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2024-11-20 Meeting MinutesDRB November 20, 2024 Page 1 of 8 City of Salem Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Board or Committee: Design Review Board, Regular Meeting Date and Time: Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 6:00 pm Meeting Location: Virtual Zoom Meeting DRB Members Present: Leeann Leftwich, Elizabeth Murray, Marc Perras, Sarah Tarbet, Kate Martin Members Absent: Chair Paul Durand, Catherine Miller Others Present: Stephanie Owens, Senior Planner Recorder: Christine Petryszyn The meeting was called to order at 6:01PM. Roll call was taken. Signs in the Urban Renewal Area 1. 1 Derby Square: The Sea Wych Ken McTague was present to discuss the updated signage, which includes the following: • Changes to logo and font to address negative space. • A border stripe was also used. • Members felt the text was more legible. There was no comment from the public. VOTE: Ms. Tarbet made a motion to approve. Seconded by: Murray. Roll Call: Leftwich, Martin, Murray, Tarbet, and Perras. 5-0 in favor. 2. 253 Essex Street: Blackcraft A-Frame Samatha Anderson was present to discuss the application for three A-frames, which include: • The first sign indicates that people are able to buy haunt walk tickets in the offseason. The haunt is open year-round. The sign is located in the alcove of 259 Essex Street. • 253 Essex Street is the store, and 259 Essex Street is the haunt. They are joint buildings. • Photos of the alcove were shared. • The second sign, located in the alcove of 259 Essex, indicates the location of the coffee shop. • The applicant is currently going through the ZBA process for a larger sign. • The main store sign is located right outside the store with more than 4’ of passage to the right of it. It is the same image on both sides. • Images and photos were provided. • The rear entrance is only used for the haunt during the Halloween season. • Ms. Owens noted that one A-frame is permitted per business, or one per entrance. • The owner noted they have two businesses, Haunt Black Craft and Black Craft Salem. DRB November 20, 2024 Page 2 of 8 • She noted that there is no way for people to know that there is a café inside the store as they were forced to remove the sign and submit an appeal to the ZBA. • The applicant is hoping the café A-frame is only temporary. • Ms. Leftwich suggested that the signs could be combined. • The applicant noted that they are renting an entire city block. • Ms. Murray noted that the DRB is not able to grant variances, and the issue would need to be taken up with the City. • The applicant requested that Ms. Owens send her the code that is being cited. • The applicant inquired what needed to be done for approval of the signs. • Mr. Perras noted that the DRB approves the design of the signs, not the number of signs. • Ms. Tarbet inquired whether having a consistent font or logo would be helpful for people understanding where to go. Mr. Perras noted that they are seeking consistency. He noted the placement and the font is different on all of them. Ms. Leftwich noted that they should have the same look and feel; branding consistency. • The applicant noted that she would review that with the CEO. • Mr. Perras noted similar issues were raised in regards to the blade sign. • Ms. Murray noted that they are looking to create clear and consistent brand consistency for each location. • Ms. Leftwich said the imagery is beautiful, but that there should be some consistency and harmony with Black Craft. • Mr. Perras noted that they will also have to review the text within the windows. Even if the vinyl is changed to wood, it would still need approval as it is advertising a business. • Ms. Owens noted that she can discuss with her supervisor and the building inspector about the temporary need for the signs. There was no comment from the public. VOTE: Ms. Tarbet made a motion to continue the review to the next meeting with the inclusion of the window design. Seconded by: Murray. Roll Call: Leftwich, Martin, Murray, Tarbet, and Perras. 5-0 in favor. Projects in the Urban Renewal Area 1. 252 Bridge Street: Discussion of The Exchange’s curved wall mock-up, request to continue to December 18, 2024 VOTE: Ms. Tarbet made a motion to continue the review to the December 18th meeting. Seconded by: Martin. Roll Call: Leftwich, Martin, Murray, Tarbet, and Perras. 5-0 in favor. 2. 27 Charter Street: Small Project Review – Installation of 6 antennas and communications equipment on rooftop penthouse for the City of Salem. No one from this project was in attendance. DRB November 20, 2024 Page 3 of 8 • Mr. Perras noted that he walked the site, and believes the antennas will be completely indiscernible from the street. He said the project includes four circular receivers located on top of the penthouse and one vertical antenna mounted on the penthouse. They can be seen from across the water, but not from ground level on Derby Street. • Members felt this may be the only option, but the owner was not present to answer questions and agreed that a continuance made sense for when the owner could be present to answer questions. • Ms. Tarbet wondered whether they could be painted a brick or dark color to minimize the visual. There were no comments from the public. VOTE: Murray made a motion to continue the review to the December 18th meeting. Seconded by: Martin. Roll Call: Leftwich, Martin, Murray, Tarbet, and Perras. 5-0 in favor. Ms. Owens will pass on the comment regarding the color. 3. 283 Rear Derby Street: Small Project Review – Installation of wood burning stove chimney for Notch Brewery & Tap Room. Chris Lohring was present to discuss the project, which includes: • An exhaust from the stove hat will go out the rear of the building to the roof line. • Schematics of the exhaust and images of the building were shown. • The intent is to use this for heat, not food cooking. • It will be exposed, and metal. Mr. Lohring was not sure of the color or type of metal and the contractor was not in attendance. • Mr. Perras noted that the top of the brick wall tapers out, and that is not shown. He noted that he would prefer if it followed the profile of the wall. • The board agreed that black as a color would work best. • How flush it will be will be dictated by the attachment method. • Ms. Martin noted that the bends may be limited depending on the heat it produces. • Mr. Perras expressed concern that the drawing shows a wood frame foundation, and that brick is very different. There were no comments from the public. • Mr. Perras thought they may be able to approve the aesthetics of it, but require an updated, detailed plan. VOTE: Murray made a motion to approve a black unit as flush as it can be to the shape the building with low profile attachments. Seconded by: Martin. Roll Call: Leftwich, Martin, Murray, Tarbet, and Perras. 5-0 in favor. DRB November 20, 2024 Page 4 of 8 4. 1 Sewall Street: Schematic Design Review – Proposal to utilize approximately 5,600 square feet of exterior rooftop space for exterior exercise opportunities and play space for the YMCA’s early learning and school-aged children. Charity Lezama, Gillian Kazzaz, Robert Freni, and Abby Gordon were present to discuss the project. • Ms. Lezama reported that the Y serves over 200 children a day in their childcare program, from infants to 6th graders. The Salem Y does not have an outdoor space for the children. Images of the current playground, which is 1,100 sq ft. and serves 14 students and the future playground which is 3,940 sq ft and would serve 52 students were displayed. The future playground would include two climbing structures, space to run and a multi-use court. • Images, maps, and photos were provided. • Ms. Kazzaz noted that YMCA building is lower than the abutting buildings and the rooftop space would be visible from the street. Roof equipment would remain and some would be shifted. Some equipment would be relocated. The play structure would have a rubber surface. There would be a 10-foot anti-climb fence. The roof area would be divided by a fence into areas for different age groups. Illustrations and elevations were provided. • Construction will take 6-9 months and will include removing parts of the existing roof, reinforcing the existing structure, and relocating equipment to create a stable base. • Access points will be the new extended staircases and elevator. There will be exterior lighting during the winter months. • The north stair tower and tower buildings will be clad in antique bronze seam panels to complement the historic materials in the area, ground cover will be rubber. There will be a green roof for planting material. • Minimal distribution during construction is expected. Roads and sidewalks will be largely unimpacted. • Members were very pleased with the use of space and shade, and its accessibility. • Fencing will be black 8-inch post with black wire mesh fence material. • The fence density is accurate from what was shown. Lighting is still being finalized, and only utilized during 4-6pm in the winter months. There were no comments from the public. • Ms. Owens noted the SRA had questions about noise. It was confirmed that the childcare program ended at 6pm. • Ms. Lesanza noted that 10-feet should be sufficient to prevent that. There won’t be any hoops on the open side. The fence will be two feet higher than is required by MA state law. Children will always be supervised. VOTE: Tarbet made a motion to approve as presented. Seconded by: Martin. Roll Call: Leftwich, Martin, Murray, Tarbet, and Perras. 5-0 in favor. DRB November 20, 2024 Page 5 of 8 5. 32-34 Federal Street: Final Design Review – Historic preservation, restoration, and reuse of the historic court buildings and associated site improvements and landscaping. Christoper McFarland, Derek Hansen, Michael Blyer, and John Seeger were present to discuss the project, which includes: • Design updates since last April. • There will be 15 units of housing in the County Commissioners Building and a professionally managed event space in the Superior Court Building. • They are still in the Planning Board process, the peer review process recommended more storm water infiltration on site, so a modest rain garden is being proposed. • Mr. McFarland reviewed the landscape design. The project is a complementary project to the Salem Exchange. Pavement will be removed and replaced with garden space and a courtyard. An accessible ramp will bring people to the front entry. The plan includes street trees and garden trees. • The main entries to both buildings are on Federal Street. Other entrances will be for emergency egress. • There is one large tree to be removed, but it will be replaced. The flagpole will remain. • The hope is that people will use the wall for seating. There will be a double row of trees along the sidewalk. The courtyard is intended to be an active space. • There will be low level rail lighting going up the ramp for safety and tree lighting on the garden. • Mr. Seger noted that the buildings are in good condition, but this is a full restoration project. The existing ramp is to be demolished and replaced. • Two parking spaces will remain on Federal Street, one handicapped. Two spaces will also be available on Bridge Street. • The ramp has been shifted three feet to accommodate the window well. A glass curtain wall will be used to enhance and celebrate the main entrance. The condenser units will be located on the west bank of the building. • Windows for the basement will be reactivated through window wells. • They are limited as to where they put equipment due to the historic nature of the buildings. • Board members were supportive of the plan. • The red door from Bridge Street leads directly to a staircase so will not be accessible. Mr. Perras believes it might be an area where people may want to congregate, and suggested a way to limit the path, or rendered with materials that don’t look appealing. Ms. Martin agreed. • Mr. Perras noted that he was pleased with the amount of landscaping planned for the project. • Ms. Tarbet expressed hope that there is more thought put into keeping the sidewalk as wide as possible. Mr. Hansen is working to figure it out per the code requirements. There were no comments from the public. VOTE: Tarbet made a motion to approve as the project and requested the applicant work to reduce the path to make it less occupiable. Seconded by: Martin. Roll Call: Leftwich, Martin, Murray, Tarbet, and Perras. 5-0 in favor. DRB November 20, 2024 Page 6 of 8 6. 73 Lafayette: Final Design Review – Review of Phase 1 of the project, which consists of the construction of a new building at the corner of Lafayette and Derby Streets with 19 age- restricted affordable housing units and approximately 2,300 square feet of first floor commercial space, construction of the health center ground floor at Derby Street, and a new 5-story building at 9 Peabody Street with 29 age restricted affordable housing units and 2,500 square feet of public space. Ms. Tarbet recused herself from the discussion. Ms. Martin noted that she sits on the CPC and that this project has received CPA funding. Jonathan Evans, an architect with Mass Design Group, was present, along with Eileen Vogel from North Shore CDC were present to discuss the project. • Mr. Evans summarized the project, El Centro, which includes the revitalization of the buildings, enhancement of the harbor walk, creation of landscape space in front of the South River, and the revitalization of Peabody Street Park. • Mr. Perras noted that the applicant has been before this board at least a half dozen times since 2022. He added that there was a lot of discussion about trying to retain those buildings, but it was determined there was not much value in them, and a better approach would be to pay homage to them. • Mr. Evans shared images that illustrated the different programs within the building; housing, commercial, and a health center. They are seeking approval of the housing portion at this meeting. • There are not any significant changes, but the project scope has decreased. The building has gone down one floor. • Final design considerations include a public art plan, riverfront façade, and material selections. • There will be a publicly accessible art gallery, with art displays along Derby Street. The materials will be complement the brick and be able to be covered by art. They are working to promote community gathering space. The hard copy of the materials are at the Planning Board office. • Mr. Perras expressed support for the brick textures and patterns. • The color of the mechanical penthouse will change from what was shown in the rendering. • Ms. Vogel noted that the project approval is being separated due to the timing of the funding sources. Construction on the residential side is expected to begin in 2025. The next phases may start simultaneously or shortly thereafter. • Ms. Martin wondered what would happen if the health center wasn’t developed and expressed concern that the Board doesn’t know what the building would look like if it wasn’t developed. • Ms. Vogel said other departments have been asking this and noted that their HUD funding source is pushing to have the permits in place. She said that there is funding in place right now to build three of the four planned floors. • Mr. Evans illustrated where the dividing line would be. • Ms. Vogel said they plan to build everything at the same time. One contractor is used for both phases, though the contractor might be bouncing between each phase. DRB November 20, 2024 Page 7 of 8 There were no comments from the public. VOTE: Martin made a motion to approve as the design as presented with the color modification to the mechanical space on top of building 73 and with the caveat that if the design changes from what was presented, it will be required to come back before the DRB. Seconded by: Murray. Roll Call: Leftwich, Martin, Murray, and Perras. 4-0 in favor. Projects Outside the Urban Renewal Area There are no projects to review. New / Old Business 1. Approval of Minutes: a. October 23, 2024 VOTE: Martin made a motion to approve the October 23rd minutes. Seconded by: Murray. Roll Call: Leftwich, Martin, Murray, Tarbet, and Perras. 5-0 in favor. 2. 2025 Meeting Schedule Ms. Owens shared the 2025 schedule, which is meeting the fourth Wednesday of every month, except for November and December, when they meet on the third Wednesday. 3. Staff Updates, if any Ms. Owens reminded the DRB that the next meeting will be a joint meeting with the SRA to review Lappin Park, on December 11th at 6pm via Zoom. She added that the SRA history slide deck has been posted on the DRB SharePoint. Mr. Perras noted that he walks Essex Street every day and sees all the violations on a daily basis. Ms. Owens noted that Narwhal exhibit is being addressed in the near future. Mr. Perras also noted a sign at the Witch Mansion that needs to come before the DRB or be taken down. He would like to coordinate a walk to review the violations. Depending on the number of board members who attend, it may need to be posted. Upcoming Meetings 1. SRA and DRB Co-Posted: December 11th 2. DRB: December 18th Adjournment VOTE: Martin: Motion to adjourn. Seconded by: Murray. DRB November 20, 2024 Page 8 of 8 The meeting is adjourned at 8:43PM. Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 39 §23B and City Ordinance Sections 2-028 through 2-2033