Details on the 11th and Pine Development

The design proposal for the 11th and Pine development was posted to the Design Review website today, in anticipation of the second Early Design Guidance Meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, Nov 4th (details below). You can download the entire proposal here[3.5mb]. But for those too busy (or lazy) to go through it, here is a brief overview of what's new (see our earlier coverage here and a recap of the first EDG meeting here):

Courtyard View

First, according to DPD and the Design Review Board, this meeting is scheduled as a second Early Design Guidance meeting, but the proposal seems to suggest otherwise. While EDG's are required to have three alternatives for height and bulk within the allowable zoning, the current 11th and Pine porposal looks at only a single option and has many more details than the EDG is suppose to consider. I spoke with Bob O'Malley of Kohler Architects, and he did not seem to think that three alternatives were necessary at a second EDG. The project planner, Lisa Rutzick could not be reached at this time.

Unlike any of the options in the first EDG, the new design calls for a fully enclosed residential courtyard that would start on the second level. The unit breakdown has gone from 54 studio, 30 1-bdrm, and 12 2-bdrm (total 96), to 6 studio, 76 1-bdrm, and 10 2-bdrm (total 92). Similar to the first proposal the original facade will be maintained on 11th and Pine and will wrap around a bit into the alley.

One of the main concerns at the last EDG meeting was the splitting of the original two-story ceiling of the interior by bringing the residential units down into that space. The new proposal is a bit of a compromise in that about half of the street level retail, the side facing Pine St, will have two-story ceilings, while the rest will not.

11th Ave Facade

The upper floors are designed to "pay respect" to the existing building by using similar window patterns, column spandrels, and glazing divisions. While most of the upper floors will have very little setbacks, half of the 11th Ave facade will be recessed above, to accentuate the original entrance and garage door, which is being restored for commercial use (not parking). The original masonry is intended to be restored while the upper levels will have metal panels with minimal treatment and trim. They have also opted to name the building the "Sunset Electric" building, apparently ignoring Dennis Saxman's request that they maintain the character of the "Winton Motor Co." a company that, according to Saxman's research, owned the property prior to Sunset Electric.

The new proposal has also increased the parking stalls from 4 to 36, therefore removing the 14,000sqft of basement commercial space that was designed for arts and cultural uses. This is interesting because, according to the first EDG report, neither the community nor the Design Review Board suggested additional parking.

Street Level Floorplan

A few personal opinions:

• I think the additional parking in lieu of arts and culture space would be a travesty and must be stopped.
• If they are only going to have double high ceilings in part of the building, it should really be facing 11th, a much better pedestrian street and the front of the original building.
• I like the upper story design elements but I think I would rather see concrete instead of metal siding.
• They should put "Winton Motor Co." on one side and "Sunset Electric" on the other at the top
• There are P-patches and worm bins on the roof top deck. Thats pretty cool.

Come voice your thoughts on this development at the next EDG meeting Wednesday:

Project: 1530 11th Ave  map

Design Proposal available (3.65 MB)

Review Meeting:	November 4, 6:30 pm
	S U Alumni Relations & Admissions Buildings
	824 12th Ave  map
	Meeting Room
Review Phase:	EDG--Early Design Guidance past reviews
Project Number:	3010451 permit status | notice
Planner:	Lisa Rutzick