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BRB_2018_09_05_MINUTESBuilding Review Board Minutes – September 5, 2018 The City of Lake Forest Building Review Board Proceedings of September 5, 2018 Meeting A regular meeting of the Lake Forest Building Review Board was held on Wednesday, September 5 , 2018 at 5:30 p.m., at the City Hall Council Chambers, 220 E. Deerpath, Lake Forest, Illinois. Building Review Board members present: Chairman Ted Notz and Board members Fred Moyer, Jim Diamond, Bob Reda and Richard Walther Building Review Board members absent: Chris Bires, Ross Friedman Staff present: Catherine Czerniak, Director of Community Development, Jennifer Baehr, Assistant Planner 1. Introduction of Board members and staff, overview of meeting procedures. Chairman Notz reviewed the role of the Building Review Board and the meeting procedures followed by the Board. He asked the members of the Board and staff to introduce themselves. 2. Consideration of the minutes of the August 2, 2018 meeting of the Building Review Board. The minutes of the August 2, 2018 meeting were approved with one correction as requested by Chairman Notz. 3. Continued consideration of a request for approval of a new residence with a detached garage and approval of the conceptual landscape plan for the property located at 480 Ryan Place. Approval of the demolition of an existing shop building is also requested. Owner: MNE Development LLC, Luka Popovich Representative: Dragan Djonovic, project manager Chairman Notz introduced the petition. He asked the Board members for any Ex Parte contacts or conflicts of interest. Hearing none, he invited a presentation from the petitioner. Mr. Popovich went over the revisions that have occurred since the last Building Review Board meeting. He stated that he and the design team considered recommendations from the Board and staff as well as the neighbor and worked to incorporate features of the Four Square style more fully into the design. He explained that the overall height of the house is lowered to 29 feet and 6 inches to conform to the Code, the columns, windows, and trim refined, brick is substituted in place of stone, the garage footprint is increased to improve functionality, and the garage structure enhanced as suggested Building Review Board Minutes – September 5, 2018 by the Board. Ms. Baehr explained that since last month, when the Board heard this petition, significant changes were made to achieve a design that is more consistent with the City’s design guidelines and the Four Square architectural style. She added that the staff report offers a few additional recommendations and the petitioner revised the plans to reflect the staff recommendations. She noted that the petitioner was very responsive to comments made by the Board at the last meeting and the staff report offers findings in support of approval of the petition. Board member Walther stated that the plans are significantly improved and are much more consistent with the selected architectural style. He observed that the floor plan shows a window under the deck and advised that be reconsidered. In response to Board member Walther, Ms. Czerniak stated that the City’s Plans Examiner will determine if a window well will be required for egress. Board member Walther suggested consideration of lighting on the rear of the garage due to its location on the alley. In response to questions from Board member Walther, Mr. Popovich stated that he believes that the condition of the alley is sufficient to support the expected traffic resulting from the new house. He added that he is aware that construction parking is not permitted on Ryan Place. In response to questions from Board member Diamond, Mr. Popovich stated that they are working to develop a landscape plan. Board member Reda commended the detailing of the column. Board member Moyer stated that the revised plans are encouraging and appear to have incorporated many of the Board’s and Lake Forest Preservation Foundation’s recommendations. In response to questions from Chairman Notz, Mr. Popovich stated that the same brick material will be used for the water table and chimney. In response to questions from Chairman Notz, Ms. Czerniak stated that in order to comply with the building scale requirement, the height of the exposed basement was reduced. She added that the overall height of the house is still close to the maximum height permitted so an as-built drawing will be required to verify the height. Hearing no further questions from the Board, Chairman Notz invited public comments. Hearing no public comments, he invited final questions and comments from the Board. Hearing none, he invited a motion. Board member Reda made a motion to approve the new residence as submitted Building Review Board Minutes – September 5, 2018 subject to the conditions stated in the staff report with the addition of a condition requiring the brick for the water table and chimney to match. The motion was seconded by Board member Moyer and approved by a vote of 5 to 0. Board member Reda made a motion to recommend approval of the demolition of the existing accessory building. The motion was seconded by Board member Diamond and approved by a vote of 5 -0. 4. Consideration of a request for approval of a second story addition at 844 Timber Lane. Owners: Pierre & Rebecca Masson Representatives: Bob Gebelhoff, designer Chairman Notz introduced the petition. He asked the Board members for any Ex Parte contacts or conflicts of interest. Hearing none, he invited a presentation from the petitioner. Ms. Masson stated that the main objective of the project is to add interior space to the second floor. She explained the interior rearrangements that would occur with the additional space. She noted that the proposed addition is designed to appear as an extension of the existing house. She explained that they explored other designs but noted that the proposed plans provide the most balanced design and is the most financially feasible for the property owners. She added that they received several letters of support from neighbors. Ms. Baehr confirmed that as the petitioner mentioned, alternate designs were considered and staff supports the proposed plans as the most compatible with the existing house. She explained that the materials of the addition will match the materials of the existing house. She stated that no changes are proposed to the building footprint. She added that findings are included in the staff report supporting the petition. Board member Moyer stated that the addition works well with the existing house. Board member Reda stated that he understands the need and the direction of the project, but noted that the massing of the addition is a concern. He stated that the house is linear and the proposed addition adds multiple roof lines and masses. He suggested that a simpler design be considered. Mr. Masson confirmed that one of the alternate designs presents a different roof form, but noted that they design presented matches the pitch of the existing roof. He stated his preference for the design as presented. In response to questions from Board member Reda, Mr. Masson stated that raising the Building Review Board Minutes – September 5, 2018 garage roof was considered but is outside of the budget for the project. Board member Reda noted that the house is prominent in the neighborhood on a corner lot. He questioned whether there may be construction issues with the overlapping roofs. Mr. Gebelhoff noted that the roof of the addition ends at the existing roof. Board member Reda stated support for the front facing gable, matching the existing gable. Board member Diamond commented that the north elevation appears appropriate, but questioned the appropriateness of the east elevation. In response to questions from Board member Walther, Ms. Czerniak clarified that the City calculations are prepared to double check the calculations submitted by the petitioner based on a consistent methodology. In response to questions from Board member Walther, Mr. Gebelhoff stated that the window on the north elevation in the utility room and explained that it would be difficult to lower or enlarge the window. Board member Walther recommended that consideration be given to enlarging the window to be more consistent with other windows in the house. He added that there are two trees that shield the area of the proposed addition. In response to questions from Board member Walther, Mr. Masson confirmed that the trees are healthy and will not be removed as part of the project. He added that additional trees will be planted along Greenwood Avenue. Chairman Notz stated that he agrees with other Board members that the addition is not an ideal design solution but achieves what the petitioner needs and is a reasonable design. Hearing no further questions from the Board, Chairman Notz invited public comments. Monica Ruggles, 175 Washington Circle, spoke on behalf of the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation. She asked that consideration be given to refining the massing of the addition. She explained that the addition creates a complicated roof form that in the opinion of the Foundation, does not enhance the design of the home. Mr. Masson stated that additions, with similar massing, can be found in the neighborhood. He added that the intent is to assure that the addition fits with the existing house. Building Review Board Minutes – September 5, 2018 Board member Moyer stated that the proposed improvements are consistent with the vocabulary of the house. He added that from the alternative designs shown, the petitioners have proposed the most workable option. Board member Reda stated that the roof lines is problematic when considered in the context of the design standards. He stated that in his opinion, the addition does not enhance the house and questioned whether there is a better solution to meet the petitioners’ needs. Mr. Masson reiterated that they considered other options but given the existing conditions, the plans as proposed appear to be appropriate. In response to Board member Reda’s suggestion to center the gable over the garage, Mr. Masson stated that option was considered, but was outside the budget for the project. Board member Diamond stated that he understands Board member Reda’s concerns, adding however that given the existing conditions, in his opinion, the project as proposed is acceptable. Board member Walther pointed out that the trees on the property will provide some screening of the complexity of the roof forms. Chairman Notz stated that although the roof forms are complex, compared to the alternate designs, the addition as proposed helps to break up the expansive roof line while minimizing the overall impact on the elevation. He added that he is comfortable with the design as presented. He invited public comments, hearing none, he invited final comments, questions or a motion from the Board. Board member Reda made a motion to recommend approval of the petition as submitted based on the findings detailed in the staff report and the Board’s deliberations. The motion was seconded by Board member Diamond and approved by a vote of 4 to 1 with Board member Reda voting nay for the reasons previously stated. OTHER ITEMS 5. Opportunity for the public to address the Building Review Board on non-agenda items. There was no public testimony presented to the Board on non-agenda items. 6. Additional information from staff. No additional information was presented by staff. The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 p.m. Building Review Board Minutes – September 5, 2018 Respectfully submitted, Jennifer Baehr Assistant Planner