Dissenting board member criticizes design
The Downtown Development Review Board gave conceptual approval with conditions to the Lofts at Southbank mixed-use development at its July 11 meeting.
The approval was granted on a 5-2 vote, with board members Trevor Lee and Ennis Davis voting against the approval. The project will return once more to DDRB for final approval.
This is the second time the project has sought DDRB conceptual approval. It first went before the board in April, when conceptual approval was deferred at the applicant’s request after board members expressed concerns about the design, which Lee described as “sharp” and “brutal.”
The design team includes Vector and Group 4 Design, Inc.
This time around, the staff report noted improved changes to the block modulation and more dominant and articulated vertical elements so as to “create a rhythm across the building.” The staff report also indicated concerns regarding the Home Street elevation, which is described as “sparse.”
“[It] could benefit from some additional articulation,” the report stated.
Ultimately, the staff report recommended approval with conditions. Of the five conditions outlined in the staff report was a requirement for further articulation of that Home Street elevation and for the reconsideration or further detailing of the screening material for the metal louver “to ensure that the screening material is architecturally compatible with the overall structure.”
A third condition requires a smooth transition architecturally between the height and scale of this building and its surrounding neighbors.
Several board members voiced their support for the design, providing additional notes where further improvements could be made.
Board Member Gary Monahan shared comments regarding the windows along the Prudential Drive facade, expressing a desire to see them continued along both the Hendricks Avenue and Prudential facades.
“I think it just makes sense to do that,” he said. “It’s a high traffic street and it faces the river, so I’d like to see the windows continued completely down Prudential.”
Monahan stated these renderings are an “improvement” from those previously reviewed in April and praised the team for its increased pedestrian zone space.
“I think that’s very smart,” he said. “That corner there could be a lot more walkable and I think this helps achieve that.”
Davis, however, said the building’s mix of architectural styles made it seem like a “Frankenstein-type site.”
“I saw Art Deco, also some brutalism, I saw some mid-century modern and it seemed like they were just a mix of pieces of architecture that just didn’t match,” he said.
“This is all part of the conceptual review process,” said Board Chair Matt Brockelman. “We understand…that this isn’t necessarily what it’s going to look like at final, but this is a necessary part of the process to get feedback from the public and from the board members.”
After years of community opposition to the self-storage component of this development, the city council approved the planned unit development rezoning application for the project in April. Along with self-storage, the 10-story building will feature 100 multifamily units – a percentage of which will be affordable housing – and 14,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial, retail and office space.
