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The Portland Design Commission on Thursday got its first glimpse of plans for a new hotel toward the Pearl District’s south end. Choice Cambria would be a six-story building near the historic North Park Blocks.

The hotel would occupy half of a block and front Northwest Park Avenue, between Northwest Davis and Couch streets. Two existing buildings on the site would be demolished. The new building would hold 174 guest rooms and a 1,900-square-foot space available for a tenant improvement.

Thursday’s hearing was for design advice. The applicant, Jeff Roberts of SERA Architects, filed the request on behalf of Denver-based HighSide Development. The project is the firm’s first in the Portland market.

Cambria Portland is just one of the Choice-branded hotels the developer is working on across the U.S., including downtown Los Angeles.

鈥淒esigning on the park blocks is pretty special,鈥� Roberts said, adding that he walks through the area almost every day on his commute.

The location of the project site and its significance in proximity to the North Park Blocks held much of the design commissioners’ conversation. The blocks were some of the original park properties in the city.

While design commissioners voiced concerns about the building’s design, the significant setback drew most of the comments.

鈥淭he setback is kind of bananas,鈥� Commissioner Chandra Robinson said.

Most of the other commissioners agreed.

The Green Loop requires a 12-foot setback along 75 percent of the property lines adjacent to it. The purpose is to provide a greater pedestrian pathway around the Central City.

However, in the case of North Park Blocks, Robinson said it devalues the park. Instead of the sidewalk and buildings pushing pedestrians closer to the park and adding to a singular experience, the setback creates separation.

The Green Loop’s setback requirement had also been debated for Block 216, which is now under construction. The setback had carved into the building’s ground floor.

The project team is seeking a modification to the setback requirement to reduce the lot line by two feet, or 74 percent. City planner Ben Nielsen advised not seeking a 100 percent reduction of the setback because that would mean completely redoing ground-floor programming.

Also, as of Thursday, the building would be split in two with a nod to the area’s history on one side and a modern exterior enveloping the remainder.

Design commissioners expressed concerns with the fusion of old and new.

鈥淚t doesn’t make sense to me,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淚t doesn’t feel like it’s contextual, and it doesn’t feel like 鈥� the mix of the modern and the historic is really coming from that area.鈥�

Design commissioners suggested the building take on an entirely historical or modern approach.

Commissioner Don Vallaster recused himself from the hearing due to a conflict of interest.