Design Review: April 11, 2018

Twice a month, the city of Birmingham’s Design Review Committee convenes at the Auburn Urban Studio to discuss and possibly approve plans to make alterations to structures that fall within one of the city’s many historic and commercial revitalization districts. This column summarizes recent DRC activity, with projects grouped by type and location. This edition of Design Review recaps the DRC meeting from April 11, 2018.

4100 Third Ave. S. is the proposed site for a temporary retail space. Photo courtesy of Google Earth.

41st Street

A project to install a temporary retail space (4100 Third Ave. S.) returned to the committee. The white shipping container will be placed on the corner of Third Avenue and 41st Street and remain in place for 10 months. Planter boxes with small shrubbery will be added as well as a window on the Third Avenue side.

Status: Approved, one recusal and one opposed

Cultural District

Alabama Power Company presented a new construction project within an existing guest parking lot (18th St. N. and Seventh Alley). The small building will house a communications hub and is part of a larger plan for multiple hubs throughout the city. This presentation is the second in this series. The building is pre-fabricated with HVAC facing away from the street and the entry doors opening towards the parking lot. The façade will be painted river rock with white trim. The committee requested the plans for all of the remaining sites be presented as a package.

Status: Tabled

The façade of this McDonald’s on Bessemer Road is slated for an update. Photo courtesy of Google Earth.

Five Points West

The façade at McDonalds (2201 Bessemer Rd.) is scheduled to be updated to the current look and branding established by the restaurant chain. The red mansard roof overhang will be removed and the building squared off. It will be painted two tones of gray with a white metal awning and new landscape will be planted. The existing patio will also be removed and replaced with landscape. The committee discussed the possibility of removing one of the extra curb cuts on Bessemer Super Highway to ensure better traffic safety and requested the site plan be reviewed by the engineering department.

Status: Approved, elevation and signage only

Lakeview

Plans for the renovation of a former warehouse space (250 29th St. S.) at Pepper Place were presented to the committee. The awnings will be removed. The roll up doors will be replaced with an aluminum storefront with an indoor/outdoor counter area for the new café space, the Lumbar. Black gooseneck lights and a sign will be installed above the storefront. A large window will be added to the alley side. Since it is a multi-tenant building, the signage was tabled pending the development of a Master Signage Plan.

Status: Approved

The former Alternative Garage (3024 Third Ave. S.) is being renovated as the new home for Cayenne Creative. The awnings will be removed and the entrance moved to the parking lot side of the building. The existing landscaping will be replaced with zeroscape as specified in the current city ordinance. The curb cut will need to be moved in order to have the minimum number of parking spaces and all structures at the back of the parking lot will be demolished. Trees will be planted within the lot as well. The rollup doors will be filled with matching brick and the skylights will be rebuilt. Detailed landscaping plans will need to be presented to the committee separately.

Status: Approved, exterior renovations only

Tavern on 1st has requested permission to build an outdoor patio. Photo courtesy of Google Earth.

Morris Avenue

The new owners of Tavern on 1st (2320 First Ave. N.) presented plans for an outdoor patio area. The patio will feature metal chairs, marble-topped tables, chain link stanchions, and planter boxes. Although the plan had previously been approved by the engineering department to ensure the legal right-of-way, the committee members expressed concerns on the span between the existing street tree planter and the patio barrier and requested a review and a new layout.

Status: Approved materials only

The Whitaker Lofts building (2329 First Ave. N.) has been sold and the new owners are planning a series of exterior renovations. The façade renovation will include replacing broken windows, cleaning the limestone window lentils, repainting the doors, and re-staining the awning. The existing brick will be repointed as needed and three flags will be added to rebrand the building as the Franklin — named after the former wholesale grocery Franklin & Franklin from the 1920s. Two planters will flank the door and an ivy will be planted to cover the first floor façade. The entire back of the building will be repainted as well. The committee expressed concerns about the signage and flags being within the square footage signage requirements as well as the landscaping. The signage can be reviewed by staff but the landscaping must return to the committee for approval.

Status: Approved, one opposed, for façade improvements only

Woodlawn

A new mural has been designed for Woodlawn (6 55th Pl. S.) as part of a Project Corporate Leadership group project. The mural has been designed to represent the community as well as the music business currently revitalizing the area. The residents are currently weighing in on the color choices, so the design was presented as the outline only. The committee expressed some concerns on reading the word Woodlawn based on the presentation, but was assured that once painted there would not be any visual confusion. The neighborhood association has already approved the project.

Status: Approved