Members of the Bristol Historic District Commission are worried about the size of a new building proposed for downtown Bristol, but they stopped short of making any decisions on the project last night. The board instead scheduled a very rare co-meeting with the Bristol Planning Board for next Thursday, March 8, so both boards can hear the proposal and act on it in concert.

The proposal comes from Jim Roiter, the developer who purchased the Belvedere Hotel out of bankruptcy 10 years ago and rehabilitated it into luxury condominiums. He is proposing a four-story building at the corner of State and Thames streets that would house a Providence Coal-Fired Pizza restaurant on the first floor, 20 apartments on the second and third floors (along with a parking garage), and rooftop dining for the pizza restaurant and a separate, private pool and lounge area for the residents.

Historic district commission chairwoman Oryann Lima said, “We want to meet with the planning board, so we can get a picture of whose jurisdiction is whose … We think this is a valid project, though some of the members think the sizing and mass are a little big. We felt more comfortable if we could merge with planning, because we probably have all the same issues, so it wouldn’t be fair for the applicant to yo-yo back and forth between the two boards.”

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

Though many people had questions and concerns, Mr. Lima said the meeting was productive.

“I thought the meeting went well,” she said. “A lot of questions were asked, and a lot we got answered.”

She said the applicant has been asked to show streetscape renderings of the project from different angles, including from Thames Street looking north, and from across the street.

The historic district commission members spent the majority of the time talking about the size of the building, less about the design, materials or facade, though no one spoke critically of any of those aspects. All could be discussed at the next historic district commission meeting, at the beginning of April, when the hearing will continue.