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Landmarks commissioners gave their blessing to Roy Nee’s plans for the venerable Shattuck Hotel on Monday, while casting a more critical eye at Darrell De Tienne’s plans for the former Durkee Famous Foods warehouse at 740 Heinz Avenue. 

Nee’s plans for the hotel call for a major structural retrofit, a reconfiguration of the floor plans to create larger rooms and a major renovation of the old nondescript Hink’s Department Store building on Allston Way that will enlarge the structure and add a roofline and features that will bring it into architectural harmony with the larger hotel building. 

While Nee hopes to win approval by October, Planning and Development Director Dan Marks said the process could take longer. 

While Nee’s plans aren’t of such a scope as to require a full environmental impact report, Marks said a transportation analysis needs to be prepared before city staff could prepare a mitigated negative declaration, a prerequisite before the Zoning Adjustments Board can approve use permits, after which the project would come back to ZAB for a signoff. 

“This is a very high priority project for the city, and we’re very excited about it,” Marks added. “We’ll be moving ahead faster than we ever have for a project of this size.” 

The commissioners made it clear they liked Nee’s project. 

“The staff will take back information that probably surprises you because we have no major concerns,” said Commissioner Carrie Olson. 

The commissioners greeted De Tienne with more skepticism. 

He appeared in company with Chris Barlow of Wareham Properties, a major developer of office and laboratory space in Berkeley and the East Bay. Barlow told the commission his firm has already invested over a $1 million in various plans for the site. 

De Tienne noted that he had already received a demolition permit, but Marks said he wouldn’t rush the demolition of a landmark since the city didn’t consider the structure was in imminent danger of falling down. 

However, he said, “we are virtually certain it will fall down in the next earthquake.” 

While the developers said preservation of existing walls would require a costly brick-by-brick tear-down and reconstruction, Olson said that preservation of three walls would preclude the need for a costly and time-consuming environmental impact review. 

De Tienne disagreed, saying he believed the building was ready to fall down at any time. 

The developers asked the commission to help them select a structural engineer who specializes in historic buildings. The LPC voted to appoint a subcommittee to find someone to recommend to the city staff to assist in the environmental review process.