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CITY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM |
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Department: |
Planning and Development Services |
Commission Meeting Date: May 7, 2019 |
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Staff Contact: |
Lynne Braddock Zollner, Historic Resources Administrator |
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Recommendations/Options/Action Requested: |
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Consider an appeal of the Historic Resources Commission decision, associated with Design Review DR-18-00503, for demolition and new construction of a mixed use structure for the Hub at Lawrence located at 1040 Massachusetts Street and 1041 New Hampshire Street, and a parking garage and mixed use structure located on the east side of the 1000 block of New Hampshire Street. This is a continuation of the public hearing from the April 16th, 2019 City Commission meeting.
Staff recommends that the City Commission deny the Certificate of Appropriateness. Staff also recommends the City Commission make a determination that the project does not meet the Downtown Design Guidelines.
While the buildings proposed to be demolished on the project site are not character defining for the district and have lost their architectural integrity, staff recommends that the City Commission not approve their demolition until an appropriate replacement plan is approved. |
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Executive Summary: |
At their meetings on November 15, 2018 and March 21, 2019, the Historic Resources Commission (HRC) reviewed a redevelopment project (DR-18-00503) for the properties located at 1040 Massachusetts Street, 1041 New Hampshire Street, and the east side of the 1000 block of New Hampshire Street. The overall project would include the demolition of the existing buildings at 1040 Massachusetts Street and 1041 New Hampshire Street, and the construction of a mixed-use 5-story structure. The development also proposes a 3-level parking garage and mixed-use structure on the east side of New Hampshire Street (1000 New Hampshire Street Block 1). On March 21, 2019, the HRC denied the Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) and determined that the proposed project would encroach on, damage, and destroy the environs of 1047 Massachusetts Street (Watkins Bank Building), 1100 Massachusetts Street (Douglas County Courthouse), and 1040 New Hampshire Street (English Lutheran Church). The HRC also determined that the project did not meet the intent of the Downtown Design Guidelines as outlined in the staff report.
The applicant, Core Lawrence Massachusetts LLC, has appealed the HRC determinations.
According to Section 22-504 of the Conservation of Historic Resources Code, the City Commission must act on an appeal for a CoA within thirty days of receipt and must hold a public hearing on the appeal. The City Commission opened the public hearing for the appeal request on April 16, 2019 and continued the public hearing until May 7, 2019. The City Commission must review the project using the standards and design criteria identified in Section 22-505 of the code. See the HRC staff report for the specific standards and design criteria.
The applicant also appealed the HRC’s determination that the project does not meet the intent of the Downtown Design Guidelines. The City Commission is the final decision making authority in determining whether a proposed project meets the adopted Downtown Design Guidelines, and must use the Downtown Design Guidelines for this review. See the HRC staff report for the specific guidelines applied to this project.
Chapter 2 Section 23.2 and Section 23.3 of the Downtown Design Guidelines require the City Commission to review and approve any demolition in the Downtown Urban Conservation Overlay District. The buildings to be demolished are not character defining for the district and have lost their architectural integrity because of additions and current design. Demolition of structures without replacement plans changes the overall spatial relationships and character of an area, and compliant replacement plans should accompany all demolition requests. The proposed replacement plan is not compliant with the applicable standards and guidelines, and the demolition of the existing structures should not be approved until a compliant replacement plan has been approved.
The applicant also submitted applications for special use permits (SUP-18-00502 and SUP-19-00033) to allow ground floor dwelling units in the Downtown Commercial District (CD zoning district). The HRC voted to forward a comment to the Planning Commission and City Commission that the proposed ground floor residential uses do not harm the environs of the listed properties. Because the ground floor units are not immediately adjacent to the primary street (New Hampshire Street) and are only minimally visible from that primary street, the HRC determined that the ground floor units meet the overall intent of the Downtown Design Guidelines.
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Strategic Plan Critical Success Factor |
Safe, Healthy, and Welcoming Neighborhoods |
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Fiscal Impact (Amount/Source): |
The fiscal impact to the City is $ 0. This item was not in CIP or any department budget. |
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Attachments: |
Historic Resources Commission staff report Chapter 22 Conservation of Historic Resources HRC Action Summaries November 15, 2018 and March 21, 2019 |
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(for CMO use only) |
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