4-E-24-DT

Level III: City Summit

Approve Subject To Conditions

APPROVE Certificate 4-E-24-DT subject to the following conditions:1) Final site plan and parking lot to meet City Engineering standards;2) Final landscaping plan to meet standards of City zoning code (12.2) and design guidelines;3) Any mechanical equipment or service utilities not shown on plans to be placed on secondary elevations and receive screening as necessary;4) Signage to return to Design Review Board as a separate application.

Case File

Recommendation

The Board should discuss whether the revised materials meet the guideline to relate to the scale, durability, color, and texture of the predominate building materials in the area. The Board should also discuss the building's groundl-level pedestrian engagement within the neighborhood context.

Approval of Certificate 4-E-24-DT should be subject to the following conditions:
1) Final site plan and parking lot to meet City Engineering standards;
2) Final landscaping plan to meet standards of City zoning code (12.2) and design guidelines;
3) Any mechanical equipment or service utilities not shown on plans to be placed on secondary elevations and receive screening as necessary;
4) Signage to return to Design Review Board as a separate application.

Applicant Request

Level III: New primary structure

- SUMMARY: Proposed new 5-story residential construction. The building is proposed for a rectangular site at the intersection of W. Vine Ave. and Locust St., currently featuring the Carpenter's Union Building and a surface parking lot. The building is L shaped, extending the full length of the parcels along W. Vine Ave and Locust Street, and features a surface parking lot recessed behind the building.
- SITE LAYOUT AND ACCESS: The parking lot is accessible via a 22' wide drive extending north off Cafego Place. Mechanical and service fixtures, including access to a trash room, are also located on this elevation. The primary pedestrian access point to the building is located to the rear of the building, in the north, as a storefront entry system located on the south elevation of the massing fronting W. Vine Ave. There are no ground-level entries or amenities fronting W. Vine Ave or Locust St.
- DESIGN ELEMENTS [Revised for May DRB submission]: The flat-roof building features first and second stories clad in brick veneer. The third through fifth stories are clad in painted cement board, arranged in alternating bands of horizontal shiplap and vertical panels. On the elevations facing the parking lot, a section of the building features just one story of brick veneer cladding. Units feature paired double-hung windows and full-light sliding doors, which provide access to balconies on the second through fifth stories. A large red metal panel accent encloses interior bays on the north and south elevations and extends above the roofline.

Property Notes / Work to be Completed

- 1. The building is proposed for a parcel currently containing a c.1940 building (to be demolished) and surface parking. The site is surrounded by multi-family construction, including contemporary townhouse style units to the north and a tall multi-family building to the west, with a historic brick masonry church further to the east. The blocks feature a limited amount of pedestrian activity, as it is somewhat disconnected from Jackson Ave by topography and the rest of downtown by Summit Hill Drive.
- 2. The property was previously zoned DK-G, but rezoned by the applicant in DK-B in 2022. The DK-B subdistrict permits buildings with residential uses on the ground floor.
- 3. The application includes approximately 18 spaces on a new surface parking lot, accessed from Cafego Place. Overall, the access point meets the design guidelines as it creates only one curb cut on the sidewalk (where there are currently multiple) and will not create additional safety issues for pedestrians. The parking lot meets the guidelines as it's located to the rear of the building. The final site plan should meet City Engineering standards.
- 4. Guidelines encourage maintaining a pedestrian-scaled environment from block to block, and avoiding blank walls along street-facing elevations. The application avoids blank walls via a series of double-hung and fixed windows on the Vine elevation, with windows and sliding glass doors along the Locust St elevation. The guidelines also recommend dividing buildings into "modules" similar in scale to traditional downtown buildings with a recognizable base, middle, and top. The design includes details typical to contemporary multi-family buildings, using vertical bands to break up the massing along a brick foundation base and a parapet-topped roofline. The revised design incorporates additional masonry to define a base.
- 5. The project does not include any public uses on the first story. Many guidelines encourage incorporating first-floor uses that engage pedestrians and draw walk-in traffic. Other fully residential buildings approved by the Board recently include 701 E. Hill Avenue (8-F-22-DT), which noted that the building was proposed for a largely residential area which didn't contain other commercial or retail spaces. At 121 Union Ave (7-C-23-DT), the multi-family building included a retail use at the corner and engaged the street via a series of townhouse-style stoops and entries.
- Guidelines recommend creating a "consistent rhythm of entrances and windows" along the ground-level elevations. The Vine Avenue elevation has a consistent rhythm of windows but only one door accessing the sidewalk, which is a secondary single-light door. There are no entrances on the Locust Street elevation. The primary building entrance is located on the rear of the building by the parking lot. The Board should discuss the proposed ground-level design and engagement with the street within the neighborhood context.
- 6. Guidelines recommend the use of building materials that "relate to the scale, durability, color, and texture of the predominate building materials in the area." The surrounding area is characterized by the use of brick masonry, from the c.1970s and 1980s multi-family buildings to the north and west, to the contemporary townhouses to the northwest, to the Fraternal Order of the Eagles Building and the historic church nearby. Fiber cement siding panels do not demonstrate the same durability or detail as historic masonry. The revised proposal includes two levels of brick masonry on the primary elevations, incorporating additional masonry in response to the guidelines and previous staff recommendations. The Board should discuss the proposed materials.
- 7. The proposal meets the guidelines for residential buildings, with residential accesses "elevated so that pedestrians cannot look directly into the residence from street level."
- 8. All mechanical and service utilities indicated on the plans meet the guidelines as located on secondary elevations; any not shown should receive screening as necessary. Lighting should meet City standards for exterior lighting.
- 9. The signs depicted on the elevation drawings do not contain sufficient information for Board review at this time; a separate signage application should be submitted to the DRB for further review.

Applicable Guidelines

Downtown Design Guidelines

- A. Public Realm
- 1. Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
- 1g. Consolidate curb-cuts and locate driveways near mid-block, when necessary; alley access should be provided for service and parking, if feasible.
- 3. Parking Facilities
- 3c. Locate surface parking lots to the side or rear of buildings. No surface parking lots should be created in front of buildings.
- 3d. Screen surface lots, where they abut a public sidewalk, with decorative walls, fencing, and landscaping.
- 3e. Distribute shade trees within surface lots at a ratio of 1 tree per 8 parking spaces. Trees may be planted in wells between spaces.
- 4. Downtown Beautification
- 4a. Foster downtown beautification with landscaping and plantings, public art, and public open space.
- 4c. Plant street trees where possible. Choose tree planting locations that will not significantly alter the setting of or harm the materials of historic buildings.
- B. Private Realm
- 1. Building Mass, Scale and Form
- 1a. Maintain a pedestrian-scaled environment from block to block.
- 1b. Foster air circulation and sunlight penetration around new buildings. Buildings may be designed with open space, as allowed under existing DK zoning; or buildings may be 'stepped back' on upper floors with lower floors meeting the sidewalk edge.
- 1c. Use building materials, cornice lines, signs, and awnings of a human scale in order to reduce the mass of buildings as experienced at the street level.
- 1d. Divide larger buildings into 'modules' that are similar in scale to traditional downtown buildings. Buildings should be designed with a recognizable base, middle, and top on all exposed elevations.
- 1e. Avoid blank walls along street-facing elevations.
- 2. Building Location
- 2a. Set buildings back five feet in order to provide wider sidewalk space when new construction in non-historic areas is to be more than half the length of the block.
- 2b. Consider using landscape elements to define the sidewalk edge where a building is to be set back from the sidewalk.
- 2d. Limit grade separations above or below the sidewalk, generally no more than 3 feet. Allow for clear sightlines into and out of buildings and plazas.
- 2e. Design private plazas to be pedestrian-friendly. Provide human-scale amenities and include landscaping.
- 3. Building Materials
- 3a. Use complimentary materials and elements, especially next to historic buildings.
- 4. Architectural Character
- 4a. Encourage first floor uses that draw walk-in traffic; businesses that do not require pedestrian traffic should be located on other floors.
- 4b. Enhance pedestrian interest in commercial and office buildings by creating a largely transparent and consistent rhythm of entrances and windows.
- 4c. Scale first floor signs to pedestrians.
- 4d. Differentiate the architectural features of ground floors from upper floors with traditional considerations such as show-windows, transoms, friezes, and sign boards.
- 4e. Design top floors to enhance the skyline of the block through cornices and details that are harmonious with adjacent architecture. 4f. Encourage the use of 'green roofs' and other sustainable practices, while minimizing the visual impact from the street.
- 5. Ground Floor Doors and Windows
- 5a. Use consistent rhythm of openings, windows, doorways, and entries.
- 5b. Orient primary front entrances to the main street; secondary entrances should be clearly defined and oriented to streets or alleys, as appropriate.
- 5c. Design entrances according to the proportions of the building's height and width.
- 5d. Consider corner entrances at the ends of blocks.
- 5e. All windows at the pedestrian level should be clear
- 5f. Recess ground floor window frames and doors from the exterior building face to provide depth to the facade.
- 6. Residential Buildings
- 6a. Elevate the first floor of townhouses and apartment buildings so that pedestrians cannot look directly into the residence from the sidewalk level.
- 6b. Design entrances to residential buildings so that access is separated from pedestrian flow on the sidewalk.
- 6c. Encourage the development of mixed-use buildings with apartments over lower story commercial uses.
- 7. Mechanical Equipment and Service Utilities
- 7a. Minimize the visual impact of mechanical equipment through screens or recessed/ low-profile equipment.
- 7b. Do not locate units on a primary façade.
- 7c. Screen rooftop vents, heating/ cooling units and related utilities with parapet walls or other screens. Consider sound-buffering of the units as part of the design.
- 7d. Locate utility connections and service boxes on secondary walls.
- 7e. Reduce the visual impacts of trash storage and service areas by locating them at the rear of a building or off an alley, when possible.
- 7f. Screen dumpsters from view.
- 7g. Locate satellite dishes out of public view, where possible.
- 7h. Allow solar panels and other technological advances on rooftops and other unobtrusive locations. Solar panels should not be considered on the elevations of historic buildings.
- The Boulevard District:
- 2a. Design building entrances to be clearly oriented to the street.
- 2b. Encourage building forms that are complimentary to the mass of adjacent buildings.
- 2c. Design building elevations to compliment the buildings along the side or back streets when buildings are to face more than one street.
- 2d. Screen service facilities or incorporate them into the design of new buildings so that they are not obtrusive.