A Pearl District group on Monday elevated its fight against plans for a 23-story tower, filing a notice of intent to appeal to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.

That action follows approvals of the project by the Portland Design Commission and City Council, which in January turned back an appeal by the group – Pearl Neighbors for Integrity in Design (PNID).

The Hyatt Place and Allison Residences proposal has stirred opposition in the Pearl District, where it would be the first building to reach a new height limit of 250 feet. The Central City 2035 rezoning plan raised height limits in the Pearl District, Goose Hollow and other close-in neighborhoods, causing some residents to voice fears that those areas would change for the worse.

“The whole essence isn’t the height so much as the density, the traffic, the impact on the greenway,” said Patricia Cliff, president of PNID.

The building would have 160 hotel rooms and 113 residential units in 197,118 square feet. Otak Inc. is designing the project for Seattle multifamily developer Vibrant Cities and hotelier The Sunray Companies of Madison, Mississippi.

The project doesn’t adequately consider bicycle traffic or deliveries to the building planned at 350 N.W 12th Ave., Cliff said.

“The precedent setting of it is incredible,” she said. “There are 12 of these quarter-blocks in the South Pearl, south of Lovejoy (Street). Any one of them could be built this way. It’s a preservation idea.”

Attorney Carrie Richter of Bateman Seidel is representing PNID, a nonprofit organization. The group is separate from the city-recognized Pearl District Neighborhood Association, although some members are active in both groups. Richter could not be reached for comment.

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The Portland Design Commission has reapproved a proposal to build a 23-story tower, the Hyatt Place and Allison Residences, in the Pearl District. The City Council – in a rare move – had remanded the project to the Design Commission on Sept. 26.

Design commissioners voted 4-0 on Thursday to return their recommendation to the City Council, which is now scheduled to hold a hearing on the project, and an initial vote, on Dec. 10.

The project from Seattle multifamily developer Vibrant Cities and hotelier The Sunray Companies of Madison, Mississippi, is for a quarter-block property at 350 N.W. 12th Ave., where a parking lot sits currently. As designed by Otak Inc., the building would have 160 hotel rooms and 113 residential units in 197,118 square feet.

The building’s proposed height of 250 feet is the tallest allowed by Central City 2035 plan guidelines. As larger buildings allowed by the 2035 plan have rolled out, residents of neighborhoods such as the Pearl District and Goose Hollow have often reacted with opposition.

Throughout the design process, the Hyatt Place and Allison Residences project has been opposed by Pearl Neighbors for Integrity in Design, a group of nearby residents and business owners. The nonprofit is not affiliated with the city-sanctioned Pearl District Neighborhood Association.

PNID representatives have characterized the project as too large for the property, and its use too intensive, with residents and hotel guests constantly entering and exiting.

Thursday’s hearing revealed several design changes made in response to direction from City Council. The middle of the building was pulled back 3 feet from the property line. The hotel entrance at the corner of Northwest 12th Avenue and Flanders Street was pulled back a total of 7 feet from the property line, providing more room for the public realm, said Gary Larson, an Otak consultant architect. Canopies were extended around the building. A cornice was lowered by one floor.

“Our objective has been to reduce the mass of the building through the setback strategy and reduce the apparent height of the building through the cornice line adjustments,” Larson said.

Carrie Richter, a land-use lawyer representing PNID, said the group remains disappointed with the minimal revisions.

“My client is truly disheartened by the lack of fundamental change that went into this remand,” she said.

But the Hyatt Place and Allison Residences would not be out of place in the Pearl District, where buildings are commonly built to property lines, Commissioner Zari Santner said.

“Pearl has a very, very eclectic identity,” she said. “This building would be a great addition to that.”

Commissioner Sam Rodriguez also complimented the design.

“I think the changes are positive and it will turn out to be a good building,” he said.

When the proposal returns to the City Council in December, the council will still be in the lame-duck period following the Nov. 3 election. Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who expressed concerns with the project, is likely to weigh in on the Hyatt Place and Allison Residences before she’s replaced in January by Carmen Rubio. Commissioner Chloe Eudaly also will still be on the council, and not newly elected Mingus Mapps.

If the design is approved by the City Council, opponents could potentially appeal to the state Land Use Board of Appeals or District Court.

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