Historic Zoning Commission

Ft. Sanders NC-1: Level III

9-E-01-HZ

Applicant Request

Level III. New construction of primary building(s) or deviation from guidelines

Construct new apartment buildings

Site Info

The application does not meet the adopted design guidelines for the Ft. Sanders NC-1 in the following details:
1) The front line of the front building should be 20' from the sidewalk edge, and is now shown at 19'.
2) There should be indentations that are 6' wide and 5' deep at 50 ' intervals along the front façade of the building fronting Highland.
3) Porches and bays can extend into the front yard setback, per the design guidelines.
4) The edge of the building and porch at the corner of Highland Avenue and 16th Street should be designed so as not to impair sight distances.
5) Porches should be wide enough to sit on comfortably, allowing room for the front entry door to open and for residents to sit in chairs to side(s) of the entry way.
6) The paired windows on each end of the front elevation should reflect a larger vertical separation, so that they appear to be paired windows. The number of windows and size of openings should be similar to the window sizes and spacing of pre-1940 buildings in the neighborhood. (See page 12, design guidelines.)
7) The design elements, such as windows, trim and other details, should be organized so they give the appearance of bays, or separate vertical elements of the proposed front building.
8) The foundation height requirements on Page 7 of the design guidelines should be met, and confirmed on this submission.
9) Native shade trees and ornamental trees should be included in the parking area and front and back yards. (See pages 16 & 17, design guidelines). Shrubbery should be planted near the building. See page 16). The species should be depicted on the plans.
10) The building should provide for 30% transparency with appropriately sized windows.
11) Per our discussion, I understand that Hardi-plank simulating 4" lap siding and imbricated wood shingles are to be used on the building. These, and other materials that are planned for use on the buildings, should be listed on the plans. The roof color should also be listed.
12) The applicant should provide a drawing of the rear elevation of the building adjoining the alley, depicting the balconies that were discussed at the September 10, 2001, review meeting. That information, along with the areas to be landscaped with trees, are necessary to calculate the amount of open space that is provided in the development of the property.
13) Open space should be provided in the side yard adjoining 16th Street and the one-way driveway; the first parking spaces should be designed so that vehicles will not back into the sidewalk area.

The applicant may wish to consider assigning part of the required parking to the street frontage through a parking permit program, and should consult with appropriate city offices to determine if this is possible.

The recommendations contained in this report do not relieve the applicant of the responsibility of checking with appropriate city departments to assure that the proposed parking does not interfere with the provision of fire and other emergency and service vehicle access.

The applicant has made many requested changes in the front elevation of the building fronting Highland Avenue, as requested by Historic Zoning Commission staff. At a meeting held September 10, 2001, with Mr. Aboush, his architect Mr. Michael Price, Mr. David Giles (City Building Official), Mr. Mike Carberry (MPC) and Ms. Ann Bennett (MPC), Mr. Aboush indicated that he understood the points remaining in disagreement on this proposal, and pledged to work to solve them. However, he acknowledged that there would not be time to complete new drawings before the Historic Zoning Commission's staff reports were scheduled to be mailed. He and his architect may be able to present corrected elevations and plans that address these concerns at the September 20, 2001 Historic Zoning Commission meeting.