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HomeMy WebLinkAboutASRDRB20220210 5.1 DESIGN REVIEW BOARD STAFF REPORT 5.1 TO: Design Review Board Members February 10, 2022 SUBJECT: Review and recommend the Planning Commission approve Development Plan request DEV21-0012 allowing for the construction of a new 3,395 square foot two-story commercial building. The site is located at 212 Front Street (Project Planner: David Crompton). PROJECT DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND The applicant, Capital Equity Management Group, and architect, FCGA Architecture, wish to pursue approval to construct a new commercial building at 212 Front Street. The site includes two 1,856 square foot existing parcels (3,712 total site area) and the building would be constructed to straddle the shared property line. The proposed building includes 560 square feet of mezzanine area in addition to the two floors of commercial space. There is an existing 500 square foot building on the site that would be demolished. The Planning Commission discussed this proposal during a study session on August 10, 2021. At that meeting the Commission indicated general support for the project. EVALUATION The proposed development is located within Downtown Business District Area 3; Old Town Mixed Use. The applicant is requesting the following variances: • The front yard setback requirement is an average of 10-feet. The effective average front yard setback is proposed to be 12-feet two inches, exceeding the minimum requirement. This measurement is taken from the edge of the Front Street public right-of-way and includes the fronting portion of the parcel to the right (Parcel C). The minimum side yard setback requirement is 5-feet. While the ground floor maintains a 5-foot setbacks on each side, the proposed second story extends to within one foot of each side yard property line. The proposed building exceeds the minimum required 20-foot rear yard setback. • DBD Area 3 establishes a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 65 percent. Under the DBD Ordinance, the FAR is based on the net area available for development, inclusive of all conditioned space. Because of this, the area of the parcels within the creek area is not included in the FAR calculation. As a result, the proposed 212 Front Street 2 February 10, 2022 project FAR is 1.33, more than double the allowable FAR. If the creek area, and area of the adjacent Parcel C which fronts the subject parcels, were included in the parcel area as part of the FAR calculation, the FAR would still be 86 percent. • The maximum height for a building in the downtown area is 35 feet and two and one- half stories. The proposed building meets the two and one-half story requirement as the proposed mezzanine is completely tucked within the building’s roofline. • DBD Area 3 requires that 75 percent of the parking demand associated with the building be provided on-site. Based on the assumed use of the two stories for offices and storage use for the mezzanine, the total parking demand would be 13 spaces. In addition, the proposed development would eliminate two existing on-site parking spaces. The development does not propose any on-site parking spaces. All off-site parking would be subject to the payment of the Town’s off- site parking in-lieu fees. • The proposed building has a maximum height of 35 feet on the front elevation. However, the building steps down to a lower pad elevation in the rear. The Town’s DBD Ordinance required that the height be based on a measurement from the average pad elevation to the high point of the building. Based on this measurement, the building would have a maximum height of about 38.5 feet. Architecture • During the study session, most of the Commission members expressed concerns regarding the magnitude of the FAR and the left and right sides of the building which had relatively blank walls. The architect addressed these issues by adding recessed windows to wall areas that extend out over the first floor footprint. It was also suggested by Commissioners that the FAR could be reduced to at least 80%, which would be consistent with the core DBD Area 1 standards. While the windows are improvement, it is staff’s opinion that the second floor extensions make the building appear top-heavy, and amplify the appearance of the FAR and mass. If approximately 238 square feet was removed from these projections (119 s.f. from each side) the FAR would be reduced to 80% and would be in line with downtown standards (this also includes the creek area and Parcel C in the lot area and FAR calculation). 212 Front Street 3 February 10, 2022 •The building is proposed to have a standing seam metal roof. The Town’s DBD Ordinance states that metal should be used for accents only. The majority of the roof material should be changed to a composite shingle. RECOMMENDATION Review and recommend the Planning Commission approve Development Plan request DEV21-0012 allowing for the construction of a new 3,395 square foot two-story commercial building. The site is located at 212 Front Street. Prepared by: David Crompton Chief of Planning Attachment: Architectural Plans, floor plans, renderings, landscape plans, and colors & materials.