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2023-01-25 Meeting MinutesCity of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Board or Committee: Design Review Board – Regular Meeting Date and Time: Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 6:00 pm Meeting Location: Remote Participation via Zoom DRB Members Present: Chair Paul Durand, Glenn Kennedy, Catherine Miller, Marc Perras, J. Michael Sullivan, Sarah Tarbet DRB Members Absent: David Jaquith Others Present: Kate Newhall-Smith, Principal Planner Recorder: Colleen Brewster Chair Durand calls the meeting to order at 6:00PM. Roll call was taken. Signs in the Urban Renewal Area 1. 26 Congress Street: Asado by Antique Table Mauricio Rocha and Juan Jaramillo were present to discuss the project. Jaramillo stated that the revised drawings include the original Antique Table logo. They want to eliminate the halo lighting and to apply 1/2-inch PVC letters in the shape of the logo, attached with pinpoints within the mortar joints of the brick, as to not damage any of the architectural details. The existing blade sign fell off due to high winds, so they want to wall mount it and add “Steak Tapas Pasta” on either side of the main sign. Each letter will be individually attached using silicone and the letters will project 1-inch to provide some depth. Sullivan noted his disappointment with the round sign and believed the “Asado” sign should be centered over the door to draw the eye. The Board agreed that the two signs compete and Asado is the stronger sign, but The Antique Table sign will be needed to highlight their connection and suggested that a reference to Antique Table be included at the bottom and to the right of the Asado sign to make it less prominent. Jaramillo noted the transition of the business and their desire to highlight the change and to retain association with Antique Table. Tarbet asked how the signs would be lit. Jaramillo replied using the existing external illumination via small lights shining on the sign; he noted that more light modules may be necessary. Public Comment: No one in the assembly wished to speak. VOTE: Kennedy: Motion to approve the “Asado” sign with “by Antique Table” in the lower right black bar, no internal illumination, and decreasing the height of “Asado”. Seconded by: Perras. Roll Call: Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Sullivan, Tarbet, and Durand were in favor. Passes 6- 0. City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Jaramillo noted that the revised “Asado” sign is 44-inches rather than 46-inches and agreed to center it above the doorway. 2. 72 Washington Street: Annie’s Asian Market No one was present to discuss the project. Newhall-Smith stated that the Koto ownership is taking over the former Salem Cycle Space. It will be a market with some prepared foods to grab and go and some grocery items. The owner is proposing a blade sign installed on an existing bracket with no illumination. Miller was in favor of the sign. Chair Durand was concerned with a vertical use of an apostrophe. Perras was in favor of the format but raised concern with appropriation and suggested a continuance so the owner can speak to the design of the sign. VOTE: Perras: Motion to continue to the next regular meeting on February 22, 2023. Seconded by: Miller. Roll Call: Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Sullivan, Tarbet, and Durand were in favor. Passes 6- 0. Projects in the Urban Renewal Area 1. 301 Essex Street: Schematic Design Review – Erect a three and one-half-story addition above the existing building (known as Jerry’s Army & Navy Store) with ten (18) residential units and twelve (12) onsite parking spaces located inside the building at the first-floor rear with retail space fronting on Essex Street, continued from 12/21/22. Carissa Vitas (Owner/Developer) and Daniel Ricciarelli of Seger Architects were present to discuss the project. Ricciarelli stated that they met with the SRA who provided positive feedback and a unanimous approval to continue to DRB review with the taller building, so they are considering this their initial meeting with the current design. Parking for the units in the existing building will be off-site – 10 spaces – and parking for the new units will be on- site – 12 spaces. There will be townhouse units with a floor of flats sandwiched between them. The lower-level townhouses (10 units) will be inter-floored into the existing building. The third floor will have four flats. The upper floor and half-story will be another four townhomes. The decks of the lower townhomes will remain inset to provide privacy and a sound buffer at the lower-level bedrooms. There will be rooftop decks for the upper-level townhomes. Ricciarelli stated that 6,000 square-feet in the basement will be partially for unit storage and mechanical equipment, the remaining will be for use by the first floor 1,500 square- feet of retail along the existing storefront edge. The façade on the addition will be a hybrid of curtain wall and punched openings in the masonry façade. They introduced a bay with recesses on either side along Summer Street and the Essex Street fabric will City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes wrap both sides to provide additional views. There will be some masonry on the Salem Inn side that will not be visible when driving down Summer Street. The Essex Street cantilever was removed, they are reintroducing materials and alignments with the existing building below and replacing the heavy banding to provide heavy shadow lines. The bay ties in the alternative material and ties in Essex Street design, the verticality makes it feel lighter, and the banding is used to bring the design together. A new garage door is proposed on Summer Street. They are reviewing historic photographs and plan on removing the existing aluminum storefront windows and restoring the façade to what it was prior to its current iteration. With the positive feedback from the SRA, they feel this has become a project and they would like to begin the Schematic Design process. Sullivan requested a review of the materials along Essex in terms of the percentage of glass vs. solid materials. Ricciarelli noted the earlier concerns with the amount of glass proposed and noted that the neighboring Thompkins building also has an expanse of glass. The majority of the glass will be within the living rooms, but they will address what is the appropriate amount of glass for that elevation. Sullivan asked for the material proposed for the horizontal members would be a pressed metal or Alucobond. Ricciarelli replied yes and confirmed that the façade was a combination of brick and metal piers. Perras stated that the design has improved, he preferred the bay in elevation and was not in favor of the detached cornice along Summer Street. He didn’t believe the bay ties the building together and there was enough verticality that the wrapped corner could stop closer to Essex Street. Sullivan agreed and noted that the bay draws unnecessary attention. Miller noted her preference for the discontinuous cornice that breaks down the massing even though it signifies nothing special and harkens back to the original scheme with the cantilever and other various elements. Sullivan requested the location of the resident entry. Ricciarelli replied that it is through an existing inset along Essex Street that is shared with the retail space and noted that they are considering entering to the left of the garage door, closer to the proposed elevator. He noted that the elevator may need to moved east to eliminate pinching of the floor plans at the corner units. Chair Durand suggested keeping pedestrian traffic away from the proposed garage door. Sullivan was in favor of the scale of the proposed addition which will be a great addition to the existing building. Chair Durand agreed. Tarbet noted that the glassy façade is used elsewhere on the street but raised concern with the setback along Bonchon if something taller was constructed and that portion of their façade has so much glass. Ricciarelli noted that their setback along Bonchon is 8- feet. Tarbet stated that this is an opportunity to make that façade more solid or to use a bigger setback and she asked if there was a light well along Bonchon. Ricciarelli replied no, the wall along Bonchon could become a stair wall with less transparency. Chair Durand agreed. Ricciarelli suggested holding 1-bay on that façade to maintain views to downtown. City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Newhall-Smith stated that the Design Standards call for that setback to be 10-feet and if 8-foot was preferred the DRB must state the reason for this preference. Kennedy added that the additional setback would provide more light and ventilation, noted that they may want to build something solid because he would want more light or would use a curtain to shield unwanted views. Ricciarelli suggested incorporating two punched bays on that façade. Tarbet agreed with a 10-foot setback with more glass rather than 8-foot setback with less glass. Perras noted that a setback less than 10-feet may create fire rating concerns. Miller noted that the façade of the rear elevation was shown as white and lacked detail. Ricciarelli replied that a fully rendered elevation would be presented at the next DRB meeting. Public Comment: Newhall-Smith stated that she received the following letter prior to the meeting. 1. Historic Salem, Inc. (HSI), Dated January 11, 2023 and January 25, 2023 2. Midge Lyon, Dated January 11, 2023 3. Kate Martin, 7 Chandler Street, Dated January 11, 2023 4. Zack Weeks, 123 North Street, Dated January 11, 2023 5. Jennifer MacGregor, 1 Forester Street, Dated January 25, 2023 Polly Wilbert, 7 Cedar Street. Noted her difficulty understanding the heights and invisible parapet on Drawings A-4 and A-6.1 and asked if the commercial floor height will be shorter. Ricciarelli replied that they are working on expanding the retail height, the 30-feet is the new construction on top of the existing building, the storefront glass will be full height, but the first floor will be inset and close to the break line at the storefront. Wilbert requested the height of the break in the storefront windows. Ricciarelli replied 8- foot-3-inches and noted that the top of the parapet will be approximately 16-feet. Emily Udy, HSI. Submitted a letter which they feel should be reviewed by the design team, their comments are in line with the DRB, she noted the various aspects they are in favor of and would like to see continue to the final project, such as the design of the Essex Street façade, muted vertical lines on the first visible floor of the addition, the powerful difference between those vertical lines and the upper lines, the datum line that continues around the building, the fragmented lines above, and the simple reveal lines about the groups of 3 windows along Essex Street. The vertical columns highlighted above the garage door may not be the appropriate treatment and a different style garage door may be a better match to the building. Overall, the design is progressing and they are grateful for the Board and design team spending as much as they have on the project. No one else in the assembly wished to speak. VOTE: Sullivan: Motion to continue to Schematic Design with DRB comments to the February 22, 2023 meeting. Seconded by: Perras. City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Roll Call: Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Sullivan, Tarbet, and Durand were in favor. Passes 6- 0. Newhall-Smith stated that the applicant should have enough to move forward but should provide some materials and colors for the Board to review upon their return. Ricciarelli noted that they may need an additional month to put together a cohesive design. 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. December 21, 2022 VOTE: Miller: Motion to approve the December 21, 2022 meeting minutes. Seconded by: Perras. Roll Call: Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Sullivan, Durand, were in favor, and Tarbet abstained due to absence. Passes 5-0. 2. Staff Updates, if any: Newhall-Smith stated the following: The fencing at Village Tavern is down because the SRA was not in favor of the temporary solution remaining in place. The Flatbread sign will go to SRA on February 8, 2023, because the owner is appealing the DRB’s recommendation. She will make progress on other concerning signs noted at the previous meeting. The DRB may get an entrance corridor project in February at Bertini’s on Canal Street. The Crescent Lot has received all local permits, and an Order of Conditions from the Conservation Commission, and are working on PEMA and Ch. 91 filings. They hope to file for Schematic Design of the courthouses and will return for review in the spring or summer. The meetings will go back to in-person in April 2023. Perras stated that he received his packet saying that he was renewed for the DRB. Newhall-Smith noted that he must go to City Hall and be sworn in. Adjournment Miller: Motion to adjourn. Seconded by: Tarbet. Roll Call: Kennedy, Miller, Perras, Sullivan, Tarbet, and Durand were in favor. Passes 6-0. City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Meeting is adjourned at 7:05PM. Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A §18-25 and City Ordinance Sections 2-028 through 2-203