Architectural Board of Review

Architectural Board of Review Minutes Tuesday, February 18, 2025 8 A.M. Via Conference - Zoom Members Present: James Neville, Chair Hans Walter, Vice Chair David Berlekamp, Member Kevin Kennedy, Alternate Member Vincent Leskosky, Alternate Member Others Present: Daniel Feinstein, Senior Planner Kelly Beck, Planning Specialist The meeting was called to order by Daniel Feinstein, Senior Planner at 8:00 a.m. * * * * Approval of Minutes from the February 3, 2025 meeting. Approved with corrections. * * * * ABR24-000228 – 15400 South Woodland Road – Preliminary Review: Woodbury School Renovations. Mr. Feinstein outlined the comments on the massing plans from the previous preliminary review and previous City Planning Commission Working Group meetings. Aaron Rodebaugh, GPD Group, reviewed the site plan and floor plans for the building. The City Planning Commission Working Group discussed the parking configuration, which they are developing along with the entries, landscaping and walkways. Mr. Berlekamp asked the status of the bus drop off driveway in the South Woodland Road front yard. Mr. Rodebaugh said this site plan is currently showing street drop off on South Woodland. They have included an alternate pricing for a new drop off driveway. It will be considered further with the School District after preliminary pricing. He described the building floor plans. The public visitor main entry is from Woodbury Road. There are grade changes throughout the site. He showed massing and perspective plans of the building. Mr. Walter asked how much higher the gymnasium wing is now. Mr. Rodebaugh said the gym has risen an additional two feet. He also showed the cross section plan that includes the massing of the houses on Woodbury Road to the new school and through to Doan Brook. Mr. Walter commented that the house height seems to be at the second floor band of the proposed building. This is very helpful to visualize the site and building massing. Mr. Rodebaugh said they have made changes to the massing in the perspective drawings. The gymnasium pulls fenestration inspiration from the historic building. The entries on the other schools in the district are pulled out away from the building façade. This orientation is emulated on these plans. Some of the brick banding detail on the historic building is pulled around the new additions. Abby Rainieri, GPD Group, reviewed the materials and colors and their influence on the design of the new wings including texture and fenestration. Mr. Walter said he has comments about the transition areas. The “jewel” of the historic building was the emphasis of the design intent of the previous drawings. He would like there to be more glass throughout the transitions to the new building wings from the historic building. These connections should be as light and delicate as possible. Ms. Rainieri said they did wrestle with the materials for the transition areas around the building. Should the transitions and entries be the same materials and design throughout or should the historic to new building transitions be different? Mr. Neville said the transition area forms as presented at the previous meeting worked better. More glass better demonstrates the separation between old and new. Mr. Leskosky agreed and said he expected the transition areas that touch the historic building to be much lighter. Mr. Berlekamp said a lighter touch is important. Masonry to masonry connections may be difficult. A different material, like metal, could make a difference. Mr. Neville commented about the post solutions at the entries. He asked them to consider letting the canopy form be between larger, more substantial posts. Mr. Kennedy said he likes a metal material better than the light colored masonry around the building. Mr. Berlekamp asked about the spandrel material in the larger glass openings. Is the intent for the spandrel to be visible? Will it be dark or vision glass color? He asked that these options be studied as the forms are complicated. Mr. Walter said he likes that they incorporated the enlarged mullion detail to the transitions. The gymnasium window openings should be enlarged or elongated. He would ask that they consider a Architectural Board of Review 02/18/2025 Page 2 of 5 very low water course detail near the ground and allow it to disappear into grade naturally. The Board gave the following direction: 1) progress the overall design using the design principles of the transition areas being light, airy and full of glass, edit language and the design details down to be clearer and implemented in a recognizable form throughout with consistent highly detailed elements and fewer materials being better; 2) de-emphasize the use of brick in the transition areas for more glass and metal and use the lightest touch possible; 3) continue to refine the entry and transition designs with a similar architectural language; consider similar language and relationship of entries, study posts location and canopy between posts; 4) use detail such as soldier coursing and brick planes; 5) consider elongating windows on the new gymnasium with detailed punched openings and consider simpler fenestration; 6) consider de-emphasizing the entry toward Doan Brook if only used as egress; 7) study the use of a low water-course band around the new buildings; 8) the third floor material should be lighter colored metal panels instead of light brick; and 9) study the northwest corner of the building and continue to progress the design shown in the rendering. Board asked to have flat elevations presented, along with the perspective views. Submit revised plans for Board review. * * * * Mr. Neville and Mr. Kennedy left the meeting. * * * * ABR25-000014 – 3309 Braemar Road – Solar Panels. Steven Ford, Yellowlite, explained the solar panels are proposed on the front, side and rear roof forms. The mounts and racking are black in color. Mr. Feinstein asked if the panels on the flat roof are at an angle. Mr. Ford confirmed they will be parallel to the flat roof. He said there are 13 panels total, and detailed the quantity for each roof location. Mr. Leskosky asked if the chimney will block the panels on the side roof. Mr. Ford said they may need to be moved to the rear elevation if that is a problem. Mr. Walter said they always look for coherent forms on the street facing roof. It would be preferred to be 4 panels only with a 2 over 2 configuration. Mr. Berlekamp said he would support a centered location and a maximum of 4 panels on the front elevation, forming a square. Mr. Leskosky said it is important for the panels to be centered on the roof. Architectural Board of Review 02/18/2025 Page 3 of 5 Approved with the condition that the front façade have only 4 panels in a 2 panel over 2 panel configuration, centered on the roof; consider finding alternate location for the lost panels on the front façade. Submit revised plans for administrative review. * * * * ABR25-000017-18 – 3549 Daleford Road – Window Alteration: Color. Skylight. Paint Color. Pablo Gomez, Lazulite LLC, owner, explained they are renovating the entire house. They propose to replace all of the windows. They propose brown windows on the front and white windows on the sides and rear of the house. They are also proposing to change the color of the half timbering. They are trying to make this house appealing for those moving in from other areas of the country. They propose two shades of beige over the dark brown details on the house. Mr. Feinstein said this house detailing is intentionally Tudor and the current color scheme is the classis Tudor design. Mr. Berlekamp said if modernization is the goal, paint alone would not achieve a large difference. Mr. Leskosky said the house has the correct Tudor style coloration now, and should include the dark windows. Mr. Feinstein said interior upgrades can be impactful for modernization efforts. Mr. Leskosky said the metal storm window trim on the windows now read as light, but dark brown windows are appropriate. The window contractor said they have installed white windows with brown capping and showed a sample. All of the windows will have grids, even though there are a few windows on the side elevation that currently do not have grids. The white window cost is half of the cost of dark brown windows. Mr. Leskosky said the windows should have the correct color. Most manufacturers have a standard dark brown window. These should not be custom. Mr. Gomez said they also propose a skylight in the third floor. The roof is also being replaced. The window contractor said the skylight will be on the roof with the dormer. It is adjacent to the dormer, but hidden behind the main front roof. Denied the half-timbering color change. Denied the proposal for white windows on the sides and rear. The new windows are required to be dark brown sashes and grids throughout the entire house. Approved the skylight conditioned on the location being on the same side as the dormer, behind the Architectural Board of Review 02/18/2025 Page 4 of 5 main house roof. Submit revised window quote for administrative review. * * * ABR25-000015 – 20420 Chagrin Boulevard – Sign: BP. Mr. Feinstein explained this is a sign face change at the BP gas station at the corner of Warrensville Center Road and Chagrin Boulevard. Wilfredo Hernandez, Scout Services LLC, said they will refresh the appearance of the sign. The size is not changing, but the new face will have the prices shown on the sign for both regular and diesel gasoline. Mr. Berlekamp said it is good that the free-standing diesel sign is going away. Mr. Feinstein said the white background portion of the monument sign must be opaque in order to comply with zoning ordinances. He asked about the gas pump canopy updates. The green band cannot be illuminated, only the helios. There should also be no green on the posts for the canopy. Mr. Hernandez said there is no new electrical service planned, and he will confirm. Approved with the following conditions: 1) the white face of the monument sign is opaque; and 2) the canopy band is not permitted to be illuminated. Submit revised drawings for administrative review. * * * * There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 a.m. The next meeting will be March 3, 2025. _________________________________ _________________________________ James Neville, Chair Hans Walter, Vice Chair Architectural Board of Review Architectural Board of Review Architectural Board of Review 02/18/2025 Page 5 of 5