Astoria developer Floyd Holcom expects to break ground for a Hampton Inn and Suites hotel on the riverfront at 201 39th St. before the end of this year. At Tuesday’s meeting, the Astoria Planning Commission granted Holcom a second one-year extension of a height-variance for the project, which is to be constructed with heights varying between 36 and 48 feet. Without a variance, the maximum height allowed for the property, which is in the Tourist Oriented Shoreland zone, would be 28 feet.

The vote was 5-0, with Tryan Hartill, Al Tollefson, McLaren Innes, Annie Oliver and Commission Chairman Bruce Conner in favor. Mark Cary was absent and Zetty McKay excused herself from the vote because Holcom is the landlord for her business on Pier 39.

Holcom said there were unforeseen delays in the design process for the hotel, which must adhere to corporate requirements for Hampton Hotels and also satisfy city rules. He said he’s working on lining up $10.5 million financing for the hotel, which he said will bring lots of visitors to Astoria and provide numerous jobs. He estimated the hotel will pay $80,000 in property tax when completed.

In other business, the Commission voted unanimously to amend the city’s entire Comprehensive Plan by reformatting the text for the digital age. City Planner Rosemary Johnson and Administrative Assistant Sherry Williams spent many hours converting the lengthy hand-typed document to digital format and putting it on the computer. It will now be available to the public on the city’s website.

Astoria Community Development Director Brett Estes said the digital conversion came at a propitious time. Just as it was being completed, the state Department of Land Conservation and Development warned the city its grant funding would be in jeopardy without a comprehensive plan in digital format.