Design Review Board
Level 2: Major alteration of an existing building/structure
2-A-22-DT
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of Certificate 2-A-22-DT, subject to the following conditions:
1) Receiving the necessary variances at the 3/15/2022 BZA meeting, and pending Board's approval of the removal of façade ground floor transparency;
2) Minimize visual impact of mechanical equipment on north/right elevation via screening or paint;
3) Meeting the relevant standards of City zoning code for landscaping (Article 12);
4) Meeting the relevant standards of the City sign code.
Applicant Request
Exterior rehabilitation and additions to an existing building.
Additions: Additions are proposed for the façade (west) and the left side (north) elevations. On the façade, the addition is a 23'-6" tall block of fiber cement panels, covering the leftmost bay of existing doors. In front of the fiber cement panels is a concrete planter. On the left elevation, a flat-roof addition clad in vertical fiber cement panels features a set of full-light double doors fronting the façade. The addition measures approximately 11'-6" wide by 15'-6" long, serving as a side entry vestibule and accessing a new two-story deck with a metal railing on the left side elevation.
Exterior rehabilitation: On the façade, exterior rehabilitation scopes include the enclosure of original window openings with vertical fiber cement panels. The rightmost bay of doors will be enclosed with an aluminum overhead door adjacent to a hollow metal door. A flat-roof metal canopy extends the length of the façade (with a break for the fiber cement façade panels), located 9' above the ground level. The metal canopy wraps around the left (north) side elevation, extending above an aluminum overhead garage-style door.
Signs: One painted wall sign, measuring 3' tall by 8'-10" wide (26.5 square feet) proposed for the upper left wall area of the façade. One wall sign of individual metal letters, measuring 13'-2" long by 6" wide, proposed for the fiber cement panels.
Application also includes a concrete planter on the left (north) side elevation, a new metal guardrail on the façade, the installation of mechanical equipment on the rear right (north) corner), the repair and repointing to the existing masonry walls and concrete coping,
Site elements: On the north side of the property (fronting Cumberland Avenue), the existing gravel parking lot will be converted to a two-level patio with pavers, a centrally located stair section, and landscaping. Landscaping plan provided in sheet L1.1 of application drawings.
Staff Comments
808 State Street is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, so the Historic Resources section of the design guidelines does not apply. The modest midcentury brick commercial building has received several campaigns of exterior rehabilitation, most recently removing non-historic stone veneer and a c.1980 wood shake mansard roof.
In general, exterior rehabilitation scopes meet the design guidelines. Driven by both seismic upgrade requirements and programmatic goals (locating the stage along the façade instead of to the rear of the building), the applicant has proposed to enclose the majority of the windows and reduce the amount of transparency along the façade. The Design Standards of the DK-G zoning district (Section 5.5.C, Table 5-4) require a minimum transparency of 30% on the ground floor of a front façade. The applicant is proposing to reduce the transparency to 15.23%.
The proposed windows and doors to be removed are not original to the building, though the original size of the fenestrations is visible in the openings to be infilled or covered with the fiber cement panels. Design guidelines recommend "enhancing pedestrian interest" by "creating a largely transparent and consistent rhythm of entrances and windows," and recommend "avoid[ing] blank walls along street-facing elevations."
Approval of the large reduction in transparency on the street elevation is pending Board of Zoning Appeals approval on 3/15/2022 (3-A-22-VA). The Board should discuss the enclosure of window and door openings on the façade in comparison with the guidelines.
The mechanical equipment located on the rear section of the right (north) elevation is large in scope and would benefit from screening or painting to minimize its visual impact.
While the proposed wall signs are large, they are proportionate to the wall areas where they'll be placed and do not detract from the overall building. Signs should be confirmed to meet section 13.9.F.b of the City sign code and not exceed 10% of the wall area of the primary building elevation.
The proposed landscape and patio areas meet the design guidelines for downtown beautification, along with creating pedestrian-friendly private plazas with extensive landscaping. The proposed grade separations on the patio correspond with the site's existing topography, and the plaza will be accessible via a stair off the Cumberland Avenue elevation.
