After a long ganja break, the city has updated the commission materials online again. In the nick of time, considering the HRC is meeting...right now, and the HRC materials just seem to have landed. New Planning Commission as well.
Anyway, regarding the HRC, there are two projects worth discussing:
1.
A new two-unit building in Central North Side. Kinda an odd setup, with a two-car garage taking up the entire first story (where one tenant would be parked in some of the time), a one-bedroom unit on the second story, and a tiny studio with a deck on the third. I have to wonder if it's being built with an accessory unit by the prospective owner, not as a rental. Regardless, the building is not particularly historically styled, and it has a ground-floor garage facing the street, which I am not a fan of, but this is an alley house, so few would see it. I'm never sure what the exact rules are for new build reviews in the MWS expansion district, so we will see if it's shot down.
2.
Final review of the planned Arch/North redevelopment, which has been percolating along for years now. Overall pretty similar to what we've seen before when it comes to site plan - seven new construction townhouses, plus rehab of three historic buildings, all of which save one will have parking access via the rear. The design seems fine - harkening back to historic vernacular, but not trying to pass itself off as 150-year old homes.
Secondly, the December 13 Planning Commission presentations have landed. It's a very busy agenda after months of skimpy ones, with five new items:
1.
Review of final sign design for Acrisure Stadium. No real comment here, other than the two signs in question are very inconspicuous.
2.
Scattered-site infill in the Lower Hill (Crawford Square area). This seems to include four units - two standalone houses and one semi-detached two unit. The home styles are bland semi-suburban, but they match closely what's already on the block, and Crawford Square is basically a lost cause as an urban area already.
3.
26 new townhouses fronting on Grandview! This is a Laurel Communities project, and very similar to the successful townhouse projects at Bakery Square and in the Strip District. It also takes up the largest sections of Grandview which have been left vacant for years due to land banking. Design wise, I think these are fine...they maximize the views wit lots of front-facing windows, but do it in a smart way that still gives the houses a sense of solidity. I particularly like the detailing on the corner unit facades. Parking is also in the rear, which is great. But I continue to lament that the zoning area which is literally called "Grandview Public Realm" is slowly being converted over into single-family homes for rich people.
4.
The new Lower Hill developer is asking for modifications to the PLDP. There's a lot here. First, they want to end Wylie a block earlier than under the 2014 plan, converting the former ROW into additional park space. They also want to reconfigure park space a bit further, eliminating space along Centre and creating a new long/narrow park space along Wylie. Overall open space goes from 4.48 to 6.76 acres. Street frontages are tweaked a bit as well. Overall, it's not awful stuff, but each iteration makes the eventual built-out area less like an urban neighborhood, and more like a corporate campus.
5.
Related to the above, the plans for the next major Lower Hill project - the 4,500-person music venue with 900-stall garage - are now being reviewed. This will take up all of "Block E." In addition to the primary purposes, 1,200 square feet along Wylie Avenue will be set aside as a rent-free commercial incubator space, there will be a built-in public-safety facility at the corner of Bedford and Fullerton, and two additional storefront commercial spaces along Logan Street with 6,400 and 2,430 square feet respectively. The detailing is fine, but it can't hide that this is a blocky four-story building pasted onto a six-story garage. Just looking at it as part of their wider context makes it clear how completely out of context it seems compared to the eventual surrounding buildings. I do hope that the apartment buildings further up the hill get constructed some time within the next ten years however.