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Home My WebLink AboutARB201300045 Staff Report 2013-04-18ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD STAFF REPORT Project # /Name ARB- 2013 -45: Five Below Building Renovation Review Type Building Permit Parcel Identification 045000000094AO 1790 Rio Hill Center, near the east end of the southern wing of the Rio Hill Shopping Center, located west of Route 29 Location and south of Woodbrook Drive Zoned Planned Development Shopping Center (PDSC), Entrance Corridor (EC) Owner /Applicant SCT Rio Hill LLC /Rosenthal Properties (Laurence McKenny) Magisterial District Rio Proposal To add 3 /4 " reveals in the EIFS surface of a recently approved entrance feature design to define a 36' 7'/2" long x 9' 7'/2" tall panel in the face of the feature, and to paint the panel blue. The panel will appear to be the background for a channel letter sign. Context The immediate context of the project is the Rio Hill Shopping Center. The Five Below tenant space is located between Rack Room Shoes and Crutchfield. Character - defining features of the shopping center include the aqua green roofs, the large entrance features with central pediments, and the angled and raised piers. Visibility Visibility of the shopping center has increased with the recent clearing of the stormwater facility adjacent to Route 29. The tenant space in question is visible from the Entrance Corridor and will become more visible with the construction of the new entrance element due to its increased height. ARB Meeting Date May 6, 2013 Staff Contact Margaret Maliszewski PROJECT HISTORY DATE APPLICATION /RESULT 2/22/13 Design Planning staff received the building permit application for review. The proposal was to renovate a tenant space in the Rio Hill Shopping Center with the construction of a new entrance element including a blue panel. 2/26/2013 Staff visited the site to determine visibility. 3/4/2013 Following consultation with ARB chair, staff informed the applicant that the blue panel and new entrance element could not be reviewed/approved administratively and did not appear to meet the EC guidelines, but the applicant could submit an application for ARB review. Staff provided links to the ARB application form and related documents. 3/8/2013 Staff was informed that the original contact person had turned the project over to Laurence McKenny (LM) with Rosenthal Properties, who would be in contact. 3/18 - 20/2013 Email and phone contact with LM indicating that the lease is contingent on the design as shown. Staff encouraged submittal of an ARB application and revised drawings. 3/29/2013 LM spoke with ARB chair. LM informed staff that the blue panel was being removed from the scope of work. 4/2/2013 Staff received revised sheets for the building permit drawing set showing the blue panel removed from the scope of work. 4/4/2013 Staff approved the building permit. 4/4/2013 ARB application received for entrance renovations including a blue panel. Staff scheduled the application for ARB review. DETAILS OF PROPOSAL The applicant's drawings include work that appears to be proposed, but has already been approved with the building permit application. The extent of proposed work that is under review with the current ARB application is the creation of a blue "panel" at the center of the new entrance feature. The difference between the approved building permit drawings and the current proposal is the creation of 3 /4 " reveals in the EIFS surface to define a panel measuring 36' 7'/z" long x 9' 7'/z" tall which would be painted blue (Sherwin Williams 6959 Blue Chip). The "Five Below" channel letter sign shown on the panel measures 28' 3/16" long x 4' tall, but a sign permit application has not yet been received by the County. 2 ANALYSIS REF GUIDELINE ISSUE RECOMMENDATION 9 Building forms and features, including roofs, The blue color is not coordinated with the principal colors Revise the blue panel to windows, doors, materials, colors and textures used in the Rio Hill Shopping Center, which is the the E3 color. should be compatible with the forms and features immediate context of the proposal. The proposed E3 color OR of the significant historic buildings in the area, would provide both a coordinated appearance and Revise the blue panel to exemplified by (but not limited to) the buildings definition within the larger entrance element. white and the white described in Appendix A [of the design letters to blue. guidelines]. The standard of compatibility can be As the applicant points out, blue is used for roofs and sign met through scale, materials, and forms which backgrounds elsewhere on Route 29. Factors to consider may be embodied in architecture which is when studying the images provided by the applicant are: contemporary as well as traditional. The sign background vs. wall surface (as proposed, the blue replication of important historic sites in Albemarle panel is not considered part of the sign); blue channel County is not the objective of these guidelines. letters could be approved for this location; level of consistency /compatibility required for adjoining tenant 10 Buildings should relate to their site and the surrounding context of buildings. spaces vs. stand -alone buildings; visibility from the Entrance Corridor (much of Lowe's front is not visible from the EC). 11 The overall design of buildings should have The entrance element approved with the building permit human scale. Scale should be integral to the application is a large feature. The size was considered building and site design. acceptable during the building permit review because the colors — which did not include blue — blended with the existing shopping center and would not attract attention from the EC. Some detail within the main panel could improve the scale. However, the use of the bold blue color tends to emphasize the large scale — not establish a human scale. 12 Architecture proposed within the Entrance The color and size of the blue feature do not contribute to a Corridor should use forms, shapes, scale, and cohesive appearance in the shopping center. materials to create a cohesive whole. 15 Trademark buildings and related features should A blue backing for white channel letters is standard for be modified to meet the requirements of the Five Below wall signs. (See Attachment A.) This Guidelines. trademark feature has not been revised to meet the guidelines. Switching the colors — white for the panel and blue for the letters — would allow for the use of the tenant's trademark colors while providing for a background that is coordinated with the overall shopping center. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends the following as the primary points of discussion: 1. Compatibility of the proposed blue with the existing shopping center colors 2. Impact of the blue on the EC based on visibility Staff recommends approval of the proposal with the following revisions: 1. Revise the blue panel to the E3 color - OR - Revise the blue panel to white and the white letters to blue. TABLE A This report is based on the following submittal items: Sheet # Drawing Name Drawing Date /Revision Date Al Existing plan and elevation, proposed plan and elevation 2/11/2013 A2 Existing and proposed exterior elevations 2/11/2013 A3 I Existing and proposed canopy wall sections and elevation; proposed roof plan 2/11/2013 A4 Proposed canopy wall sections 2/11/2013 A5 Proposed canopy wall sections 2/11/2013 - Material /color sample chart I Aril 2013 M ATTACHMENT A Assorted images of Five Below entrances taken from internet search five BEt °w