DANBURY — A developer whose scheme has been criticized by the city’s top planner to convert a west side hotel into micro apartments and innovation space showed up at a public hearing this week with supporters to tout the proposed units as both desirable and affordable.
“We are trying to bring life back to the area in a creative way… and are really excited about the potential for what we think is a phenomenal concept,” said Dan Bertram, a downtown developer, speaking of his plan to convert the defunct Crowne Plaza hotel into 198 micro apartments and three floors of makerspace for entrepreneurs and artists. “We are very, very excited by the possibilities we see with this property.”
Supporters agreed, urging the city’s Zoning Commission to pass an amendment that would allow Bertram to operate an apartment house in the Mill Plain Road commercial corridor on…