A belated report on the Design Review & Preservation Board (usually referred to simply as DRB) meeting which immediately preceded the P&Z meeting Wednesday evening. I was only present for the presentation period of the meeting, and did not stay on to hear the board deliberate and discuss minutes or old business.
A similar thread ran through the Board’s response to the three projects that were presented – the role of the stationary automobile in design considerations. A major goal of the board is to recommend the reduction of parking spaces to the minimum required by city code, to ameliorate the heat radiated by parking lots by planting trees in islands, and to prevent the construction of parking lots in front of residential buildings.
For example, the proposed parking lot for business condos off of I-91, which is known as "Centerpoint" and boasts a gold LEED plan (see the story by Fishmuscle about the P&Z meeting last night in today’s Eye for more details), exceeded the minimum number of recommended spaces. The chairman, Mr. Jeff Bianco, advised that the number of parking spaces be reduced to the city minimum requirement. He also requested that the signage that will be visible from I-91 be reduced in size, as it exceeded code. Another board member recommended that the architect incorporate other types of surfacing such as pressed concrete to break up the monotony of the asphalt in the expansive parking lots. Pedestrian pathways could be delineated by such surfaces, he recommended. When asked if he had considered using porous surfacing material, the architect responded that the type of subsurface on the site was not conducive to proper drainage.
The Price Chopper proposal also came under scrutiny with respect to the sea of asphalt that fronts it. The board strongly recommended that the islands in that lot be planted according to DRB guidelines, and to consider constructing more islands. The representative from Price Chopper responded with the contention that any fewer spaces in the lot would be unacceptable to his corporation. Mr. Bianco noted that there exists plenty of overflow parking in the adjacent lot (Home Depot). Mr. Bianco also questioned the design of the front of the building (with respect to perceived access); according to a Price Chopper representative, the design was not accurately depicted on the drawings provided to the board.
The proposal by Habitat for Humanity to build a duplex on Ferry St. with two separate driveways and parking in front of the house garnered criticism from Mr. Bianco as well as members of the public (myself included). The design of the duplex could be changed and aligned close to the street in keeping with traditional streetscape design. And a single driveway could be used to gain access to the back of the house for parking. Habitat for Humanity representatives argued that an adjacent home had parking fronting the street, but Mr. Bianco pointed out in response that a bad precedent should not be imitated. Jennifer Alexander, as a member of the public, recommended that Habitat incorporate the design of the existing structure on the site, which will be razed as part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Ferry and Green Street areas.
The house on Ferry St., to be demolished by Nehemiah Housing/Habitat for Humanity. Photo added by Jen Alexander.
The Design Review and Preservation Board is a funny animal. It's sort of part city commission, part HGTV. These folks comment on projects that are before the Planning & Zoning Commission or the Building Department, and make recommendations on changes that would improve the appearance or preserve any historic aspects of the site. But their decisions are purely advisory -- sadly, this animal has no teeth.
ReplyDeleteI'm always hoping that will change!
And I should have added that at the end of the meeting, Habitat was brought back in to discuss the next steps. After the discussion, they agreed to come back next month with some new design options that consider both on the building setback and the parking.
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