Changing Course
Typically, when the Planning Commission finds a design problematic, it merely will reach for a tweaking pencil.
This time it did not, and that may be read as an instructive lesson for the next round of developers who will put their creations before the Commissioners.
Traditionally regarded as one of the dry pigeon-holes of City Hall, this occasion will be remembered for the Planning Commissions catchy three-word sound bite.
Andy Weissman, the chair of the Planning Commission, defined the meaning of intensity and density at the gateway into Downtown:
More, More and More
The cumulative effect of retail/residential and the in-and-out nature of traffic on top of the horrible congestion that already exists at the intersection.
The design by SPF:architects called for what has become an increasingly familiar redevelopment profile:
Numbers Game
Ground-floor retail covering 4700 square feet, crowned by four stories of 23 residential units 40,000 square feet altogether.
One large problem at the outset. Before the public uttered a single comment, Planning Commissioners noted that the proposal fell short of meeting the city codes parking requirements.
Dont Fence Them in
For several months, the corner parking lot has been fenced in, which has not stopped the public from using it while transacting business at the Post Office and elsewhere.
The fence probably will remain in place, and there will not be any external signs the intended project is off the boards for now.
After residents complained the five-story structure proposed by SPF:architects would overwhelm the heavily traveled City Hall intersection, the Commission extended an offer to the developer.
Making a Choice
Would SPF like to take a breath, digest community (and Commission) criticism, reconfigure and return with new designs at a later date?
Or, take their chances by permitting Planners to take an immediate up-or-down vote?
Opting for the latter, SPF:architects took a bath, losing 4 to 0, leading Mr. Weissman to analyze the value of studying the outcome.
How the Point Was Reached
Awhile back, he said, the City Council revised the most crucial, resident-sensitive standards regarding redevelopment policy.
Greater density and tandem parking were the key adjustments, Mr. Weissman said. Developers were l tuned in to those changes. They promptly made their own adjustments.
All the Way to One Side
The result was the promulgation of a number of proposed redevelopments that maxed out the sites, said the Planning Commission chair.
I heard an apt metaphor describing this case: It was like putting 10 pounds of stuff into a five-pound bag.
This is exactly the intersection transformation that the community and the Planning Commission.
They did not want the corner to resemble a fat man whose trousers drastically shrank in the wash.
