Community Design Commission

Town Hall TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Community Design Commission Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Meeting Minutes John Weis, Chair Edward Hoskins Susan Lyons, Vice Chair Scott Levitan Susana Dancy Megan Patnaik Tuesday, January 25, 2022 6:30 PM Virtual Meeting Language Access Statement Virtual Meeting Notification Board members will attend and participate in this meeting remotely, through internet access, and will not physically attend. The Town will not provide a physical location for viewing the meeting. The public is invited to attend the Zoom webinar directly online or by phone. Register for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_edUaBtEiSKKYZrwZWAqxnA After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar in listen-only mode. Phone: 301-715-8592, Meeting ID: 890 8168 1068 Opening Roll Call Present 5 - Chair John Weis, Vice-Chair Susan Lyons, Susana Dancy, Scott Levitan, and Megan Patnaik Absent 1 - Edward Hoskins Approval of Agenda A motion was made by Vice-Chair Lyons, seconded by Dancy, that items on the Consent Agenda be moved to the Old Business portion of the agenda for discussion, and that the agenda be approved with that change. The motion carried Page 1 of 7 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes January 25, 2022 by a unanimous vote. Announcements No announcements were noted at time of agenda release. Chair Weis shared that a Joint Advisory Board meeting was being planned for review of affordable housing projects, per Council's direction. The Commission will be invited to a meeting on February 17 for a joint presentation, with discussion of the Commission's recommendation to occur at the regular February meeting. More details forthcoming. Petitions No petitions were noted at time of agenda release. No petitions were presented or discussed. Approval of Minutes 1. December Minutes [22-0047] A motion was made by Dancy, seconded by Patnaik, that the minutes be approved with the edits submitted by Chair Weis incorporated. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Consent Agenda Consent Agenda items were moved to the Old Business portion of the agenda. Old Business 4. AURA Blue Hill [22-0050] Certificate of Appropriateness Commission is required to take final action on COA request. Actions are approval, approval w/ conditions or denial. A motion was made by Vice-Chair Lyons, seconded by Patnaik, that Commission member Dancy be recused from this agenda item due to a stated conflict of interest. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Members of the public provided comments on the opportunity for stormwater improvements to benefit neighboring properties. A motion was made by Levitan, seconded by Patnaik, that the requested Design Alternative for Upper Floor Plate Area be approved. The motion carried by a unanimous vote of voting members. Page 2 of 7 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes January 25, 2022 A motion was made by Vice-Chair Lyons, seconded by Patnaik, that the requested Design Alternative for Street Trees be approved with a condition that additional plant material (trees, shrubs, and planters) be incorporated into the overall landscape plan. The motion carried by a unanimous vote of voting members. A motion was made by Levitan, seconded by Chair Weis, that the Certificate of Appropriateness be approved with the two Design Alternative requests and with the following conditions: - Eliminate the proposed white fiber cement frame elements - Give further consideration to the color scheme of the building facades, in particular eliminating the proposed use of blue and favoring a simpler color palette. The motion carried by a unanimous vote of voting members. A motion was made by Vice-Chair Lyons, seconded by Patnaik, that Commission member Dancy rejoin the discussion for subsequent agenda items. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 2. Fifth Third Bank @ UPlace [22-0048] Elevations & Site Lighting Commission is asked to consider approval on Fifth Third final plans request as part of the consent agenda. Appropriate actions associate w/ the elevations and site lighting plan include approval, approval w/ conditions and deferral. If the project is removed for discussion it will be moved to Old Business to be heard after AURA Blue Hill. No public comment was received. A motion was made by Patnaik, seconded by Chair Weis, that the building elevations and lighting plan be approved. Dancy voted in dissent, stating that since EIFS of the quantity proposed would not be allowed in the Blue Hill District, it should not be allowed here. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 4 - Chair John Weis, Vice-Chair Susan Lyons, Scott Levitan, and Megan Patnaik Nay: 1 - Susana Dancy Page 3 of 7 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes January 25, 2022 3. Shake Shack @ Eastgate [22-0049] Certificate of Appropriateness Modification Commission is asked to consider action on COA minor modification request. Appropriate actions include approval, approval w/ conditions or deferral. Staff has determined that use of EIFS will be evaluated as a nonconforming feature. The applicant must demonstrate to staff that materials are in compliance with the nonconformity standards of LUMO (ie not increasing the degree or extent of the feature) before staff can issue a zoning permit. The Commission therefore does not need to make any special consideration of materials for the Certificate of Appropriateness. If the project is removed for discussion it will be moved to Old Business to be heard after AURA Blue Hill. No public comment was received. A motion was made by Dancy that the Certificate of Appropriateness be denied. The motion failed for lack of second and was withdrawn. A motion was made by Chair Weis, seconded by Levitan, that the Certificate of Appropriateness be approved. Multiple members voted in dissent due to the proposed use of EIFS. Members suggested that the applicant reduce the use of EIFS enough to meet the materials requirements of the Blue Hill District (rather than proposing it as a nonconforming feature), or that the applicant repaint the existing EIFS. The motion failed by the following vote: Aye: 1 - Chair John Weis Nay: 4 - Vice-Chair Susan Lyons, Susana Dancy, Scott Levitan, and Megan Patnaik New Business 5. University Place Development [22-0051] Final Plans Review Commission is asked to receive project proposals for final plan reviews at University Place. Multiple reviews have been submitted for consideration. Elevations and site lighting are the related review criteria for final plans. No public comment was received. Page 4 of 7 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes January 25, 2022 This agenda item incorporates four (4) Final Plans applications for the University Place site. The applicant presented information on the Multifamily Building application, and the Commission discussed both the Multifamily Building and Buildings 4-5. The Commission provided the following feedback to the applicant Multifamily Building - Interest in seeing a window treatment sample - Building elevation is too long - Concern about parking deck visibility. Mall building may not be adequate to screen it. Provide a 3D rendering of the 2 buildings. Consider ways to minimize any visible portions of the parking deck - Concern about tight window spacing that accentuates the building height - Concern about treatment of the service lane. Measures are provided to make it more like a street than an alley, but not sufficiently to feel inviting and safe. Building facade does not engage pedestrians - No amenity spaces on the site feel truly inviting to the public Buildings 4-5 (retail kiosks) - Provide more visual interest, such as fun rooflines and engaging materials - Interest in seeing a street section of the Internal Main Street, to better understand how the buildings, street furnishings, sidewalks, and proportions of space interact. A motion was made by Dancy, seconded by Vice-Chair Lyons, that further discussion and consideration of the Final Plans be deferred to a later meeting. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Concept Plans 6. Weaver Dairy Road Residential [22-0052] Concept Plan Commission is asked to provide comments on concept plan proposal. Members of the public shared questions about the proposed project and information about the existing power lines. Commission members provided comments for consideration by the applicant and Town Council. No action was taken. Page 5 of 7 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes January 25, 2022 - Consider using grade change to tuck some parking under building. Use reduced surface parking to increase amenity space. - Concern about building footprint size, and grade change subsequently leading to giant retaining walls, which detracts from the pedestrian experience and architecture. Consider breaking into multiple buildings that can respond more to grade. - Consider more locations for parks and play space, to appeal to families and broader demographics. - Explore opportunities to connect streets to other neighborhoods along Weaver Dairy Rd. - Consider height variation for townhomes, so fewer stairs are needed as grade changes. - Consider townhomes as a for-sale opportunity. - Consider pedestrian connections between townhome clusters and Weaver Dairy Rd. - Improve pedestrian and bicycle connections with nearby bus stops, to encourage transit use. - Introduce traffic-calming measures such as medians. - Explore opportunities to preserve mature trees. - Consider materials and finishes for balconies that engage more with buildings. - Concern that inside corner shown at pass-through is a weak spot in the architecture. - Preference for transom window treatment over faux mullion treatment. - Appreciation for the overall architectural style, programming of the street as public space, the pass-through and architectural approach to breaking up buildings, and the alley approach to townhomes. Adjournment Next Meeting - Tuesday, Feb. 22 A motion was made by Dancy, seconded by Patnaik, to adjourn the meeting at 10:45PM. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Order of Consideration of Agenda Items: 1. Staff Presentation 2. Applicant’s Presentation 3. Public Comment 4. Board Discussion 5. Motion 6. Restatement of Motion by Chair 7. Vote Page 6 of 7 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes January 25, 2022 8. Announcement of Vote by Chair Public Charge: The Advisory Body pledges its respect to the public. The Body asks the public to conduct themselves in a respectful, courteous manner, both with the Body and with fellow members of the public. Should any member of the Body or any member of the public fail to observe this charge at any time, the Chair will ask the offending person to leave the meeting until that individual regains personal control. Should decorum fail to be restored, the Chair will recess the meeting until a genuine commitment to this public charge is observed. Unless otherwise noted, please contact the Planning Department at 919-968-2728; planning@townofchapelhill.org for more information on the above referenced applications. See the Advisory Boards page http://www.townofchapelhill.org/boards for background information on this Board. Page 7 of 7