Design Review Board
Level 2: Major alteration of an existing building/structure
8-A-10-DT
Staff Recommendation
APPROVE Certificate 8-A-10-DT with the following conditions: 1) There be a clear pedestrian connection to the main entrance on a concrete walkway from the Broadway and Jackson Avenue, 2) A minimum of two shade trees located and species identified, to provide shade to the parking lot, 3) Screen the parking lot along all public sidewalks at a minimum with a decorative fence, along with all proposed landscaping, with the allowance for openings in the fence for vehicular and pedestrian access, and 4) Remove the existing pole sign.
Location 100 S Broadway
Applicant Request
This project is to renovate an existing building at the corner of Broadway and Jackson Avenue. This building is a former fuel and service station and is an atypical building style for the Downtown Design Overlay District. This building sets back from the street and has a large amount of impervious area.
The owner plans to remove portions of the impervious area for landscaping (see drawings AS1.0 and AS1.1). The landscaping areas will be edged with 6 inch curbing. The existing bollards are to be removed and not replaced. Parking is not required in the C-2 (central business) district but there will be 18 parking stalls incorporated into the site. The owner also plans to incorporate a bus shelter at the designated bus stop (adjacent to the existing pole sign near the intersection). If a permanent bus shelter is constructed, the owner will present plan for approval separate from this application.
The demolition plans for the building are shown in drawings AD1.1, AD 2.0 and AD 2.1. The owner plans to remove and replace the storefront and all windows with new installations, which will have aluminum frames and clear glass (see drawing A3.0 for the storefront and door schedule). The existing garage doors will remain. The existing surface mounted lighting under the canopy and building overhangs will be removed. The existing perimeter lighting on the canopy and building will be restored and returned to working condition (see drawing A1.1). On the south elevation of the building, the existing restroom doors on the exterior of the building will be removed and the masonry patched to match the existing brick. On the north elevation, one window will be enlarged to become a door.
Other new elements of the building are shown on drawing A1.0, A1.1, A2.0, A2.1 and A2.2. A new concrete slab under the canopy will raise the floor elevation to be the same as the building (A1.0). There will be a new screen wall integrated to the canopy that will face Broadway and will be supported by a tube steel structure and frame (A1.0, A2.1). This screen wall will be approximately 24.5 feet wide and will have clearance with the ground of approximately 1.5 feet. The screen will be veneered with corrugated metal and is anticipated to also be used as a signage wall.
Above the garage doors and storefront, corrugated metal siding with exposed fasteners will be installed (A2.0, A2.1, A2.2)
Staff Comments
This property is within the Warehouse District, which includes all of Jackson Ave and the majority of the Old City, within the D-1 boundary. The original buildings in this district are typical of most of downtown being multi-story, built at the sidewalk edge and pedestrian oriented. This building is a single story and sits well back from the sidewalk and is auto oriented. The guidelines are intended to make properties more pedestrian oriented so the guidelines in this case will need to be interpreted to make an auto oriented property as pedestrian friendly as possible.
The guidelines use a repeating theme of making properties accessible for pedestrians on the sidewalk, whether this be by having clear storefront glass to allow visibility into the building or having inviting entrances. In this case, the pedestrian access to the site is lacking. There is no clear way to enter the property via a paved walkway from Broadway and the only paved walkway from Jackson is on the outer edge of the parking lot that directs you to the back of the building. There should be a paved walkway from each road frontage that provides a clear path the main entrance with minimal crossing of the parking lot.
Section 1.A.3d of the guidelines states, "Screen surface lots, where they abut a public sidewalk, with decorative walls, fencing and landscaping." This plan does propose a thin landscaping area between the parking lot and the sidewalk along Broadway but does not propose anything along the Jackson Avenue sidewalk. At a minimum, a fence should be installed along the public sidewalks, along with the proposed landscaping. There should be an allowance for openings in the fence for sufficient for vehicular access and pedestrian access to the site.
The proposed screen wall creates a blank wall that is discouraged by the guidelines in order to foster pedestrian comfort, safety and orientation. The screen wall will be approximately 10 feet from the sidewalk edge and will have landscaping between it and the sidewalk. Some sort of opening(s) in the screen wall may be appropriate to address the recommendations of the guidelines.
