Simsbury, CT - Design Review Board

Emil Dahlquist, Chairman, called the Regular Meeting of the Design Review Board to order at timeHour17Minute305:30 PM in the Main Meeting Room of the Simsbury Town Offices. The following members were present: Richard Schoenhardt and Charles Stephenson and Alternates John Carroll and Anthony Drapelick. Also in attendance were Howard Beach, Zoning Enforcement and Conservation Officer and other interested parties.

a. Application of M. Sandra Macri, Owner, Richard A. deGrandis, Jr., Avon Barbershop, LLC – Agent, for Signage to be placed on property located at Avon Barbershop, 136 Hopmeadow Street.

Richard deGrandis, Jr. stated that he is now the owner of the property located at addressStreet136 Hopmeadow Street, where he intends to move his business, Avon Barbershop, LLC. He presented a drawing to the Board of a free-standing sign that he is proposing to put in front of the building and asked the Board for their input. His initial plan was to place the sign equidistant from each side of the property, but Chairman Dahlquist pointed out that the primary purpose of the sign was to alert drivers to the business’ location so placing it closer to the driveway would be more appropriate.

Mr. Beach stated that zoning regulations for the site, which has 24 feet of frontage, would allow for the proposed 22.75 square feet of signage as Mr. deGrandis indicated that he would be taking down the existing sign that is currently on the building. Also the sign would need to be 2 feet from the ground, but not higher than 10 feet. Chairman Dahlquist added that, as the building is approximately 44 feet from the road, 18 square feet of signage would be more proportionate.

The Board thought that the overall design of the proposed sign was pleasing, but concluded that it would like to see more information from the applicant, such as the proposed location indicated to scale on a surveyor’s site plan, a finalized landscaping plan, any proposed lighting details, revised signage dimensions and colors and photographs of the site from various angles of Hopmeadow Street. Mr. deGrandis indicated that he was not planning on taking occupancy

until the end of July. Therefore, Chairman Dahlquist stated that the Board would consider this an informal presentation at this time and would defer any action until their next meeting.

b. Application of Thomas S. Antonio, Trustee, Owner, JYG, LLC, Agent for a Site Plan Amendment to relocate a drive-thru window and install a menu board on the north side of the building on property located at Dunkin Donuts, addressStreet1193 Hopmeadow Street.

Doug Zepka, a partner in JYG, LLC, distributed a site plan to the Board which represented the applicant’s response to concerns expressed by the Zoning Commission relative to traffic flow concerns and pedestrian crossings in connection with their proposal to relocate a drive-thru window. Chairman Dahlquist said that he would like to see photographs of the site as well.

Mr. Beach confirmed that the 100 parking spaces on the plan well exceeded the parking requirements for the site, which is a mixed use consisting of retail and restaurant. Chairman Dahlquist asked Mr. Zepka if they had considered reversing the direction of the traffic flow entering the drive-thru and indicated that he had driven by the site and noted that the current drive-thru is very narrow. Mr. Zepka indicated that they were proposing to remove a tree and widen the area somewhat, but did not know the precise dimensions.

Mr. Naccarato questioned the proximity of a door to the drive-thru and asked if it was a means of egress (it would be an employee only exit). He also asked if there was a unified sign plan for the site and Mr. Beach indicated that there was one for the building. Mr. Zepka indicated that the plan is to replace the existing sign for the bagel shop with a Dunkin Donut sign with white background and standard Dunkin Donut colors.

Mr. Carroll noted that there is a nothing to prevent a car from going though a pedestrian walkway and thought that perhaps the landscaping should go all the way to the building and that devices such as speed bumps, curbing or raised pavers should be considered.

Mr. Stephenson asked what the linear footage for cars lining up would be and Mr. Zepka indicated that they do not anticipate this location to be a high volume site and that 11 cars would be more than enough based on their projected volume. Mr. Stephenson thought that the design is somewhat contrived and the decision of a driver to get to the drive-thru is a very sudden one and creates a very dangerous situation. Also, parked cars could feasibly be backing up into oncoming cars approaching at a relatively high speed. He felt that the bend into the drive-thru should be place further into the site. He also thought that more consideration should be given to the landscaping.

Chairman Dahlquist agreed and thought that the plan was not really solving the safety issues. He was not certain that a driver traveling south on addressStreetHopmeadow Street could actually make the turn. He also said that he would like Town staff to have an opportunity to review the new site plan, which they had not had an opportunity to do as it was just submitted to the Board this evening. Mr. Schoenhardt concurred and said that he found the proposed driving path to be tortuous and dangerous.

The Board decided to treat the presentation as informal and asked the applicant to come back to their next meeting with a revised plan addressing their concerns and perhaps bring a representative from the engineering firm that designed the plan to answer any of the Board’s questions.

c. Application of Duane Stagg, placePlaceNameEthel PlaceNameWalker PlaceNameSchool – Owner, for a Site Plan Approval to construct a house on property located at the placePlaceNameEthel PlaceNameWalker PlaceNameSchool, addressStreet230 Bushy Hill Road.

Jeff Gebrian of CR3 Landscape Architects showed a site plan to the Board of a proposed residence to be built on the placePlaceNameEthel PlaceNameWalker PlaceNameSchool campus for their new headmaster. He discussed proposed landscaping, roads, walkways and drives and drainage. Chairman Dahlquist wanted to know how far the site was below addressStreetDeer Park Road and how visible the proposed structure would be. Mr. Gebrian indicated that it was approximately 10 feet below placeCityDeer Park; the driveway would be at the crest of the hill and the house would not be very visible from the road.

Peter Ernst, Architect, showed the Board the house plans, which will be of modular construction. The house is designed to integrate into the campus with a public area for receptions and faculty and student groups to meet and a private area for the living quarters. The house would be vinyl siding (color not yet finalized) with architectural shingles on the roof. Chairman Dahlquist asked if there would be parking for the public events, but Mr. Ernst stated that these events would be accessed primarily by walking within the campus.

Mr. Naccarato asked about lighting and Mr. Ernst indicated that there would be down lights on the porch, field lights and perhaps flood lights on the back terrace and that all fixtures would be residential type. Chairman Dahlquist reiterated that the lighting should not spill across the property line.

Mr. Stephenson thought that there should be a break in the roofline so as to accentuate the building back into residential scale. He said proposed roofline was very long and simplistic and resembled a barn stable. Mr. Ernst said that the modular placements relative to the upstairs hallway and the client’s cost constraints limited design options relative to the roofline.

Chairman Dahlquist noted that, although the Board can provide recommendations, visibility from the street is its primarily concern when rendering an actual decision and that only one corner of the house will be seen from the street.

Mr. Naccarato asked if there would be any kind of handicap access for the public portion of the house and Mr. Ernst replied that the code does not require handicap access features for a residence. Mr. Schoenhardt countered that, although it was not a code issue, it was a moral issue.

Mr. Schoenhardt made a motion that Design Review Board finds the application of Duane Stagg, Ethel Walker School – Owner, for a Site Plan Approval to construct a house on property located at the Ethel Walker School, 230 Bushy Hill Road, as presented on drawings L1, L2, L3 and architectural elevations and plans dated May 31, 2007, in its current form to be generally consistent with the guidelines for community design and recommends its approval by the Zoning Commission with the condition that the Board strongly recommends that the applicant agrees to provide handicapped accessibility to the main entrance of the public portion of the house. The motion was seconded by Mr. Carroll and passed unanimously.

d. Application of Raquel Fisher, Tenant Coordinator, Eden’s & Avant, Owner, Shannon M. Conover, President & CEO, Signs Direct, Inc. – Agent for Signage at the Huntington Learning Center, Simsbury Commons, 530 Bushy Hill Road.

William Donohue, General Manager for Powder Forest Homes presented the Board with plans and photographs. Mr. Donohue stated that the purchaser of 12 Baron’s Court wants to cover the existing 12’ x 16’ deck with a three-season room (unheated) and then add a deck off of that. He indicated that the house cannot be seen from a public street and that the porch cannot be seen from a private street.

Mr. Beach stated that the Chairman of the Zoning Commission has indicated that, if the Design Review Board feels that this change will blend with the overall site design, then there will be no zoning compliance issue. Chairman Dahlquist thought that the nature of the changes and the size warranted the Board’s review. Mr. Naccarato stated that, given the discrete location of the property, the change is not a major issue for the Board, but that it would be a different case if the proposed change were more visible from the street.

Mr. Schoenhardt made a motion to approve the revised site plan addition for a proposed deck and three-season room on property located at the placePlaceNamePowder PlaceTypeForest, 12 Baron’s Court as presented. Mr. Drapelick seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

Chairman Dahlquist asked Mr. Beach to supply the Board with an example of an ordinance to assist the Board in drafting a letter to the First Selectman regarding changing the Board to a

more permanent status and changing the procedures to eliminate the alternates and allow the Chairman to vote. Mr. Carroll also requested a copy of the resolution that created the Design Review Board.

Chairman Dahlquist asked Mr. Beach if there was any information on pending applications. Mr. Beach indicated that the north end application is making an informal presentation to the Planning Commission and that the applicant in the south end may possibly grant an extension to delay hearings until September.