A New Boutique Hotel Could Be Coming To Eagle Street

Michael Gazal and Veso Buntic of Long Island, N.Y., operating as Eagle Street Holding LLC, has an application before the Planning Board on Monday for a special permit for a change of use to convert the building into a contemporary hotel.

The Tower and Porter Block on Eagle Street could soon be converted into a hotel after an extensive interior renovation.

I berkshires.com reported that plans drawn up would create 27 double-occupancy rooms of varying size, each with private bath, in the 3,330 square-foot building. The two storefronts are envisioned to become restaurant and bar spaces. The basement will be used for services, storage and food and beverage preparation.

They also included in their plan to repair and updating structure, such as repointing the brick, replacing the single-pane windows with double-glazed, repairing and painting the trim and cornices the existing blue color, and reconfiguring the roof to improve drainage. A canopy will also be added over the center lobby entrance.

The lobby will be on the first floor on the Eagle Street side; the building also fronts North Church Street from the second floor. To make the building accessible, the plans are to keep the entrance as the center door, which will be lowered to the sidewalk, and install a wheelchair lift from there to the first-floor lobby. The exterior landings on the two retail sections will be extended into the building because they are not currently code-compliant.

The four-story brick building has been vacant for years. It was purchased in 2014 by a New York woman who was unable to bring her vision of the building to life. Gazal and Buntic purchased the property in November 2016 for $60,000. They bought the Dowlin Block on Main Street six months later.

If the plans are approved, the project will be the latest hotel construction in North County.