Architectural Commission & Historic Preservation Commission

City of Oconomowoc Architectural Commission Meeting Minutes May 8, 2024 The meeting was called to order by Chairman Flint at 4:30 pm. Members Present: Schulz, Otten, Johnson, Flint and Krogstad, Staff Present: Gallo, Weber, Frye, Magnus, Dehnert and Steinhagen 2. Minutes of March 6, 2024 and April 3, 2024: Motion by Johnson to approve the March 6, 2024 minutes; second by Krogstad. Motion carried 5-0. Motion by Johnson to approve the April 3, 2024 minutes; second by Schultz. Motion carried 5-0. 3. Olde Highlander Signage – Consider/approve monument signage for the Olde Highlander Development with 29 acres (primarily) west of Olympia Fields, north of Pabst Farms road extension and south of Robruck Drive: Weber explained design standards were created and approved for the Olde Highlander development which also identified sign locations but no details. The request tonight is for approval of a monument sign on Oconomowoc Parkway which is designed to look like an old well pump building and two secondary signs which will sit on a pedestal on a decorative stone wall. Weber thinks the signs are very complimentary but suggested the secondary signs sit directly on the wall instead of the pedestal. She recommended approval with a consideration on sign placement of the secondary signs. Ryan Fritsch of Neumann Development explained the raised section of the secondary signs is cast stone; there will be 2 lights directly below the sign as well as below the end sections of the wall. The members thought that all portions of the stone wall should be illuminated. Fritsch also clarified that the well pump building will be used for storage and will have a switch on the inside to turn on the light inside the building. Motion by Flint to approve the monument signage for the Olde Highlander development as presented with the condition that all stone areas of the wall be ground illuminated; second by Johnson. Motion carried 5-0. The Chairman requested without objection to move up Item 6. 6. HSA Commercial – Discuss building plans for an industrial facility at 1000 Blue Ribbon Circle North: Weber explained this development was previously approved in 2022 under a different owner. The location is under new ownership, and they have new design plans for a multi-tenant building with a store front window entrance and blue and yellow stripes along the entire building. Ken Osbourne of HSA Commercial said they have used this same design in multiple communities, and there will be 4 different office entrances. Members were concerned with the type of users which may have cylinders or towers on the exterior, HVAC units around or on top of the building and any potential hazardous items with these users. Chad Vande Zande on behalf of the applicant added Pabst reviewed and approved the plans for this project, and they have to be careful with window placement. Members thought the previously approved building was much more attractive; the building needs more windows; the front elevation is long and stagnant; and questioned the yellow and blue colors as the colors are quite vibrant for an industrial building. Members suggested they should articulate the lengths with more in’s / out’s; change the blue stripe on the bump outs to be gray to make the building look cleaner; bring every yellow area out and make it taller around the entire building; for the next meeting they should plan the placement of mechanical units, lighting and landscaping; and they want a visual of all sides and cross sections to show the roof to determine if the roof units need screening. Osbourne said they will leave some knock outs for where windows can be placed; the colors are the choice of the owner; and all roof top units will be screened. No action was taken. Chairman Flint requested review of the technical building (Item 5) before the residential buildings were reviewed. S:Clerk/Committees-Commissions/Architectural/Minutes/2024/ACmin 5-8-24 5. Pabst 59 Tech Hub – Discuss (4) tech buildings located east of Fleet Farm on Pabst Farms Boulevard: Weber explained the site will contain 4 technical buildings and be developed along with various amenities. The 2 buildings which face 94 will contain the most detail with windows, wood and a corner element. Weber recommended they include Pabst Farms light fixtures, questioned the location of HVAC units and noted they need to do a master sign plan for the whole development. She noted the only building being reviewed this evening is the building to be located in the SW corner, also known as building #1. Jay Knetter of JAKnetter Architects explained building materials include an acid etched precast panel system consisting of maintenance free white panels for a clean innovative appearance; heavy timber corner and accents; lots of glass; 2 nd story balcony with gathering area below; accent fins; and vision glass areas with a mezzanine in the corners. His intention is for the remaining 3 buildings to be different but include some elements from each building so that each is unique yet cohesive; the dumpster will consist of similar materials and a man door; each building will contain the same square footage with loading docks for each located in the middle of the development; they will use Pabst Farms light fixtures on the roadway around the development and their own wall mounted light fixtures by the area with the loading docks. Gallo clarified the Pabst Farms light fixtures should be located around the parking lots. Members cautioned not to use Core 10 building material because it will bleed all over; concerned with past building trends in Pabst Farms; won’t allow the remaining 3 buildings to contain a lot less detail; concerned with building 1, where the loading docks will be located, being plain on the back while there are no other buildings on the site; it is an attractive building; suggested bringing up the corners versus concerned with the pocket created between the corner element and the concrete wall; the design is great; would like to see the plans for all 4 buildings; and are there any plans to ever link the buildings. Danny O’Brien, landscape architect, suggested the area behind building 1 where the loading docks will be located could be seeded with a prairie grass mix until the other buildings are built. No action was taken. 4. Pabst 59 Multi-family – Discuss (5) residential buildings and clubhouse located east of Fleet Farm on Pabst Farms Boulevard: Weber explained the residential buildings will be located north of the tech buildings and consist of Apartment A and Apartment B styles which is based on where they will be located. Apartment A buildings are more enhanced along the road side, contain 4-sided architecture and ends are flattering. Weber requested utility units be located on the plans to help design around them. Apartment B buildings have their rooflines broken up; include retail on the first floor; and detail around the middle. Weber noted a master sign plan would be required for the commercial tenants on the first floor; asked about the location of HVAC units and any venting should match the surrounding material; and plans have been included for a clubhouse and dumpster enclosure which should include a man door. Brittany Carrier of Studio 22 Architects said the design style is contemporary farmhouse with horizontal siding on the apartments. The retail will have a similar style. The design of the clubhouse has been changed to include blue to tie all the buildings together. Members questioned how the aesthetics would work to tie into live-work-play aspect of the development; encouraged the applicant to look at Norden Range units to see how styles would work with all buildings being proposed; suggested ideas to make the retail “pop” by adding different brackets, use more elements and add small things to the roof line on the apartments similar to the clubhouse. The landscaper provided more detail on how the landscaping will transition from the Tech buildings to the residential buildings and tie the entire development together through landscaping and signage. The pollinator garden will be part of phase 2 and includes organic sweeping shapes and structural trees. Weber asked for direction from the members on whether the Tech buildings and residential units should be complimentary or separate areas with different design elements. Members felt the buildings should tie in together; the applicant should make the decision but clean up the details on the buildings; and that it would be hard to tie both the tech and residential buildings together but they need to find a way. Carrier suggested they could provide renderings of the third component, currently not under review, for the next meeting so the members can get the full effect of the whole area. No action was taken. 7. Reports and comments from the City Planning Department: Weber said Kylee Steinhagen has joined the Planning Department as an intern. S:Clerk/Committees-Commissions/Architectural/Minutes/2024/ACmin 5-8-24 8. Reports and comments from the Architectural Commissioners: The members welcomed Ben Otten as the new member of the Architectural Commission. They also asked for an update on the Rockwell Project, and staff noted there is no change to date. 9. Adjourn: Motion by Flint to adjourn at 6:30 pm; second by Johnson. Motion carried 5-0. Chris Dehnert, Deputy City Clerk S:Clerk/Committees-Commissions/Architectural/Minutes/2024/ACmin 5-8-24