CONCEPT PLAN REVIEW SUMMARY MINUTES
COMMUNITY DESIGN COMMISSION
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2005, 7:00 P.M.
Chairperson Scott Radway called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Commission members present were Mark Broadwell, George Cianciolo, Dale Coker, Chris Culbreth, Eleanor Howe, Scott Radway (Chairperson) Amy Ryan, and Jonathan Whitney. Staff members present were Development Coordinator Gene Poveromo and Planning Technician Kay Tapp.
SHORTBREAD LOFTS (File 7.85A..15)
A request for a Concept Plan Review has been submitted to construct a mixed-use development proposed to be located on the south and north side of West Rosemary Street, between Mitchell Lane and Church Street. The development proposal includes the demolition of an office building and a 20-unit residential structure and the construction of 180,584 square feet of retail and residential floor area. The proposed project would include 168 dwelling units and 229 parking spaces. The proposal also includes underground storm water detention below an existing parking area on the north side of West Rosemary Street. The 1.2 acre site is located in the Town Center-2 zoning district. The site is identified as Chapel Hill Tax Maps 7.85A..12, 7.85A..14, 7.85A..15, and 7.85.L.30.
Citizen Comments
1. A citizen expressed support for the proposed development. However they also expressed concern with the potential negative impact on parking in the immediate neighborhood, especially parking associated with rental dwelling units. The citizen recommended that the applicant explore a design that incorporates underground parking.
2. In response to a question about proposed plans for the public alley, the applicant indicated that the public alley between Carolina Brewery and the First Baptist Church is not part of this proposal.
Community Design Commission Comments – Discussion – Issues
3. Although Commissioner Dale Coker supported the proposed architecture, he stated that the structure seem to be overwhelming for this area of West Rosemary.
a. While expressing support for residential development in the downtown area, he stated that the downtown lacks the type of commercial establishments, such as a grocery story, necessary to support a residential development.
b. He also suggested that the applicant consider redesigning the alley along the south property line and work together with the adjacent business tenants that share the alleyway.
c. Commissioner Coker also recommended that applicant attempt to incorporate passive solar and water conservation/re-use design into the building design.
4. In response to a question by Commissioner Mark Broadwell, the applicant stated that the proposed architecture was not envisioned as complementing the proposed Downtown Economic Development Initiative projects. Because the units are smaller and involve rental dwellings, the applicant also stated that the target demographic for this proposal is not similar other proposed residential projects downtown.
5. Commissioner Jonathan Whitney expressed apprehension with the applicant’s proposal to locate the proposed building directly over an existing public stormwater utility easement. The Commissioner expressed concern that the proposed Concept Plan lacked sufficient detail on how the alley will continue to operate after the building is completed. He also questioned if the refuse/recycling area was adequate or functional.
a. He suggested that the design incorporate underground parking. The applicant described how the 2 levels of parking did utilize this concept.
b. Commissioner Whitney stated that the proposed green space and retail activities, along the buildings frontage on West Rosemary, appear incongruent. He wondered how the proposed roof top living areas would be used and expressed a concern that the areas would be used for outside storage resulting in visual clutter and unsightliness.
c. Noting the change in topography along this section of West Rosemary Street, Commissioner Whitney stated that the proposed building may work well at this particular location. The Commissioner recommended that the applicant provide several cross-section elevations of the proposed building for better understanding of the relationships of this building to West Franklin Street Buildings and other surrounding properties.
6. Commissioner Chris Culbreth expressed support of the proposed building elevations. However, with respect to how the proposed project related to the surrounding neighborhood, the Commissioner questioned the type of retail and residential tenants the applicant was intending to attract.
7. Although Commissioner Eleanor Howe described the proposal as exciting, she was concerned that the proposal did not appear to address mass transit or pedestrian amenities such as bus stops or pedestrian cross-walks.
a. She also recommended that the applicant seek to make the units affordable to retirees on a fixed income.
8. Commissioner George Cianciolo expressed a general concern with availability and management of parking spaces underneath the building.
a. In particularly the Commissioner stated a concern with residential tenants parking in commercial spaces and commercial customers illegally using handicapped parking.
b. He recommended that the applicant study further the access and circulation issues. In particular he expressed concern with the proposed circular access around the building and identified several problems such as sight distance and vehicular conflicts at the exit drive.
c. Commissioner Cianciolo recommended that the applicant redesign the exit drive and incorporate either a left turn lane or restrict the exit to a right out turning movement.
d. Other issues expressed by Commissioner Cianciolo involved the visual unsightliness of the alley, the height of the building, and a recommendation to minimize the use of reflective glass.
9. Commissioner Amy Ryan expressed concerns about the scale of the proposed building and its relationship the other nearby development that is considerably smaller in both scale and height.
a. She also expressed reservations about the buildings “front entrance” and retail character along Rosemary Street. She observed that good architecture and successful commercial needs better entrance and access articulation.
10. Commissioner Radway stated that the proposed project is a welcomed departure from the current traditional downtown architecture.
a. The Commissioner complemented the applicant on the following design features: alley around the building; architectural use of natural lighting; and a functional drop-off on West Franklin Street.
b. With respect to how the proposed building relates to the scale of other downtown buildings, Chairperson Radway stated that he believed that the visible elevation from West Franklin Street will complement the downtown area and concurred with Commissioner Whitney that cross section drawings would be helpful in future presentations so that scale relationships would be better understood.
c. He also stated that he believed that the housing market for the downtown was broad enough so that this proposed rental housing development would not adversely affect the Council’s development initiatives for the Wallace Deck and Lot 5.
Prepared by: Scott Radway, Chairman
Gene Poveromo, Staff