DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE AGENDA ITEM

Transcription

1 DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE AGENDA ITEM AGENDA DATE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 TO: THRU: FROM: SUBJECT: Chair Imboden and Members of the Design Review Committee Anna Pehoushek, Assistant Community Development Director Marissa Moshier, Historic Preservation Planner DRC No Byblos Café Rehabilitation SUMMARY The applicant proposes to rehabilitate the storefront of a restaurant in a contributing building in the Plaza Historic District. RECOMMENDED ACTION PRELIMINARY REVIEW Staff recommends that the DRC review the project and provide comments to the applicant regarding the compatibility of the project design with the Plaza Historic District to support the required findings of conformance with the Secretary of the Interior s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and Old Towne Design Standards. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Applicant: Owner: Property Location: Adel Mahshi, Byblos Café Virgil Nolde 129 W. Chapman Avenue (Plaza Historic District) General Plan Designation: OTMIX 15 (Old Towne Mixed Use 15) Zoning Classification: OTMU-15 (Old Towne Mixed Use 15) Existing Development: Property Size: Associated Applications: Previous DRC Review: PUBLIC NOTICE 1,275 SF restaurant in 14,644 SF commercial building (contributor to the National Register of Historic Places Plaza Historic District) 8,712 SF None None No Public Notice was required for this project.

2 Page 2 of 6 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Categorical Exemption: The project may be categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per State CEQA Guidelines Sections (Existing Facilities) and (Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation) because the project involves minor exterior and interior alterations to an existing restaurant with no change in the size or use of the property. The exterior alterations include rehabilitation of a historic commercial structure in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (Secretary s Standards) and with the Old Towne Design Standards. There is no environmental public review required for a Categorical Exemption. PROJECT DESCRIP TION The applicant proposes the following major project components: Remove existing non-historic wood transom windows on exterior wall and replace with leaded glass transom windows matching the historic pattern of transom glazing above storefronts in the building Remove recessed wall with five French doors and replace with five-panel folding wood doors and clear glass transom windows in the same recessed location approximately seven feet from the building face Remove plywood covers to expose existing steel moment beams that were installed as part of a seismic retrofit Remove plaster from brick on wall surfaces in the recessed outdoor dining area Staff has provided the designer with several rounds of comments on the plans. EXISTING SITE The site is developed with a 14,644 square foot, two story commercial building. The building was constructed between 1906 and 1909 on the northwest quadrant of the Plaza at the intersection of Glassell Street and Chapman Avenue. The two story building was initially two storefronts wide on the Chapman Avenue elevation. By 1925, the building had been expanded to the west on Chapman Avenue, approximately doubling the size of the building (See Attachment 2: Historic Photographs). The expansion is distinguishable by the slightly darker color glazed brick, compared with the original portion of the building. The entire building is a contributor to the Plaza Historic District. Byblos Café is located in the westernmost storefront on Chapman Avenue and has been owned and operated by the Mahshi family for more than 30 years. The other ground floor storefront tenants include a martial arts studio and vintage clothing stores. The upper floor contains professional offices. The storefronts on Chapman Avenue appear to have had a number of modifications over time. In 1994, Byblos Café requested modification of the storefront at 129 W. Chapman Avenue to incorporate a recessed outdoor dining area at the front of the building. The project included removal of the existing aluminum storefront at the sidewalk and construction of a new wall recessed

3 Page 3 of 6 approximately seven feet from the sidewalk and containing a set of five French doors. The area in front of the new wall was proposed for outdoor dining. The project was reviewed by the Design Review Board (DRB) in 1994 (See Attachment 3: Meeting Minutes for DRB No ). The Board did not find the project as proposed to be in conformance with the Secretary s Standards. However, the Board approved the project with substantial modifications that required fixed windows at the sidewalk and a single leaf recessed center door entrance. The modifications required by the DRB would have eliminated the outdoor dining area, so the applicant appealed the determination to the City Council. The appeal was heard first by the Planning Commission, which recommended the City Council uphold the appeal. Council upheld the appeal, and the project was approved as requested by the applicant. The project was constructed soon after it was approved on appeal and is the current configuration of the building. EXISTING AREA CONTEXT The Plaza Historic District is characterized by late 19 th and early 20 th century commercial buildings surrounding an elliptical park at the intersection of Chapman Avenue and Glassell Street. Surrounding two story buildings consist primarily of retail or restaurant uses on the ground floor with office or residential uses above. Adjacent properties are zoned Old Towne Mixed Use-15, which permits a variety of commercial and residential uses. A consistent building street wall with zero setback from the sidewalk and pedestrian-oriented commercial storefronts are characteristic of the Plaza Historic District. EVALUATION CRITERIA Orange Municipal Code (OMC) Section establishes the general criteria the DRC should use when reviewing the project. This section states the following: The project shall have an internally consistent, integrated design theme, which is reflected in the following elements: 1. Architectural Features. a. The architectural features shall reflect a similar design style or period. b. Creative building elements and identifying features should be used to create a high quality project with visual interest and an architectural style. 2. Landscape. a. The type, size and location of landscape materials shall support the project s overall design concept. b. Landscaping shall not obstruct visibility of required addressing, nor shall it obstruct the vision of motorists or pedestrians in proximity to the site. c. Landscape areas shall be provided in and around parking lots to break up the appearance of large expanses of hardscape.

4 Page 4 of 6 3. Signage. a. All signage shall be compatible with the building(s) design, scale, colors, materials and lighting. 4. Secondary Functional and Accessory Features. Trash receptacles, storage and loading areas, transformers and mechanical equipment shall be screened in a manner which is architecturally compatible with the principal building(s). ANALYSIS/STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES Staff and the applicant are seeking DRC feedback on the proposed remodel of the building in the context of the Plaza Historic District. Staff is requesting that the DRC review the project for compatibility with the pedestrian scale and character of the Historic District, in addition to conformance with the Old Towne Design Standards and Secretary of the Interior s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Issue 1 New Recessed Storefront and Transom Windows The existing storefront appears to have been modified a number of times over the course of its history, including most recently in 1994 when the aluminum storefront at the face of the building was removed and replaced with a recessed wall to create the outdoor dining area. The applicant is not proposing to recreate the storefront at the building face, because that would require the elimination of the outdoor dining area. However, the proposal includes a series of changes that improve the compatibility of the storefront and outdoor dining area with the building and the Historic District. The existing non-historic multi-light windows above the outdoor dining area at the building face will be removed and replaced with leaded glass transom windows. The new transom windows will match the height, size, and pattern of the historic transom windows at the adjacent men s vintage store. The applicant is proposing a pattern of colored Luxfer glass that is similar in design to the transom windows in the earliest historic photographs of the building. The bottom rail of the new folding doors also reflects the height of the bulkheads in the adjacent storefronts to help create more consistency across the Chapman elevation of the building. Staff is seeking the DRC s comments on the proposed location, design, and materials of the folding doors and transom windows. Staff is also seeking DRC feedback on the proposed design and materials of the new wood storefronts, in relation to the surrounding buildings and the pedestrian character of the Plaza Historic District. Issue 2 Steel Beams in Outdoor Dining Area As part of the remodel of the outdoor dining area, the applicant is requesting to remove the plywood coverings from the existing steel beams installed in the outdoor dining area during a seismic retrofit. The steel beams will be exposed and painted to match the color palette for the new storefront. If the steel beams are on the interior of the building, the Old Towne Design Standards recommend them to be painted to blend with the interior space. If they are on the exterior, the Design

5 Page 5 of 6 Standards recommend that they may require special treatment (i.e. boxing) to be compatible with the existing façade (Old Towne Design Standards Complete, pg ). The existing beams are in the outdoor dining area, which functions as an outdoor space even though the beams are technically installed behind the building façade. There are limited examples of exposed steel structure on historic buildings in the Plaza (149 N. Glassell Street, for example). However, the majority of seismic retrofit interventions of this type are concealed from view from the sidewalk. Staff is seeking in the DRC s direction of the appropriateness of exposing the steel beams for this storefront. Issue 3 Exposed Brick in Outdoor Dining Area Commercial storefronts in the early 20 th century typically had finished plaster walls and ceilings, particularly in customer service and display areas. It is likely that the brick on the interior of the building was not intended to be an exposed finished surface material. However, the applicant is requesting removal of the plaster on the brick in the outdoor dining area to coordinate with the exposed brick surfaces on the restaurant interior. Staff is seeking the DRC s direction on the compatibility of this approach in the outdoor dining area. ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATION None required. REQUIRED FINDINGS No findings are required for preliminary review. When the applicant requests a final determination on the Design Review application for the project, the following findings will be used: 1. In the Old Towne Historic District, the proposed work conforms to the prescriptive standards and design criteria referenced and/or recommended by the DRC or other reviewing body for the project (OMC G.1). 2. In any National Register Historic District, the proposed work complies with the Secretary of the Interior s Standards and Guidelines (OMC G.2). 3. The project design upholds community aesthetics through the use of an internally consistent, integrated design theme and is consistent with all adopted specific plans, applicable design standards, and their required findings (OMC G.3). 4. For infill residential development, as specified in the City of Orange Infill Residential Design Guidelines, the new structure(s) or addition are compatible with the scale, massing, orientation, and articulation of the surrounding development and will preserve or enhance existing neighborhood character (OMC G.4).

6 Page 6 of 6 ATTACHMENTS 1. Vicinity Map 2. Historic Photographs 3. Meeting Minutes for DRB No DPR Form 523 for 129 W. Chapman Avenue 5. Plans (date stamped August 31, 2017) cc: Virgil Nolde 2029 Lemnos Drive Costa Mesa, CA Ace Property Management Attn: John Aceves 1095 N. Main Street, Suite L Orange, CA Byblos Café Attn: Adel Mahshi 129 W. Chapman Avenue Orange, CA Bill Largent 1316 E. Lael Orange, CA N:\CDD\PLNG\Applications\Design Review\DRC Byblos Cafe\Staff Report - DRC Byblos W Chapman.docx