WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. March 17, 2005: Bruce Berg, President of Cappelli Enterprises, confirmed today to WPCNR that Mr. Cappelli's firm presented a plan to the Urban Renewal Agency this morning to lower the height of the affordable housing complex they propose for 240 Main Street to 5 stories from its previously planned 8 story height. Berg said it was an alternative presented to the Common Council and was 10 feet higher than Ginsburg Development Corporation had prosed for the "Donut Nook site," parallel to the City Place drive.

Cappelli Offers to Cut Down 240 Main Street to 5 Stories, include swank cafe on City Place Drive. The controversial Donut Nook, Main Street Bookstore and Deli property being wrangled over by Developers Louis Cappelli and Martin Ginsburg. Mr. Ginsburg plans his 23-story pinnacle immediately in back of the Nook-Deli-Bookstore complex. Photo from WPCNR News Archive.

The proposal would have the downsized Cappelli affordable housing project provide 24 affordable units in the building and a restaurant on the first floor. Asked if the remaining 18 affordable units Mr. Cappelli owes the city under their Council's 6% Reserve for Affordable Housing statute, would then be built at 221 Main Street, Berg said that has not been decided. He added that the remaining 18 units of affordable could either be built at a site the Common Council suggests or Mr. Cappelli would pay a fee in lieu of building the other 18 units. Cappelli had previously suggested he could build all 42 at another site in the city of the Council's suggestion, rather than at 240 Main since the Council appeared opposed to that March 7.

In the matter of what firm will partner with Mr. Cappelli in constructing the hotel at 221 Main, Mr. Berg said he was working on the term sheet with the hotelier "now."  Asked if the buyer was Donald Trump, Mr. Berg said it was a national firm. Asked if this was a national firm headed up with a man with blondish reddish hair, Mr. Berg laughed and said "No comment."