City Council Minutes 2014 10 07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Meeting Minutes October 7, 2014 Page 6 of 27 520 SF, which is small in comparison to other retail spaces along Main Street. DAJ conducted their own study of the retail businesses and restaurants in the downtown area between Front and Main Street. When comparing the building size to the lot size, 927 Main Street had one of the lowest ratios and one of the least useful sites in downtown. He explained expanding the commercial building by 500 to 560 SF would be an asset to the City and the building owner. He reviewed residential and commercial additions to the building and noted the residential component will have a green space for residents, which will be accessible by a deck. He stressed this is a unique opportunity for an entirely local development. Mark Zaremba, 927 Main Street, Louisville, CO thanked the Planning Staff, the Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission and the neighbors. He requested Council consideration of this request. He explained this has been a two -year process. He addressed the historic assessment and stated it provided very useful information on the condition of the building. He referred to the architectural and social importance of the property and noted the building will be called the Pearson Building after the first merchant owner, who was an oculist and a jeweler. He felt the project fulfills the wishes of the taxpayer and the financial incentives make the project possible for the building owners. He felt this project represents a public and private partnership. Planning and Building Safety Director Russ addressed staff's position on the question about including the basement square footage in the total square footage. He explained the Old Town Overlay specifies habitable space in a basement above grade hence the 50% interpretation was used. The Downtown Guidelines define a basement, and if it's habitable does count toward square footage. In this case however, he noted this property does not have egress windows and according to the International Building Code, there must be at least one egress window to be considered habitable. The proposed use for the basement is for mechanical equipment and storage, therefore it is not considered habitable. COUNCIL COMMENTS Mayor Muckle felt this type of historic commercial landmarking and restoration project, in the downtown area, is exactly what the Historic Preservation Tax was intended for. Mayor Pro Tem Dalton also felt it is a great project. Council member Stolzmann voiced her support of the project. It complies with the Downtown Standards with the site design, building mass and scale, and architectural elements and details. She noted the similarities in the images for G38 in the Downtown Guidelines. She supported the repetition of the roof next door, and the housing structure in the rear and the pedestrian scale on the street. She supported replacing the windows to their original design and felt it would be an excellent example of preservation. She stated converting the existing building will embrace the spirit of the history of downtown.