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2022-08-24 Meeting MinutesCity of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Board or Committee: Design Review Board – Regular Meeting Date and Time: Wednesday, August 24, 2022, at 6:00 pm Meeting Location: Remote Participation via Zoom DRB Members Present: Chair Paul Durand, David Jaquith, Glenn Kennedy, Catherine Miller, Marc Perras, J. Michael Sullivan, Sarah Tarbet DRB Members Absent: None Others Present: Kate Newhall-Smith Recorder: Colleen Brewster Chair Durand calls the meeting to order at 6:00PM. Roll call was taken. Signs in the Urban Renewal Area 1. 192 Essex Street: Ascend, continued from 7/27/22 Ken McTague of Concept Signs was present to discuss the project. McTague presented the revised sign design where rather than individual gilded gold letters on the granite façade, the lettering was applied to a solid sign with a blue background to match the blade sign. The carved gold leaf lettering is slightly smaller to allow for a blue margin at the perimeter of the sign and the proposed carved gold leaf sign over the door remains unchanged. Jaquith requested the panel depth. McTague replied 1-1/2-inch thick with the letters carved approximately 1/4 – 1/2-inch into the panel and the thin lines over the door may be 1/4-inch deep. Miller stated that she walked by the area and a store further down Essex Street has signs in similar locations, so what’s proposed is in keeping with what currently exists. Perras agreed. Chair Durand opened public comment. No one in the assembly wished to speak. Jaquith: Motion to approve as presented. Seconded by: Miller. Roll Call: Jaquith, Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Sullivan, Tarbet, Chair Durand were in favor. Passes 7-0. 2. 253 Essex Street: Black Craft, continued from 7/27/22 Ken McTague of Concept Signs was present to discuss the project. McTague stated that the while panel sign is no longer proposed on the face of the entry it has been relocated to the inside of the doorway. The sign would be flush with the doorway and would be secured with a couple eye hooks. The Board suggested a 2-inch setback of the sign and a 2-inch air space around the perimeter of the sign. Kennedy requested the height of the bottom of the sign. McTague replied that the sign would be City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes 16-inches-high, and the bottom of sign would be 8-feet above grade. He noted that the blade sign was installed on Tuesday. Chair Durand opened public comment. No one in the assembly wished to speak. Perras: Motion to approve as submitted set 2” back from the face of the façade. Seconded by: Jaquith. Roll Call: Jaquith, Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Sullivan, Tarbet, Chair Durand were in favor. Passes 7-0. 3. 245 Derby Street: Destination Salem Visitor Center Ken McTague of Concept Signs and Kate Fox of Destination Salem were present to discuss the project. McTague noted that the top of the sign would fit the arched façade, would be MDL plywood, painted with flat vinyl graphic. The window graphics would be white, with one having the Salem logo and visitor information. Graphics are proposed at all of the Congress and Derby Streets windows. Newhall-Smith stated that signage is within the 20% coverage threshold. Fox noted that she has no issue with limiting the window signage. Jaquith suggest applying signage to the center windows only. Fox suggested every other window. McTague noted that for symmetry, signage is proposed on the windows at either side of the entry doors. Perras raised concerned with installing the high sign too close to the existing vents. McTague replied that the sign would be installed on the I-hooks, bolted to an I beam that he installed with the previous sign. Kennedy requested that the high sign align with the curve of the roof. Miller suggested lowering the “Destination Salem” at the high sign to keep it away from the arch and make it more visible. McTague replied that lowering the text would open too much negative space above if the top if it were lowered. Chair Durand agreed. Sullivan asked why the “visitor info” words below was to the right. McTague replied that the text is centered over the entire logo and not just the wording. Kennedy suggested centering it below “Salem” and let the hat fall off to the right. Chair Durand opened public comment. No one in the assembly wished to speak. Kennedy requested the blue color proposed for the sign background. McTague replied that it would match the visitors center artwork. Fox added that the proposed color is consistent with the new branding materials for the new visitor center. City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Miller: Motion to approve as presented, to install logo on either side of door, and at two windows on either side of the entry, and alternating window on either street side, to center the “visitor center” text below the logo and keep the hat off to the right. Seconded by: Jaquith. Roll Call: Jaquith, Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Sullivan, Tarbet, and Chair Durand were in favor. Passes 7-0. 4. 231-251 Washington Street: Rivalry Edward Spinney of Rivalry was present to discuss the project. Spinney stated that he wanted to fit the signs into the existing sign band, the letters would use an edge light for a glow against the building, the face would be brushed brass fixtures, and the lettering size was selected for it to be viewed from a distance. The Washington Street side would not have the additional “Sports Lounge and Kitchen” wording. Perras requested clarification of the face material. Spinney replied Brushed Gold Aluminum for easier maintenance and for a toned-down look. Spinney noted that the letters will have a soft glow with a higher-end look and a sharper line than other back glowing signs where there is space between the back of the sign and the surface of the building. Sullivan asked if the copper color would be applied to the face of the white acrylic. Spinney replied yes, the gold paint is what stops the light from shining through the acrylic, the 18-inch-high letters would be 4-inches deep to accommodate the clearances for the internal LED lights. Sullivan raised concerns with the white edge being visible. Spinney replied that the white acrylic would be .040-inches thick, the white acrylic will not be visible from the front, but it would be visible from the sign. This proposed style lighting is called edge lighting not backlighting. Kennedy asked if this was their only location. Spinney replied yes. Kennedy noted that Rivalrysalem.com website has a different logo. He noted that the font will work for the logo, but the “Sports Lounge & Kitchen” text was being squeezed horizontally making the font look weird. He recommended using what’s on the website which would look cleaner and look more the space and would also be easier to read. Spinney replied that the text was squeezed it so it wasn’t as large, but it could be stretched out a bit more. He suggested widening it and shifting the “R” in Rivalry to the end of the next window bay. Kennedy suggested keeping the text at 100% but reducing the scale would improve the look. Spinney noted that the lower-case letters are currently 9-inches-high. Miller raised concern with “Rivalry” and “Sports” fighting each other and suggested more space between them so they can be more balanced over the two bays. Spinney agreed. Jaquith agreed with Kennedy. Chair Durand opened public comment. No one in the assembly wished to speak. City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Miller suggested Kennedy review the sign before an official approved. Miller: Motion to approved with keeping the text at 100% but reducing the scale and Kennedy to provide a final review. Seconded by: Jaquith. Roll Call: Jaquith, Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Sullivan, Tarbet, Chair Durand were in favor. Passes 7-0. Projects in the Urban Renewal Area 1. 298-302 Essex Street: Small Project Review – Painting of commercial window and door trim and painting of residential entry door trim. Bill Levin (building owner) was present to discuss the project. Levin stated that they are proposing to change the window trim color at Moonbaby Salem and Witch City Wicks to the color Inkwell a close match of the neighboring window and the new storefront entry doors. Perras asked if any doors be left white. Levin replied no. Miller asked if the window trim at upper floors and 2 windows to the right would remain white. Levin replied yes. Perras asked if they considered keeping the entry door to the right-side white at the top of the three steps white. Levin replied yes, they were undecided since it looks different, but painting it all will make it match the rest of the property since it’s a combined ownership. Perras suggested the two windows and door be white since they have a residential look. Jaquith agreed. Miller suggested that only the door be painted black. Perras noted that all black wood cladding on the sides would make the entrance too dark but had no concerns with painting the door Inkwell and keeping everything at grade level dark. Miller noted the new entry doors at the businesses and a reduction of wood trim. Levin noted that the sidewalks have lightened the entrance now that they are concrete and no longer brick. Chair Durand opened public comment. No one in the assembly wished to speak. Perras: Motion to approve as presented, keeping door closest to Washington street as Inkwell but the door surround would remain white. Seconded by: Jaquith. Roll Call: Jaquith, Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Sullivan, Tarbet, Chair Durand were in favor. Passes 7-0. Sullivan left the meeting. City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes 2. 27 Charter Street: Small Project Review – Installation of additional wireless antennas with support equipment for DISH Wireless. Matt Burke of DISH Wireless was present to discuss the project. Burke stated that they are seeking to collocate with other wireless carriers by creating a new network. 6 antennas are proposed as well as a rooftop platform, and they will match the existing conditions that the SRA has approved in the past. From the north, new antennas would be added in the middle of the rooftop parapet, matching the look of the brick and concrete, one antenna mounted on the façade and the other secured on a sled mount. From the east, the installation would not be visible. From the south, antennas would again be added towards the south-west corner of the rooftop parapet, with an installation to match the façade. From the west, antennas would be added on the parapet and the tops of new equipment would be partially visible. Chair Durand opened public comment. Jaquith asked why the new equipment cannot be placed on the penthouse. Burke replied that other areas are leased by other carriers which they cannot lease. They could have placed more on the roof with the proximity of other equipment on the roof along the roof edge would block where they are trying to provide coverage. Perras asked if the current design style to conceal the antennas would be used. Burke replied yes, concrete grey to match the parapet and brick-like look to match the building facade. Perras suggested that nothing be placed in cabinets to keep it size of the new equipment small. He also suggested it be painted dark grey. The Board agreed and noted that while it’s not preferred, it’s what has been done before. No one in the assembly wished to speak. Perras: Motion to approve as submitted, building mounted antennae to match existing and the roof mounted to be dark grey. Seconded by: Jaquith. Roll Call: Jaquith, Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Tarbet, Chair Durand were in favor. Passes 6-0. 3. 43 Church Street: Small Project Review – Construction of a one-story, semi-permanent outdoor seating area. A portion of the proposed addition is located on land owned by the Salem Redevelopment Authority. Jim and Kathi Turner (Owners) and Tyler Youngblood (Architect) were present to discuss the project. Kennedy disclosed that he worked with the applicant loosely to help the applicant get answer from the city and answer any of their general questions. Mr. Turner stated that they have gone through a couple iterations and different factors have affected the design and size. First, Covid allowed an easing of the plumbing codes which drives the seating quantity, and they don’t want to add additional restrooms to cover the additional seating due to cost and the need to change the interior of the City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes restaurant. Mrs. Turner added that it was also too costly during their first build-out to accommodate exterior seating for 38-people. Thy want their current focus to be improving the HC ramp and rear entry door that is currently by the restroom and a service station but by moving it they will have people enter a hallway to access the dining room and elevator lobby. They also wanted to add a parapet to conceal the unsightly rooftop equipment and to make a 3-season seating area. The new iterations began with a permanent structure, which led to drainage and leasing concerns with the SRA and Salem Five Bank. They decided to scale back the design to one similar in size to East Regiment Beer Company, where the awning and decking could be removed when necessary but will have the same number of seats. Mr. Turner noted that the permanence of the structure was a concern because of how the SRA and city would let them use the land and a less permanent structure made it easier to permit. Jaquith left the meeting. Youngblood noted the concerns with the level of permanence and why the plan has been reduced in scale. The current design includes an increase in the walkway, where they are allowed 48-inches wide and are now proposing 60-wide. The structure underneath would be a pedestal support system with Sonotubes where needed and plastic or metal that screws into soil for uplift resistance. The decking would be IPE or similar and it would be removable. The previously proposed awning had a hard rubber roof, gutter, and structural supports and the new structure would be aluminum and removable in the winter. Fabric sides with clear windows are still proposed with removable heaters, and a nautical chain railing to delineate from the edge of the deck. The height has been reduced and the aluminum would be painted with black powdered painted aluminum screening at roof to cover the HVAC units. Perras appreciated that accessibility was their focus and asked why a chamfered edge was proposed. Youngblood replied that it was requested by Salem Five Bank. Perras noted that the stepping down of the roof levels at the rooftop screening isn’t successful and it should be the same elevation, although the dark charcoal grey looks good against the red brick. Youngblood noted that the red will match the awning at the front of the building. The applicant and Perras discussed the proposed colors. Miller was in favor of concealing the HVAC unit and noted that a detailed system should be installed to ensure that the new materials live up to the rest of the building material. She raised concerns with am IPE or mahogany-like material being used, like Trex decking, because some materials can warp and damaged by the sun. Youngblood replied that while the materials hasn’t been priced it will be panelized, but could be synthetic, but want to match the original color. Tarbet raised concerns with the Sonotubes structure being visible from the sides. Youngblood replied that the deck would be approximately 12-inches off the ground and the Sonotubes would be concealed by the perimeter trim boards with some spacing left for water and air flow. She agreed with Perras’s comments on the use of dark grey screening. She asked if the path will be lit. Youngblood replied that there is an existing streetlight at the bottom of the accessible path that will not interfere with clearances. City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Tarbet asked if a rear service station was proposed that may also block egress. Mrs. Turner replied that wall seating would come from the front only, the back host location was only used during Covid. Tarbet asked if another door on the façade was proposed. Youngblood replied yes and noted that it would be a seasonal egress door only. Chair Durand asked if the applicant has met all of Salem Five’s requested in their comment letter. Mr. Turner replied yes, although items some are ongoing. Chair Durand opened public comment. John Kucinski, Salem Five. They have worked with the applicant that has been satisfying their comments but their concerns in their letter still stand regarding the SRA. They also want to make sure they host from the front and not the back and they don’t want there to be signage that confuses people on where to enter. No one else in the assembly wished to speak. Perras: Motion to approve as submitted with mech screen at all on one level, and consideration of vertical components being dark grey or black rather than red or striped. The Commission, applicant and architect discussed the proposed color combination of the dark grey structure and burgundy striped screening meant to match the front awning and the branding the restaurant has used for 28-years. They retractability of the front awnings that are only up when it’s windy or when there is snow vs. the new rear condition that will be visible for months at a time was also discussed. Perras suggested the vertical elements be dark grey or black to match the rear one-story element. Miller noted that the vertical element up top would remain stripped. Youngblood stated that 95% of the sides will be clear and the striped curtain portion will be narrow. Kennedy noted that while he didn’t disagree for keeping the elements all one color, he had no preference. Chair Durand agreed with Kennedy since the rear seating would be an appendage not permeant so it can have its vibrant character to match the front awning. Perras asked if the interior structure would be black or dark grey. Youngblood replied that the framing, railing, and posts would be black to match the structure and agreed with Kennedy’s opinion. Perras: Motion to approve as submitted with mech screen at all on one level, the higher level. Seconded by: Miller. Roll Call: Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Tarbet, Chair Durand were in favor. Passes 5-0. Newhall-Smith stated that the application would return to the SRA in September. 4. 120 Washington Street: Sign Review and Small Project Review – Painting of exterior façade and new signage for the Gyro Spot. Myles Cox and Ryan Cox (two of the Co-Owners) were present to discuss the project. City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Mr. Myles Cox stated that this is a family-owned business, and they will open this new location in September that Kuscho Bistro previously occupied. They proposed that the existing green and brown color school be changed to white and blue, they would add a key into the band above if possible, and signage would be placed on the Washington Street façade and the kitty-corner, with nothing on Barton Square. Mr. Ryan Cox added that they would swap out the façade colors as they exist today. Perras stated that the colors were too busy and needed to be toned down. He suggested the columns be painted white with the Greek key and horizontal blue banding above the door and window, and the business name over the door to simplify the design and make blue the accent color. He was not in favor of the key at the cornice level but only at the spandrel above the door and suggested the rectangular panels below be painted blue. Kennedy suggested the key in the windows be lowered. Miller suggested all clerestory windows be black to match the remainder of the building’s façade and that the band be blue with white letters to make it more powerful and to continue the blue at the perimeter. Kennedy noted that there was no need for the Greek key on the window but to keep “rice bowls” and “salads” and possibly lower them in the window. Miller suggested the font styles match to make them less jarring. Perras suggested the trim at the Barton Squire entrance be all white with a blue band above. Newhall-Smith stated that the application would continue to the SRA in September and requested revised images to present, that she would also share with the DRB. Chair Durand opened public comment. No one in the assembly wished to speak. Miller: Motion to approve with the vertical blue proposed to be removed, all white columns, spandrel to be either the blue Greek key or solid blue with the name restaurant in white letters, clerestory window to be black to match the building, paneling around the entry door to be white, bottom rectangles of paneling below windows to be blue, “G” sign to be approved as shown, “Rice Bowls” and “Salad” font to match “The Gyro Spot” sign, the placement of the Greek key window decal and wording to be high or low, door at Barton Squire to have a blue sign band, and the remainder of the trim to be white. Seconded by: Kennedy. Roll Call: Kennedy, Miller, Tarbet, Perras, Chair Durand were in favor. Passes 5-0. Projects Outside the Urban Renewal Area There are no projects outside the Urban Renewal area to review. New / Old Business 1. Approval of Minutes: a. July 27, 2022 City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Newhall-Smith stated that there are not enough board members at tonight’s meeting that were present at the July 27, 2022, meeting, so they cannot vote at this time. 2. Staff Updates, if any: Newhall-Smith stated that after the DRB’s vote to send the Crescent Lot project back to the SRA in August, the SRA had a bare quorum and requested to hold off on the vote until September when more members would be present. Newhall-Smith stated that the November and December meeting dates have been switched around the end of the year holidays. Kennedy noted that he may not be available in September. Perras requested more information on the large canvas temporary signs at Lulu’s Bakery and the large pirate museum signs which are not allow and were not approved. Newhall-Smith to reach out to the applicants. Adjournment Miller: Motion to adjourn. Seconded by: Perras. Roll Call: Kennedy, Miller, Tarbet, Perras, Chair Durand were in favor. Passes 5-0. Meeting is adjourned at 7:45PM. Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A §18-25 and City Ordinance Sections 2-028 through 2-203