10/24/2005 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Legacy Hotel, page 3 this location is to attract the eye of pedestrians and create a point of visual interest. The central portion of the hotel attempts to accomplish this by being stepped closer to the streetscape, with the masonry materials that over the entire central section of the building, and with the porch element at the base of the structure. Staff feels that these collective elements satisfy the `architectural feature' requirement of the Regulating Plan. The masonry materials that cover the entire central portion of the building on both the front and back clearly accentuate the location of the buildings main entry points. The continuation of masonry materials across the first floor of the entire structure accentuates the scale of the building clearly differentiating the first floor from the rest of the structure. This is furthered by the porches on the ends of the building and surrounding the secondary access which bring the building to a more human scale. The quoins at the corner work to provide some definition to the breaks in the building facade, furthering the visual impact of the steps in the building elevations. The base of the structure is clearly articulated through the use of the brick base applied across the entire building facade on all sides; however, the height of the brick base betrays the scale of the building making the first floor look out of scale with the floors above. Staff is recommending a condition that the brick base be raised from its current level to lessen the gap between the cap and the windows of the second floor and correct the scale issue. The top of the building is also clearly articulated with the use of the peaked roof and gable trim. This type of roof dictates that space for mechanical equipment must be provided within the building or outside the building on the ground. If any mechanical equipment is located on the ground it will be required to be screened by a combination of landscaping and screen walls. eThe building materials proposed for the site include brick, cultured stone, E.I.F.S., and asphaltic roofing material. All of these materials meet the stringent standards of the design guidelines, and are incorporated consistently throughout the building's elevations. The proposed structure has integrated a couple of climatic response devices that meet the design guidelines. Daylighting of the interior space is being achieved through the large number of windows provided. Patrons of the establishment will also be offered shelter from the elements in the entry vestibules /porches. A trash enclosure is depicted on the north side of the site adjacent to Interstate 35W. This structure will need to be constructed of the same materials as the main building on site, and should include a roof since the height of the building will allow patrons of the hotel to look down upon the enclosure. Additional mechanical /service area is provided on the first floor of the building in the southwest comer, hence the lack of windows on this portion of the building. Because this particular building has so many windows, attention and detail to the quality of the windows is important. The design standards require a reveal of at least 2 inches from the exterior trim to create shadow for visual interest rather than windows and trim flush with the building. Sometimes this shadow can be created with solid window trim as is depicted on the submitted plans. A condition is included with staff's recommendations to require a minimum two inch thick exterior trim be applied to all windows of this building. Staff is also recommending that the windows on the first floor be better accentuatued with additional trim features. Given this buildings height; it's visibility from the streetscape and the future townhome portion of the project; and the numerous windows provided; the internal window treatments are also of particular concern. Staff has •