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A downtown hotel proposal from a Minneapolis developer sailed through a design review hearing Thursday.

The Portland Design Commission voted 6-0 to approve DLR Group‘s design for a Graves Hospitality hotel at Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street. The 鈥渂outique lifestyle鈥� hotel will reach 12 stories and include 197 guest rooms.

The hotel will displace a row of food carts that face Alder Street and the northern side of Jake’s Grill. Some of the food carts have found other locations. The new hotel will incorporate on the ground floor four food establishments that will be integrated into the lobby in a food hall-like concept, said Benjamin Graves, president and chief operating officer of Graves Hospitality.

鈥淲e started looking at hotels here probably seven years ago,鈥� Graves said. 鈥淓ssentially, we’re a lifestyle company. We like to do business in places we like to go, where we like to hang out. We love Portland.鈥�

Hospitality companies must expand beyond their hometowns, as there’s only so much room in any given market for a certain hotel concept, Graves said.

The hotel will fit snugly on the 7,500-square-foot lot. The hotel will also replace a surface parking lot. The property is owned by the Goodman family through limited liability companies. Graves said his company had agreed to a 99-year lease after the Goodmans declined to sell the property.

Graves Hospitality is a long-term holder of its assets, said Matt Mering, director of development.

Company executives said they expect to break ground as soon as possible after obtaining permits 鈥� likely this summer. Graves did not answer questions via email regarding the upcoming hotel’s brand identity.

Design commissioners greeted the project with enthusiasm. The hotel had been the subject of two prior design advice meetings.

鈥淭he design has evolved so well, so positively since the first conversation,鈥� Commission Chairwoman Julie Livingston said.

The proposal does an 鈥渆xtraordinarily strong job鈥� meeting public realm guidelines, Livingston said. The project would be a positive example for future design review applicants, she added.

The design was tweaked from the original proposal. The main entrance will face 10th Avenue instead of Alder Street. A decorative white band running around the corner of the hotel was removed. A light-colored vertical 鈥渇in鈥� that will frame views from the hotel facing east toward the Willamette River and Mount Hood remained in the final design.

DLR Group principal Tim Ganey presented the design along with Graves Hospitality executives.

The design features brick masonry columns and glass on what promises to be an active ground floor. The design also accounts for a steep grade change on the property. Canopies were lowered to provide a better pedestrian experience.

鈥淭his is a space that I could see coming to and hanging out with friends, so I think it’s great,鈥� Commissioner Andrew Clarke said.

Commissioner Tad Savinar said he was initially concerned the brick would be too dark, but was persuaded otherwise by samples of the material that were shown to the Design Commission. 鈥淵ou’ve convinced me with your sample that it’s not black,鈥� he said.

No citizens testified regarding the proposal.

鈥淥ftentimes we get folks from out of town who don’t get it, and you did get it,鈥� Savinar said.