In the original plan, most of the parking for the hotel would have been across the street, which would have meant lots of hotel guests crossing West Center Street to walk to and from their cars.
Most of the standards the Massachusetts Historical Commission says the project would violate are technical and easily remedied. Nonetheless, as a result, MHC says the proposed project does not meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's standards for the rehabilitation of historic properties.
The Eagle Mill project reached perhaps its most important milestone last month when local and state officials, including Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, visited the mill to announce a $4.9 million MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant to upgrade water lines and support residential and commercial development.
