John McPheeters, Chairman of the CWEA Planning & Development Committee emailed the outcome of the meeting yesterday before the Cultural Resource Office:
"The Preservation Board approved Betsy Bradly’s recommendation that the current design is not compliant with the CWE Historic Standards, or the Form Based Zoning Code and recommended that Opus work with the Cultural Resourse Office and the CWEA Planning and Development Committee to bring the building into compliance and return to the Preservation Board at their next meeting in January."
The Opus project proposed for the northeast corner of Lindell & Euclid is first on the agenda for Monday's meeting of the Preservation Board starting at 4:00 p.m. The meeting, which is open to the public, will take place at 1520 Market Street, Suite 2000 (between the Main Post Office and Peabody Opera House). Citizen input is welcome.
Following are the observations and recommendations of the CWEA Planning & Development Committee regarding the proposed design (I left a paragraph off in my haste to get this posted last evening…see parking addition below).
December 15, 2013
Premise: The prominence of the Heart Association site and the context of the nearby built environment along Lindell Boulevard demand a first-class building at this location. Despite several meetings and conference calls over the past month, the important matters described below remain unresolved.
Historic Standards: As specified in the CWE Historic District Standards, when designing a new commercial building, height, scale, mass and materials in adjacent buildings as well as the context of the immediate surrounds shall be strongly considered. All new building materials shall be the same as the dominant materials of the adjacent buildings. Artificial masonry is not permitted, except that cast stone that replicates sandstone or limestone is allowable when laid up in the same manner as the natural stone.
Street level materials: The use of precast concrete panels at the base of the proposed structure is not appropriate for this site. The two blocks of Lindell between Kingshighway and Taylor contain many notable buildings, most of which are clad in natural stone at the base.
The finish and detailing of the street level windows, doors and the metal panels above the doors have not been submitted for review. These elements are important in establishing the quality of the architecture.
Although commercial or secondary retail use is permitted under the Form Based Code, the use of Shop Front and Awning and Canopy Frontage types is not allowed in High Rise Residential Buildings.
Upper level materials: The size and shape of the brick seems appropriate, but the proposed mixture of brick colors is not characteristic of the adjacent historic buildings.
The large expanse of metal panels proposed for both the north and south elevations is inappropriate. While examples of metal panels can be found locally at the Science Center and other institutional and commercial buildings, that material is not characteristic of residential buildings in the CWE Historic District. There is concern that existing examples of metal panels show streaking and discoloration. The Form Based Code requires that the primary building material must constitute 75% of the primary building facades. The south, west and north facades will all be highly visible, and therefore considered primary.
Details of the metal panels below the windows have not been submitted.
The termination of the building with an industrial formed metal cap over the parapet wall is not characteristic of the buildings along these blocks of Lindell and is therefore inappropriate.
The use of balconies attached to the sides of the building is not typical of the residential buildings along Lindell.
Plaza: The quality (design and materials) of the proposed plaza along Lindell Blvd. is critical. Although the design concept has evolved from the first iteration, there is much that remains unresolved. The reference to the lawn terraces typical elsewhere on the block face is not clearly evident. The most recent rendering indicates that several areas of raised beds are proposed as the answer to the typical raised lawn terraces. The material proposed to create the raised beds is poured concrete, and the plaza paving material is indicated as scored colored concrete, neither of which is appropriate for this location.
Parking: The parking plan, particularly for the retail portion of the project, is inadequate. Three parking spaces will not accommodate the likely demand, and their location on the east side of the building will not be readily evident to customers. There is no provision for employee parking (for commercial tenants and building management personnel), or service providers.
Assuming that all deliveries to the property will be in box trucks is unrealistic, and tractor trailers will not be able to unload within the building as currently designed.
Traffic and parking issues are a major concern in the CWE, therefore it is critical that parking be provided sufficient to accommodate all of the new demand generated by the project.
These requirements are beginning to become borderline ridiculous! Keep it up and no one will want to build there!
Hats of to Betsy Bradley and the CWEA Planning and Development committee! A great relief.