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2002-12-04 DRB MinutesDesign Review Board Wednesday, December 4, 2002 Page 1 of 4 Design Review Board Minutes of the Meeting December 4, 2002 A regular meeting of the Design Review Board was held in the third floor conference room at 120 Washington Street on Wednesday, December 4, 2002 at 5:30 p.m. Those in attendance were: Paul Durand, Chris Greene and Don Giard. Winter Street Realty Trust (209 Essex Street) Paul Durand excused himself from the meeting. Stacia Cooper, from Winter Street Architects, presented an application for a new fence at the rear of 209 Essex Street. Ms. Cooper explained that the proposed fence must be installed for safety reasons and was requested by their insurance carrier. The proposal consists a green metal “topiary” fence that will be installed within an existing brick planting bed. Ms. Cooper stated that vines will be planted at the base of the fence to soften the appearance. Chris Greene asked what species of vines will be used for the fence. Ms. Cooper explained that they have proposed English Ivy. The Design Review Board members recommended approval of the application as submitted. Beverly Cooperative Bank (73-87 Lafayette Street) George Atkins, attorney for Beverly Cooperative, updated the members on the status of the project. He explained that the applicant has worked with the Department of Planning and Community Development, Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, and various state agencies. He explained that there are some site issues that restrict additional landscape planting. He also explained that the applicant was not interested in changing the footprint of the building. Chris Green inquired about the ZBA variance for the drive-thru use. Mr. Atkins explained that they had requested relief from the ZBA for the drive-thru. Mr. Atkins also stated that the applicant has provided detailed marketing information regarding the need for a drive-thru at this location. At this time, Mr. Atkins distributed a summary of this research to the DRB members. The engineer for the project presented the updated site plan to the DRB members. He explained that the circuitous vehicle circulation would discourage cut-through traffic. He also stated that the new site plan includes additional parking lot lighting and building lighting. The architectural changes include a more direct alignment for the semi-public passageway, new bay windows and trellis structures at the rear elevation. He also stated that the all of the brickwork would be repointed and that a new brick façade would replace the existing Earley building façade. Design Review Board Wednesday, December 4, 2002 Page 2 of 4 Mr. Giard asked if the material at the rear of the building was stucco. The engineer explained that portions of the rear façade would be stucco. Mr. Green stated that a light colored stucco would not be effective and that a single mass of brick would be more effective. Mr. Durand and Mr. Giard agreed that brick would be preferred. David Payne, landscape architect, presented the updated landscaping plans to the Board. He outlined the difficult site constraints. He explained that they have included a series of landscape mounds to avoid the underground utilities. Mr. Payne pointed out the location of the proposed vine-covered trellis structures and stated that the interior walkways would consist of colored concrete. Mr. Durand asked Mr. Payne what kind of trees would be installed near Derby Street. Mr. Payne stated that they are proposing Flowering Pear trees at that location. Mr. Giard inquired about the option of shifting the alignment of the walkway near Derby Street to accommodate a continuous row of trees. Mr. Greene stated that the narrow strip between the walkway and the adjacent parking lot is insufficient and that there should be a more significant buffer. Mr. Durand inquired about fencing for the site. Mr. Payne stated that no fencing had been proposed for the site but a raised granite curb may be used to protect pedestrians. Mr. Green stated that colored concrete should not be used for the walkways. He suggested the use of concrete pavers as an alternative. Mr. Giard stated that a direct pedestrian connection from the harbor walk to the community room should be considered. Mr. Green agreed that a direct path connection should be included from the harbor walk to the community room and added that a handicap ramp should be included adjacent to the community room. Mr. Green asked why the community room was not adjacent to the semi-public passageway. Mr. Giard stated that the additional glazing at the rear of the building would help connect the building to the waterfront. He also suggested that the applicant provide a more significant community room entrance at the rear of the building. Mr. Green suggested that the applicant extend the planting bed adjacent to the public parking area and that an additional tree should be included at this location. David Payne stated that he would investigate this further. Mr. Giard stated that the inclusion of a decorative cross walk would enhance the pedestrian connection from the public passageway to the river. Mr. Payne stated that he would investigate this further. Design Review Board Wednesday, December 4, 2002 Page 3 of 4 Mr. Giard suggested that he had concerns over the height of the landscape mounds. He stated that once these mounds are planted, they have the potential of block views of the river and that there are potential safety concerns from the lack of visibility. Mr. Green and Mr. Durand did not have concerns with the height or location of the landscape mounds. Peabody Essex Museum (Essex Street) Will Phippin, from the Peabody Essex Museum, introduced Greg Liakos and John Roll and stated that the museum will be focusing on the “campus” signage for the project. Mr. Roll outlined the changes that were made to the plans. He explained that the map displays had been removed from this phase and that the height, size and placement of the free-standing banners had been changed. Mr. Roll stated that the height of the banners has been reduced from 30’ to 26’ and that the spacing of the banners along Hawthorne Boulevard has been increased to mitigate their impact on the existing historical resources. Mr. Green stated that the placement of the banners along the Essex Mall would be appropriate. He stated that similar sized banners had been installed at the Christian Science Center in Boston. Mr. Durand stated that the new location and height of the banners along Hawthorne Street were an improvement. He suggested that the height of all the banners should be reduced. Mr. Green and Mr. Giard agreed that the height should be reduced from 30’ to 26’. Mr. Giard pointed out that the site plan had been adjusted to accommodate the new signage. He stated that approved landscaping plan indicated two shade trees at the location of the proposed free-standing signage on the Essex Mall. He explained that these trees had either been relocated or removed. Mr. Phippin stated that the trees had been shifted further down the Essex pedestrian mall. Mr. Giard stated that he had concerns over the removal or relocation of those trees. He stated that the trees would have helped mitigate the height of the project and give the pedestrian mall a better sense of enclosure. Mr. Green stated that he did not have concerns with the new tree locations. Mr. Giard stated that the DRB could not make a recommendation until the Board of Appeals had reviewed the project. He stated that the City would work with the applicant to expedite their application. City Hall Window Box (93 Washington Street) Kimberly Alexander, from the Peabody Essex Museum, presented a proposal for two decorative wrought iron window boxes for City Hall. Ms. Alexander explained that the new window boxes will be installed along the Washington Street façade and will replace the existing deteriorated window boxes. She explained that the proposed window boxes are 42” long x 12” deep x 10 Design Review Board Wednesday, December 4, 2002 Page 4 of 4 inches high, with decorative balconettes in front of each box. The proposed window boxes will be constructed of wrought iron and will be black in color. Mr. Green stated that he did not feel that an ornate design treatment was appropriate for the façade. He stated that the Greek Revival façade has a strong simplicity that would not be compatible with a decorative feature. He stated that a more understated design would be more appropriate. Ms. Alexander stated that they could investigate additional alternatives. Bowman Building (266 Essex Street) An architect from H.H. Morant Architects presented the revised submittal to the DRB. The revised plans include a detailed landscaping plan and parking plan, fence details, planting details and light fixture details. A window sample was also presented to the Board. Mr. Green inquired about the plant quantities and requested that they be shown on the final plan. The applicant agreed to provide this information. Having no other comments, the DRB commended the applicant on their efforts to address their concerns. Mr. Giard informed the applicant that the final recommendation would be contingent on the submittal of the additional information. Heritage Bank (35 St. Peter Street) Paul Bourbeau, architect for the project, presented the schematic proposal to the DRB. Mr. Bourbeau stated that Heritage Bank has leased a portion of the former New England Telephone Building on St. Peter. The proposal includes a new drive-thru, revised parking lay-out, a new entrance along Federal Street and landscaping. Mr. Bourbeau explained that the treatment of the new entrance does not match the other entrance along Federal Street, which is under construction. He stated he felt their proposal was compatible with the other entrance. Mr. Green stated that the drive-thru lane conflicted with the adjacent parking. He stated that cars would not be able to by-pass the drive-thru lane. He suggested the elimination of some or all of the parking spaces adjacent to the drive-thru. Mr. Bourbeau agreed that the elimination of the parking spaces would improve the plan. He stated that he could revise the plans accordingly. Mr. Durand stated that he felt the new entrance was an improvement over the other entrance on Federal Street. He stated that he had no issue with the different architectural treatments for the two entrances. Mr. Green and Mr. Giard agreed that the different treatments were acceptable. Mr. Green inquired about the handicap ramp for the new entrance. He suggested that the applicant reconfigure the ramp to eliminate the need for a railing. Mr. Bourbeau agreed with the concept and stated that he would investigate this further. Mr. Giard thanked Mr. Bourbeau for his schematic presentation, outlined the review process and requested updated drawings for the next DRB meeting. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.