By Linda Taaffe

The Los Altos City Council agreed to allow developer Roxy Rapp to add a third story to his hotel planned for First and Main streets if he keeps the building within the city’s 30-foot height limit.

The council selected Rapp last June over three other developers to build a two-story boutique hotel with 75 public parking spaces on the .78-acre, city-owned site.

Rapp had initially submitted a proposal for a three-story hotel, but the council said such a structure would be too massive for the site.

Rapp told the council that a two-story hotel would seriously compromise the economic viability of the project by limiting the number of rooms. The hotel needs approximately 85 to 90 rooms, Rapp said.

He revised the initial proposal so that the hotel would include varied elevations with one-, two- and three-story building facades along First Street, without increasing the building’s elevation above 30 feet.

Numerous neighbors who initially opposed a three-story building at the site showed up at the council meeting to support Rapp’s new design.

The council’s decision does not mean Rapp will build a three-story hotel at the site, but it does give him the option. The council asked city staff to further study the economics of a two-story hotel at the site.

Rapp and the council will iron out the agreement details, including whether the city should sell or lease the property, behind closed doors over the next 120 days.