage exterior should, "look like a building not a parking garage."

Mark Bentley, an attorney for developer Ybor City Homes, noted Hampton Inn on Seventh Avenue has a ramp.

"It's not foreign," he said, adding the garage design will provide screening that mirrors the hotel's exterior.

"You're not even going to see a car," Bentley said.

The project will have a third-story landscaped terrace.

The property's owners rezoned the site for office or mixed-use office and residential in 2006. The hotel's approval adds a third option for developers.

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 259-7652.