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2019-05-13 Architectural Design Board MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BOARD Minutes of Regular Meeting May 13, 2019 Chair Herr called the meeting of the Architectural Design Board to order at 7:00 p.m., at the City Council Chambers, 250 - 51 Avenue North, Edmonds, Washington. Board Members Present Board Members Absent Staff Present Joe Herr, Chair Tom Walker (excused) Kernen Lien, Environmental Programs Manager Cary Guenther Maureen Jeude (excused) Bruce Owensby Lauri Straus APPROVAL OF MINUTES BOARD MEMBER STRAUSS MOVED THAT THE MINUTES OF APRIL 3, 2019 BE APPROVED AS SUBMITTED. BOARD MEMBER GUENTHER SECONDED THE MOTION, WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. APPROVAL OF AGENDA BOARD MEMBER STRAUSS MOVED THAT THE AGENDA BE ACCEPTED AS PRESENTED. BOARD MEMBER GUENTHER SECONDED THE MOTION, WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE: There were no audience comments during this part of the agenda. MINOR PROJECTS: No minor projects were scheduled on the agenda. PUBLIC HEARING: There were no public hearings. CONSOLIDATED PERMIT APPLICATIONS (No Public Participation): Edmonds Waterfront Center and Waterfront Redevelopment Mr. Lien reviewed that the project was first presented to the Board in July of 2016 because the lease for the Senior Center on the site required that the City Council approve the design before the applicant could apply for the land use permits. He explained that there are five land use permits associated with the project: • A Conditional Use Permit for the Senior Center and the park. Architectural Design Board Meeting Minutes of Regular Meeting May 13, 2019 Page 1 of 6 • Project Design, which is the aspect currently before the Board. • A Shoreline Permit for the parking lot and building. • A Shoreline Permit for the waterfront project, which pulls the existing bulkhead back and replaces the walkway. • A Shoreline Permit for the easement in front of the Ebb Tide Condominiums for the walkway over the water. Mr. Lien explained that each of the permits are Type III and will be consolidated into one process, which means the highest decision -making body makes the decision. In this case, the Architectural Design Board will forward a recommendation to the Hearing Examiner. The Hearing Examiner will conduct a public hearing on May 23' and make the final decision on all five permits, as well as the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) appeal. Mr. Lien advised that the Board is charged with reviewing the proposal to make sure it is consistent with ECDC 20.11.030 (General Design Standards), the Comprehensive Plan Urban Design Standards, and the zoning ordinance. He provided a map showing the location of the existing Senior Center, the ferry terminal, Brackett's Landing Park, an office building and the Ebb Tide Condominiums. He pointed out that the overwater walkway would be located within the easement in front of the condominiums. The site is zoned Commercial Waterfront (CW), the adjacent Olympic Beach Park is zoned Public (P), and there is commercial development on the other side of the railroad tracks. He explained that the CW zone requires a 15-foot setback measured from the existing seawall, and the proposed building would be set back 16 feet from the seawall. He said the CW zone calls for a 60-foot landward setback for parking, but the Shoreline Master Plan (SMP) allows the parking setback to be reduced to 40 feet if a walkway and public access is provided. The proposed walkway and relocated bulkhead would meet that requirement. He pointed out that the project removes the seawall and restores the beach, so the setback was measured from the ordinary high-water mark, instead. The CW zone also requires a 15-foot setback from Residential (R) zoned properties, but there are none nearby. The Ebbtide Condominiums are residential but located within the CW zone so the setback would not apply. Mr. Lien said the height limit in the CW zone is 30 feet, and normally, height is measured from the average grade. However, as part of the most recent Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) update, projects within the coastal high hazard flood area must be built two feet above the base flood elevation. For properties along the waterfront, the base flood elevation is considered the average grade, which means the requirement eliminated two feet of potential height. However, there is an exception for properties within the high hazard flood area that allows height to be measured from two feet above base flood elevation. The base flood elevation is 12 feet, and the zoning height would be measured from 14 feet. The building can go up 30 feet above 14 feet, and the proposed building is just under the maximum height allowed. There are a few exceptions for chimneys and other rooftop appurtences, as well. Mr. Lien explained that the property is located within the Downtown Commercial Area, where the parking requirement is one stall for every 500 square feet of gross floor area and associated outside area that is tied to the building. In total, the proposal includes about 27,000 square feet (building and outdoor area) and 56 parking spaces are required. The applicant is proposing 70 parking spaces and one motorcycle space. Mr. Lien advised that Type V landscaping will be required on the interior of the parking lot, which means the applicant must provide 24.5 square feet of landscaping per parking space or a total of 1,680 square feet. The applicant is proposing 1,700 square feet of landscaping in the middle section of the parking lot and there are a number of other islands, too. He noted that the applicant is also proposing a bioswale in the parking lot area, as well as bioswales along the street. He said Type IV landscaping and street trees are required along the street. Type III landscaping is required on both the north and south sides of the development, and the existing landscaping on the northside of the current building meets the Type II landscaping requirement. There are a variety of options to meet the requirement on the south side, and the applicant is proposing a fence that provides separation from the Ebb Tide Condominium parking structure. Mr. Lien said there is a Public Utility District (PUD) transformer in the corner of the site, and there are certain clearance requirements that make screening difficult. The fence will screen the transformer from view when driving north on Architectural Design Board Meeting Minutes of Regular Meeting May 13, 2019 Page 2 of 6 Railroad Avenue and some plantings will be added on the north side. The trash enclosure will hide it from the back, but it will be visible from the street. Mr. Lien said the proposed building design has not changed significantly since it was presented to the Board in 2016. The west side of the building is primarily windows to take advantage of the view. Mr. Lien said he also reviewed all of the Comprehensive Plan and the General Design Standards that apply to the project (See Staff Report) and found the proposal to be consistent. He recommended the Board approve the project to the Hearing Examiner. Chair Herr asked if storm surges would be a concern if the seawall is removed. Nick Morin, Landscape Architect, Environmental Works, explained that the current bulkhead is at the same elevation as the rest of the promenade. It has a seawall in front of it with a recurve to the south. To the north is an older version of the seawall that is about 12 inches higher than the elevation of the promenade. The seawall will be replicated with a combination of designs that takes the vegetative stabilization that was used at South Brackett's Landing, which is a very soft environment that is more natural and beach like, Olympic Beach where there is a larger, amphitheater staircase and more infrastructure, and North Brackett's Landing where there is a mini version of the seawall that takes you right down to the beach. The proposal would hybridize all of those, and the final elevation of the boulders that will be used in front of the new seawall will be 12 inches higher than the promenade. He concluded that they would replicate the same elevation with a different combination of ingredients, and the soft engineering that exists in front of the beach restoration area will include a series of anchored logs that are about 3.5 feet in diameter. Plantings will be behind the logs, and the seawall will be the third tier. While it is wide open in terms of preserving views, it will be done in a way that does not allow the water to hit the promenade. Nick Morin, Landscape Architect, Environmental Works, shared the landscape plans for the project. At the northwest corner where you enter the site from the existing promenade, the bulkhead will be replaced with a combination of boulders that sit in foreground of a heavily engineered promenade and waterfront. The seawall will follow the line of boulders. An Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp will be below sand most of the time. During a large storm when the sand migrates out, there will still be a way to get down to the beach. The ramp will also double as an access for hand boat/kayak launch, and an ADA parking stall will be located close by. There will be seven bicycle spaces, as well. Mr. Morin said the promenade will use the same material and finishes as the existing promenade since the goal was to create a seamless walkway, and a portion of the existing promenade just past the second stairway will be preserved. All of the public walkway will culminate in a plaza and circular feature at the northwest corner of the building. The intent is to bring the shoreline environment, walkway and outdoor activities together into one location. The texture of the design (wave forms on finished pavement) will be carried all the way around the building and out to the street as much as possible. The walkway that corresponds with the main entrance will be highlighted as a pedestrian crossing to make it as safe as possible, and curbless conditions will exist all around the perimeter of the building that faces the parking lot to create a barrierless condition. However, there will be bumpers to keep cars in the parking lot. They wanted to make sure the areas are functional and easy to navigate for all users. Mr. Morin explained that, along the frontage, the curb and gutter will be aligned with the properties to the north and south, which means they will extend further out into the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) right-of-way by 5.5 feet. Because the building must be raised by two feet, as described earlier by Mr. Lien, it creates a bit of a slope towards Railroad Avenue, as well as to the north. As water flows in those directions, it will be caught by bioretention planters along Railroad Avenue and the frontage. Bioretention planters will also be located in the parking lot and in the northwest corner. He summarized that water quality treatment would happen for the entire site, but water quantity control is not required for the project since water flows to the Sound. The proposed project would increase the capacity of the system and all the pipes would be sized up to meet current code requirements. More resilience would be built into the design in the northwest corner via a catch basin that will help the site respond and dewater after storm surges. Architectural Design Board Meeting Minutes of Regular Meeting May 13, 2019 Page 3 of 6 Sally Knodell, Director of Architecture, Environmental Works, briefly reviewed the building design. She pointed out the glazing of the banquet room, which will seat 220 people. Above that is glazing for the four multi -purpose rooms. The 2-story glazed wall is the community lounge, and to the left of that is a 2-story stone veneer. She also pointed out the 2-story stair and the small canopy over a walk-up window to the caf6 kiosk. She pointed out the fully -glazed corner of stacked community meeting rooms and the main entry to the building, which has storefront glazing to draw the eye. She pointed out the fenestrations on the entry to the thrift store, noting the glazing that will result in a storefront appearance. The administration offices would be located above the thrift store, with glazed windows, as well. She shared floor plans for each level of the project and provided a brief description of each. She specifically pointed out the support space at the south end that buffers the activity of the building from the adjacent residential use. She also pointed out how the fenestration on the eastern facade was altered to be more consistent with the western facade. In addition, the northwest corner vestibule was pulled back and articulated as more of a solid and the roof plane is now a heftier situation. She summarized that the changes made in the more developed design resulted in improvements to the facade composition and more thematic consistency between the solid walls and the glazed openings. Chair Herr asked if the applicant is anticipating some headroom space where the stairway turns and comes down over the coffee area. Ms. Knodell answered that the height is 15.5 feet floor -to -floor, and the code required minimum is 7 or 7.5 feet. Ms. Knodell reviewed that one concern when the projected was presented to the Board in 2016 was about all the glazing at the west elevation. The design team worked with the Integrated Lighting Design Lab from the University of Washington to model the proposed design and the results came in fine. The exterior canopy above the V floor level glazing helps with shading, but there will be sunlight coming into the west windows in high summer. Interior roller shade blinds were added, but there will be glare issues in those rooms for 1 to 1.5 hours each day. Ms. Knodell said a question was also raised about whether or not a gender -neutral restroom should be provided, and the current proposal includes a family restroom that could be used as a gender -neutral restroom. There was concern about the wood in the vertical columns on the west elevation. All of the vertical support structures will be steel flanges that are filled in with wood. They were given the directive to implement a northwest contemporary expression, and the low - slope roof and heavy timber wood expression is part of that vocabulary. The wood used on the exterior will be protected with a premium oil -based finish. There was also concern about energy code compliance due to all the glazing. While it looks like a lot of glazing, the proposed design is actually below the 30% window -to -wall ratio required by the energy code. They are at 27.2%. Some of the elevations have very little glazing, and this helps offset the glazing on the other facades. The proposed glazing is better or at code. Ms. Knodell said there was also concern about the south alley (space between the proposed Waterfront Center and the Ebb Tide Condominiums) being a good hiding place, but there will be tall, non -climbable fences with gates on the east and west sides. There was a concern about exiting, and all of the corridor quantity, widths and doors are code compliant. There was a question about including a rooftop deck, but given the institutional nature of the building, the ceiling heights need to be taller and the height limit eliminates this possibility. Mr. Morin recalled that some constraints were not fully flushed out in the previous version. One was fire truck mobility through the parking lot. They lost some room between the north face of the building and the property line after the full turning radius was introduced out to the promenade. They also lost some room maintaining the existing walkway along the north property line. Previously, the walkway adjacent to the north face of the building was 10 to 17 feet wide, and the current range is 6 to 10 feet. Mr. Morin said the 2016 design provided 74 parking stalls, 3 van stalls, and 1 ADA stall, but the transformer had not yet been sized and the fire truck access had a significant impact on the design. They are now at 70 stalls plus 1 motorcycle stall, 4 van stalls and 3 ADA stalls. He summarized that, overall, the proposed design maintains connections around and Architectural Design Board Meeting Minutes of Regular Meeting May 13, 2019 Page 4 of 6 throughout the site. The bus site will shift about 8 feet to the north of its current location, and the pick up and drop off in front of the building will be more functional than it is currently. Board Member Strauss commended the design team on their efforts to address the Board's earlier concerns. She asked if the continuous walkway in front of the Ebb Tide Condominiums would be implemented as part of the Waterfront Center Project. Mr. Lien answered yes and explained that the easement in front of the Ebb Tide Condominiums was granted to the City in 1983, and one of the Shoreline Permits associated with the project is for the overwater walkway that would connect the two existing walkways. Board Member Strauss commented that the building design has evolved very nicely and she likes the punched windows on the west side. The applicant has addressed the Board's comments and concerns, and she likes that they have been very conscientious about providing ADA access so the facility is accessible to everyone. Board Member Owenby suggested that there may be an opportunity to have the banquet rooms at the back open up to some form of an outside terrace. He felt this would make the space more desirable. Ms. Knodell said that option was considered as part of the earlier design. However, in certain conditions, water will actually hit the face of the building. Given the difficulty of preventing water intrusion, the option was taken out. The idea is to have a building that is both low maintenance and very durable in its saltwater environment. Board Member Owenby asked why vinyl windows are proposed as opposed to fiberglass. Ms. Knodell responded that they specified the curtain wall and the storefront glazing to have the highest quality finish, and they have been assured the windows will be durable. They were able to get a higher STC rating from the VPI windows than from other manufacturers, and the train noise was another concern. The project has gone through two rigorous cost -control exercises and the fiberglass windows were determined to be too costly. Board Member Owensby asked if any of the windows would be operable. Ms. Knodell answered no, in order for the HVAC system to do its job as best it can. Board Member Guenther asked for more information about the exterior side materials. Ms. Knodell said that, aside from the glazing, wood and stone veneer, all of the other siding will be cementitious panel and 85% will be ceraclad, which is the highest cementitious product currently on the market. It is much thicker than Hardy Board. Hardy panel will only be used on the south elevation. Chair Herr asked if a restroom would be provided in connection with the thrift store and/or meeting room. Ms. Knodell answered that a restroom is not required by code for the thrift store. She is not sure about the requirement for the meeting room. Daniel Johnson, Edmonds Senior Center, explained that the Senior Center programs will operate from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the City will operate its programs from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. The meeting room will not be rented before 8 a.m. or after 10 p.m. Chair Herr asked why double doors are needed at the entry next to the thrift store. Mr. Johnson answered that these doors are for weather and temperature control. Ms. Knodell added that the doors are an energy code requirement. Mr. Lien reminded the Board that only one public hearing can be conducted for the project, so they cannot solicit public comments at this time. People will be invited to make comments on the proposal at the Hearing Examiner hearing on May 23'. He explained that the Board's responsibility is to make a recommendation to the Hearing Examiner regarding design, and the Hearing Examiner will make the final decision on all 5 of the permits and the SEPA appeal. BOARD MEMBER STRAUSS MOVED THAT THE BOARD FIND THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT CONSISTENT WITH THE CRITERIA LISTED IN ECDC 20.11.030, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND THE ZONING ORDINANCE, AND RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE PROJECT TO THE HEARING EXAMINER BASED ON THE FINDINGS, ANALYSIS, CONCLUSIONS AND ATTACHMENTS IN THE STAFF REPORT. BOARD MEMBER GUENTHER SECONDED THE MOTION, WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Architectural Design Board Meeting Minutes of Regular Meeting May 13, 2019 Page 5 of 6 ELECTION OF VICE CHAIR FOR 2019 This item was postponed. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTSATEMS FOR DISCUSSION: Mr. Lien said he is working to prepare information on projects the ADB has previously approved over the last 10 years. It will be presented to the Board for discussion at a future meeting. ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS: There were no Board comments. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:01 p.m. Architectural Design Board Meeting Minutes of Regular Meeting May 13, 2019 Page 6 of 6