Planning Commission Minutes 2021 03 11

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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes March 11, 2021 Page 2of9 All public notice requirements were met. Howe disclosed that a member of the applicant team was one of his clients but he had no financial connection to the project and did not think that it would affect his judgement of the application. Ritchie presented the application, noting that the structure was originally constructed in 1900 and retained some of the original facade, though it had seen numerous additions over the years. She noted that it had been vacant since 2017 with the exception of a few temporary tenants. The application is also going through a concurrent Landmark, Grant, and Alteration Certificate process, which had been recommended for approval by the Historic Preservation Commission. Ritchie presented the design proposal and shared that the design met the regulations for the Design Handbook for Downtown Louisville, including General Regulations, Core Area, and Additions to Historic Structures. The design did not trigger the need for onsite parking, though the proposal did provide one parking spot. Staff found that it met the criteria for the waiver through improved design. The SRU was for acoustic and amplified music on the first floor deck with hours of operation from 7 AM — midnight, 7 days a week, and staff found that the application met the criteria. Staff recommended approval of Resolution 3 with no conditions. Commissioners did not have questions of staff. Andy Johnson of DAJ Design, 922A Main Street, stated that the staff report was comprehensive and his presentation would focus on history and design. Johnson shared early photographs and surveys, including pictures from the 1930s and the 1960s, which showed very little change to the lot. In the late 1960s/early 1970s, the building and the block started to change. He believed that they would be able to restore much of the original siding and to recreate the original detailing that was under the current siding. He pointed out that the property was long and narrow. Johnson shared the proposal, which included preserving the first 25 feet of the current structure, creating a new two-story addition with a rooftop balcony, and creating a 20- foot rear setback. He showed floor plans, elevation views, and a site analysis. Johnson emphasized that the music and the rooftop were meant to be directed toward Main Street. He noted that there was a balcony on the south, as well. He shared that they would be lowering the floor as part of the preservation project to allow for a proper entry into the building and, in doing so, would remove the step into the front of the building. Johnson described the sight lines from the street of the new addition, explaining that the 25-foot preservation line and the rooftop deck created a stepped experience of the building. He shared that the second -story addition would also buffer the rooftop deck to the west between the deck and the residential area. Johnson described the utility structures in the alley. The alley created access problems for trash removal and deliveries, largely due to the utility poles in the alley and other projections into the right-of-way. They had been in discussion with the City about burying the power lines and noted that across from 809 Main there was building infrastructure in the alley which would be hard to correct because it had been there for