B.6.0 - 4300 Speedway — original pdf

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HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION PERMITS IN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS FEBRUARY 28, 2022 HR-2022-009524 HYDE PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT 4300 SPEEDWAY B.6 – 1 PROPOSAL PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS Renovate ca. 1967 former post office to become a shell structure for multiple tenants, with exterior alterations including new entrances, canopies, parapet, and an addition consisting of enclosure of a loading dock. 1) Remove clear anodized aluminum storefront and windows, including limestone trim, on the main (east) elevation. 2) Install new paired storefront doors at three recessed entrances on the east elevation. Install new single and paired storefront doors on the north elevation. Install new divided-light storefront windows. Doors and windows will have black anodized aluminum frames. 3) Construct an addition within the footprint of the loading dock on the south elevation. Brick will match the existing building. Paired doors and divided-light windows will match those used elsewhere on the building. 4) Install a new roof canopy along the east and south elevations. 5) Reroof the building. Extend the height of the parapet using matching brick. Install new painted metal coping. Remove plywood fascia at the existing north canopy and reclad with metal fascia. ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STANDARDS One-story, flat-roofed brick post office building with Modern stylistic influences. The L-shaped building faces east toward Speedway. At the corner of the ell, the main entrance consists of paired glazed doors with a transom and sidelights within limestone trim. The adjacent wall has a section of coursed ashlar limestone next to a long ribbon window set within a limestone frame. The remaining walls are unadorned brick with limited doors and no windows; the rear wall is built of concrete masonry units. A canopy extends along the north wall, and a loading dock abuts the building to the south. The building at 4300 Speedway is noncontributing to the Hyde Park Historic District, as it was less than 50 years of age at the time of the district’s designation in 2010. While most noncontributing buildings do not require historic review, the Hyde Park Preservation Plan and Design Standards specifically address how this building should be treated. In “The Parts of the Hyde Park Preservation Plan,” Section 1.D.2 states: D. Previous Agreements about Specific Properties in the District 2. For the property located at 4300 Speedway, no shed roofs shall be permitted. Otherwise, the standards established for that property by Ordinance No. 0201131-20 [sic], which created the Hyde Park Neighborhood Conservation Combining District, together with the commercial design standards for development along urban roadways as set forth in Subchapter E of Chapter 25-2 of the City Code, shall fully constitute the applicable design standards for 4300 Speedway. Those collective standards for 4300 Speedway are incorporated in this preservation plan by reference. Applications for exterior changes, including those for demolition, relocation, and building permits, shall by reviewed by the historic preservation officer and the Historic Landmark Commission under the City Code’s guidelines for review in a National Register Historic District. This provision shall govern over anything else in this preservation plan. Per this section, Historic Landmark Commission review of exterior modifications is required. Following the process for review within a National Register district, established in Land Development Code § 25-11-213, the commission may make recommendations on the project but cannot require a Certificate of Appropriateness. In terms of other requirements in this section, the proposed project does not introduce a shed roof to the existing building. The following text addresses the Hyde Park Neighborhood Conservation Combining District and design review under preservation standards. Hyde Park Neighborhood Conservation Combining District (NCCD), Ordinance No. 020131-20 Compliance with the Hyde Park NCCD requirements is handled during the development review and permitting process and is generally not within the purview of the Historic Landmark Commission. However, as the NCCD is specifically referenced B.6 – 2 in the Hyde Park Preservation Plan and Design Standards, discussion is included herein. In addition to the excerpt below, the NCCD indicates the types of uses permitted, parking requirements, and specifications for outdoor seating for restaurant use for this property. 6. The following site development regulations apply to property located at 4300 Speedway. a. The maximum floor-to-area ratio is .75 to 1. b. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the maximum height is 30 feet. A building may have a height of 36 feet if the building has a pitched roof, measured to the average height of the highest gable. c. There is not a maximum street yard setback on Speedway. There is not a street yard setback on West 43rd Street. There is not an interior side yard or rear yard setback. d. The maximum impervious cover is 80 percent. e. The maximum building coverage is 55 percent. f. Chapter 25-2, Subchapter C, Article 10 (Compatibility Standards) of the City Code does not apply to the modification of the structure that exists at 4300 Speedway on the effective date of this ordinance if: 1. 5000 square feet of gross floor area or less is added to the structure; and 2. the modifications are permitted for noncomplying structures under Section 25-2-963 (Modifications and Maintenance of Noncomplying Structures) of the City Code. Tables included with the architectural plans indicate compliance with these development requirements. The project retains the existing building and does not seek to maximize the developable area. Under 5,000 square feet of space will be enclosed within the existing footprint. National Register district review The Historic Preservation Office uses the City of Austin’s Historic Design Standards (March 2021) and Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation to evaluate projects in National Register districts. However, these standards establish expectations for contributing properties. No standards exist for review of changes to noncontributing properties. The proposed project does not meet the Standards for Rehabilitation. It entails removal or alteration of significant character- defining features, most notably the entrance and ribbon window on the main elevation and the loading dock on the side of the building. The existing front entrance will be enclosed and the opening moved over, and another entrance will be added within the expanse of the ribbon window. Staff suggests exploring ways to retain the limestone window and door surrounds while making these modifications. For the loading dock, staff suggests expressing the enclosure as infill, potentially through the use of a contrasting wall material and retention of the metal pipe columns. The project also involves introduction of new windows and doors within what were solid wall expanses. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring & Reconstructing Historic Buildings (2017) indicates that new windows may be added on secondary, less visible elevations. Their design should be compatible with the building but not duplicate historic fenestration. In rehabilitation of other post offices, such as the former Barbara Jordan Post Office in Houston, or other buildings with unbroken wall expanses, introduction of limited punched openings that maintain a sense of the massiveness of the wall is generally found to meet the Standards. The proposed design for this project involves a large amount of fenestration, both in terms of the size and number of new openings. Nevertheless, the project maintains the low, horizontal form and modern design of the building while introducing new openings necessary for a change in use. Viewed as adaptive use of a noncontributing building rather than through the lens of the Standards, the project is restrained and compatible. COMMITTEE FEEDBACK STAFF RECOMMENDATION The Architectural Review Committee provided feedback on the project on February 14, 2022. Committee members appreciated the effort to retain the building despite its noncontributing status. The building will retain its massing and form, and added fenestration is sensitive in its design. Committee members remarked that the ribbon windows and stone elements of the east elevation and the loading dock are character-defining features of the building. Comment on and release the plans. Encourage retention of the limestone window and door surrounds and wall section at the east elevation to the extent possible; encourage treatment of the loading dock addition as infill with the columns retained and expressed in the design. LOCATION MAP B.6 – 3