Loading...
BRB_2020_11_04_MINUTES The City of Lake Forest Building Review Board Proceedings of November 4, 2020 Meeting A meeting of the Lake Forest Building Review Board was held on Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting was conducted remotely in compliance with Governor’s Executive Order 2020-07, issued on March 16, 2020 that suspended certain Open Meetings Act provisions relating to in-person attendance by members of a public body due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Building Review Board members present remotely: Chairman Jim Diamond and Board members, Joanne Bluhm, Sally Downey, John Looby, James Sykora, and Richard Walther Building Review Board members absent: Chris Bires Staff present: Catherine Czerniak, Director of Community Development Jennifer Baehr, Assistant Planner 1. Introduction of Board members and staff, overview of meeting procedures – Chairman Diamond Chairman Diamond 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 October 7, 2020 meeting of the Building Review Board. The minutes of the October 7, 2020 meeting were approved as presented. 3. Consideration of a request for approval of the demolition of the existing single family residence and detached garage and approval of a replacement residence on the property located at 80 Washington Road. Property Owner: Elizabeth Roberts Project Representative: Jonathan Clair, architect Chairman Diamond asked the Board members for any Ex Parte contacts or conflicts of interest. Hearing none, he invited a presentation from the petitioner. Mr. Clair introduced the project on behalf of the property owner. He stated that the owner purchased the property to be closer to family in Lake Forest. He noted that a zoning variance was recently considered by the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Board voted in favor of a variance from the front yard setback to allow the new home to align with others along the streetscape. He explained that the existing residence on the property is in a Building Review Board Minutes – 11/4/2020 Page 2 of 7 state of disrepair and not worthy of rehabilitation. He stated that the petitioner proposes to demolish the existing residence. He stated that the proposed residence is a one and half story structure with an attached two car garage. He added that the proposed residence is similar in scale to the existing residence and is sited similarly on the property. He noted that the front entrance of the home faces north and the garage faces west. He stated that the curb cut remains in the current location. He reviewed the proposed floor plans. He described the proposed house noting that gable roof forms are used and all have a consistent 10:12 pitch. He noted that the primary roof material is architectural asphalt shingle with metal roofing for the smaller secondary roof elements. He stated that the façade materials are a combination of board and batten and horizontal siding with varying exposures. He explained that the color palette is a pale sea foam green for the exterior walls, an off-white for the trim, brown roof shingles, and dark gray metal roofing. He noted that dovecotes and bracket details are proposed on the gable ends. He stated that two Maple and two Honey Locust trees will be impacted by the construction adding that none of the trees are high quality trees. He stated that the landscape plan reflects the existing arborvitae on the neighboring property to the south. He stated that understory and ornamental plantings are proposed by the petitioner once the construction is completed. He explained that various site plans were studied during the design development process. He stated that the current proposal works best on the site and is preferred by the majority of the neighbors and City staff. He presented a model of the proposed residence. Ms. Baehr stated that the property is located on the southwest corner of Washington Road and Ryan Place and is currently developed with a single family residence that was built in 1920. She noted that in its current condition, the existing house would require extensive rehabilitation to make it suitable for residential use. She added that based on staff’s evaluation of the existing residence, the criteria for demolition are met. She explained that the replacement residence is sited toward the northeast corner of the property to allow the driveway to remain generally in the current location, along the west side of the property. She added that the siting of the home in the northeast corner also allows space for a rear yard on the south side of the property. She confirmed that the Zoning Board of Appeals recently recommended approval of a variance to allow the residence to encroach into the 40 foot front yard setback along Washington Road consistent with the predominate pattern of development along the street. She explained that the proposed residence is a one and half story structure designed in a Cottage style. She stated that the overall massing and roof forms appear compatible with the surrounding neighborhood and consistent with the chosen architectural style. She explained that as currently proposed, there are a variety of window sizes, shapes and orientations. She stated that staff recommends further study and refinement of the windows to achieve a more cohesive and balanced appearance across all the elevations of the home. She added that there are three skylights on the rear elevation for the purpose of bringing natural light into the home. She stated that given the small lot nature of the neighborhood and the proximity of homes to each other, it will be important that interior lighting is located, shielded and directed to avoid light spillover to the outside and impacts on neighboring properties. She noted that the proposed exterior material include fiber cement horizontal siding and board and batten siding. She stated that board and batten is not traditionally used on Cottage Building Review Board Minutes – 11/4/2020 Page 3 of 7 style homes. She requested input from the Board on the proposed siding. She stated that the amount of impervious surface on the site is proposed to increase from 28 to 48 percent. She stated that staff recommends consideration of some pervious materials for portions of the driveway, the walkways and patio to reduce the amount of impervious surface on the site. She stated that letters were received from neighboring property owners and were included in the Board’s packet. Board member Bluhm expressed support for the demolition of the existing residence. She stated that in her opinion, the replacement residence will be an improvement to the neighborhood. She noted that the various design elements, details and the variation in siding types and exposures is distracting. She commented that the different window sizes on the rear elevation will not be visible from the street or adjacent properties given the amount of existing landscaping. Board member Looby agreed with Board member Bluhm’s comments about the mix of siding materials and treatments. He suggested using a consistent exposure for the horizontal siding. He stated that pervious materials should be considered for some of the hardscape proposed on the site. He commented that the use of some stone or pavers instead of concrete will soften and enhance the appearance of the site. He acknowledged that a neighbor raised a concern about the proposed driveway location. He stated however that the proposed location is appropriate given that it is in the same location as the existing driveway and there is only limited traffic on Ryan Place. Board member Downey stated support for the demolition request. She agreed with Board member Looby’s suggestion that a consistent exposure be used for the siding. She observed that many different elements are proposed on the house some of which do not appear compatible with the Cottage style. She suggested some simplification of the overall design and detailing. She expressed concern about the proposed color palette and suggested that color and material samples are provided for Board review. Board member Sykora agreed with Board member Downey that some simplification of the design and detailing of the home is needed. He suggested that consistency of siding materials and design elements will help to simplify the appearance of the home. Board member Walther agreed with the comments of the other Board members regarding modifying the exposure of the siding and simplifying the design elements. He suggested that the petitioner work on an alternative design for the exterior cladding of the home. He added that the proportions of the windows on the rear elevation should be refined to reflect a consistent appearance. He noted that as proposed, the west elevation presents overlapping gables within the same plane. He stated that with the overlapping gables in combination with the different siding applications, the west elevation appears very busy. In response to questions from the Board, Mr. Clair stated that 18 inch panels are proposed for the metal roof. He stated that the use of pavers for the small patio and walkway seems workable. He explained that the horizontal siding at the base is used to tie all the forms of the home together. He stated that a consistent eight inch exposure could be used around Building Review Board Minutes – 11/4/2020 Page 4 of 7 the home. He agreed to provide samples of exterior materials and the color palette for review. He stated that the sizes of the windows on the rear elevation cannot be modified due to light and egress requirements. He explained that some elements such as the awning above the windows are incorporated in an effort to reflect a human scale. He explained that the gables on the west elevation are on the same plane because of the square footage limitations. Hearing no further questions or comments from the Board, Chairman Diamond invited public testimony. Bon Franksen, 95 Washington Road, stated that he has lived across from the subject property for over 25 years. He expressed support for the project. He stated that the existing residence on the property has been a problem in the neighborhood for over a decade. He acknowledged that there has been some discussion about the location of the driveway and noted that he and his wife are in full support of the curb cut and driveway remaining in the current location, off of Ryan Place. He stated that there may be safety concerns if the driveway is located on Washington Road. Kim Tunney, 621 Ryan Place, expressed concern about the size and massing of the home in comparison to the existing residence on the property. She stated that the design of the home appears complex and suggested some simplification of elements on the home, particularly on the west side of the residence. She stated that it is her understanding that the property is a lot and half in size. She stated that a variance does not appear appropriate given the size of the lot. In response to public testimony, Ms. Czerniak confirmed that the proposed residence is below the maximum square footage allowed by the Code for a lot of this size. She stated that the only variance requested is to allow the house to encroach into the zoning setback along Washington Road to allow the house to align with other homes along the streetscape. In response to public testimony, Mr. Clair explained that the gable roof forms allow livable space on the second floor without a full second floor massing. He added that this approach keeps the scale of the home consistent with the neighboring homes. He agreed to study ways to simplify the appearance of the home. Hearing no further public testimony, Chairman Diamond invited final comments from the Board. Board member Sykora expressed support for the project conditioned upon simplification of the various elements as discussed by the Board. Board member Downey agreed with Board member Sykora’s comments. She stated that the various elements as proposed appear excessive and take away from the overall design of the home. Building Review Board Minutes – 11/4/2020 Page 5 of 7 In response to questions from Board member Looby, Mr. Clair stated that an 18 inch spacing is proposed for the board and batten siding. He added that the front door is designed to be accessible to people with limitations. Board member Bluhm agreed with Board member Downey’s comments. She suggested elimination of the dovecotes and use of a simpler element on the gable ends. In response to questions from Board member Walther, Mr. Clair confirmed that the gable forms on the east elevation are offset from each other with the smaller gable offset by six inches from the larger gable. He stated that as currently proposed, the horizontal siding is at different heights across the various elevations of the home. He agreed that the siding could be a consistent height around the home. Hearing no further comments from the Board, Chairman Diamond invited a motion. Board member Walther made a motion to recommend approval of demolition of the existing residence and detached garage based on the findings presented in the staff report. The motion was seconded by Board member Looby and approved by a vote of 6 to 0. Board member Walther made a motion to recommend approval of a replacement residence and attached garage. He noted that the recommendation is based on the findings detailed in the staff report, the testimony presented by the petitioner and the Board’s deliberations. He stated that the recommendation is subject to the following conditions: 1. The plans shall be refined to address the following: a. Incorporate pervious materials into the hardscape plan to reduce the amount of impervious surface on the property. b. Simplify the exterior elements of the home with particular focus on simplifying the west elevation. c. A consistent exposure shall be used for horizontal siding and consideration shall be given to minimizing the exterior materials and treatments. d. Consider a softer color palette and provide paint samples. 2. The refined plans shall be subject to review and final approval by a two member subcommittee of the Board appointed by the Chairman. If the subcommittee is not able to fully resolve the open issues, the petition shall be returned to the full Board for further review and action. 3. After approval by the subcommittee any further changes or refinements made to the plans shall be highlighted on the plans submitted for permit. A copy of the plans as approved by the Board subcommittee shall accompany the plans Building Review Board Minutes – 11/4/2020 Page 6 of 7 submitted for permit. Staff is directed to review any changes to the plans in consultation with the subcommittee as appropriate, to confirm that the plans are in conformance with the subcommittee’s approvals. 4. A full set of dimensioned architectural plans shall be submitted at the time of application for permit along with a completed Building Scale Workbook to verify that the residence and garage fully comply with Code requirements. 5. The overall height of the house, in combination with any grade changes shall be clearly detailed on a section submitted at the time of application for permit to verify that the height does not exceed 30 feet from the point of lowest existing grade adjacent to the home, to the highest roof peak. One or more as-built surveys shall be submitted to the City during construction as directed by staff in order to verify compliance with Code requirements and the approved plans. 6. The final grading and drainage plan will be subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. Grading or filling on the site should be kept to the absolute minimum necessary to meet good engineering practices in order to properly direct drainage. 7. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, a detailed, landscape plan shall be submitted and will be subject to review and approval by the City’s Certified Arborist. The plan shall, at a minimum, meet the Code requirements for landscaping new residences. 8. Tree Protection Plan – Prior to the issuance of a building permit, a plan to protect trees during construction must be submitted and will be subject to review and approval by the City. 9. Details of exterior lighting and fixture cut sheets shall be provided on and along with the plans submitted for permit. All fixtures shall direct light downward and the source of the light shall be fully shielded from view by the fixture or by sight obscuring glass. All exterior lighting, except for security lights with motion detectors, shall be on timers to turn off no later than 11 p.m. 10. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, a materials staging and construction vehicle parking plan must be submitted to the City for review and will be subject to City approval in an effort to minimize and manage impacts on the neighborhood. No on street parking is permitted on Washington Road due to the narrow, curving nature of the street and the location of the house on the corner. The motion was seconded by Board member Downey and approved by a vote of 6 to 0. 4. Consideration of a request for approval of a new residence on a vacant lot, a conceptual landscape plan, tree removal plan and overall site plan. The property is addressed as 475 Oak Knoll Drive. This is the first lot to be developed in the Oak Knoll Woodlands Subdivision, a new 16-lot subdivision. Property Owner: Fidelity Wes of Oak Knoll LLC (Mike DeMar, 100%) Project Representative: Jeff Letzter, Project Manager Building Review Board Minutes – 11/4/2020 Page 7 of 7 This petition was postponed at the request of the property owner. OTHER ITEMS 4. Opportunity for the public to address the Building Review Board on non-agenda items. There was no additional public testimony presented to the Board. 5. Additional information from staff. Consideration of the 2021 Building Review Board meeting schedule. The 2021 Building Review Board meeting schedule was approved as presented. The meeting was adjourned at 7:48 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jennifer Baehr Assistant Planner