Buffalo’s Planning Board has given developers the green light to move forward with controversial plans for a waterfront hotel.

In a 4-1 vote Tuesday, the board concluded that a revised color scheme has “softened” the appearance of the proposed Erie Basin Wingate Inn.

But Frank Lysiak, a waterfront resident and a member of the Waterfront Village Advisory Council, said the buff-colored exterior with silver-gray speckles does not do enough to improve the project.

“It’s like putting lipstick on a pig,” Lysiak said as he left the City Hall meeting.

Developer James W. Pitts disagreed, insisting the four-story structure planned on a city-owned site next to Shanghai Red’s restaurant will be an attractive addition to the waterfront and will help revitalize the shoreline.

“We think this is going to be an excellent project,” Pitts said. “The Planning Board’s action was a very important step. We can now finalize our design.”

Pitts is working with Specialty Restaurants to build the $11 million project.

Henry L. Burns, a longtime Planning Board member, backed the project, noting that the hotel won’t be a high-rise that would obscure waterfront views. He said he was glad the board found the design acceptable and concluded that a full-blown study won’t be required to gauge the hotel’s environmental impact on the surrounding neighborhood.

“Half the projects that we start in Western New York end up in the file box,” Burns said. “This is something that’s going to get done.”

The 98-room hotel still faces potential obstacles. The Common Council must approve a land transfer, and most lawmakers have voiced concerns about the project. Some say a $37 million, 10-story mixed-use complex proposed by Ciminelli Development Co. and businessman Mark E. Hamister would be more suitable for the waterfront. But the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency concluded that the competing plan did not meet height and density requirements.

The Wingate Hotel project has undergone several design revisions in an attempt to resolve issues raised by critics. The most recent changes involved altering the color of the brick that will be used.

Cynthia Schwartz, Planning Board vice chairwoman, described the new buff and gray exterior as an improvement. But she said she still doesn’t consider the structure optimal for such a “prominent” waterfront location.

“I’m just not enamored of the design itself,” said Schwartz, who cast the only “no” vote.