DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
JANUARY 4, 2006
A regular meeting of the Salem Design Review Board (DRB) was held in the third floor conference room at the City Hall Annex, 120 Washington Street, on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 at 6:00 pm.
Members Paul Durand and David Jaquith were present. Tania Hartford, Economic Development Planner, and Debra Tucker, Clerk, were also present.
NEW BUSINESS
1. 55 Lafayette Street (DiFillipo Antiques)
Proposed signage for DiFillipo Antiques at 55 Lafayette Street was presented for review.
The signage proposed is the standard approved signage. Mr. Durand commented that he did not think that the mail slot would be allowed by the Post Office and that he might have to get a Post Office box. Mr. Jaquith said that he thought that the mailbox mounted outside looked residential. The petitioner replied that he had been in contact with the Post Office and they had approved the mail slot.
The signage was approved as submitted.
2. 324 Derby Street (Basics Furniture/JoelArt)
Plans for two proposed hanging signs were presented for Basic Furniture and JoelArt of 324 Lafayette Street.
There is one sign proposed on Derby Street for Basic Furniture and one on Central Street for JoelArt. Both would use the approved bracket.
The lettering and the signs were approved as submitted.
3. 40 Front Street (JM Trading Company/Salem Harbor Outfitters)
Plans for two signs were presented for approval for JM Trading Company and Salem Harbor Outfitters of 40 Front Street. The petitioner was informed that two hanging signs are not allowed on the same street side. He complained that there is a fire escape balcony in front of the building, which does not leave enough room for a hanging sign. He requested one sign over the retail front entrance and one sign for the wholesale division.
Mr. Durand recommended hanging one sign inside the glass window. Mr. Durand stated that the bracket, sign, and design were recommended.
4. 217 Essex Street (The Gathering)
The applicant appeared to request sign approval for their storefront at the old Eastern Bank on Washington Street. One sign was presented, as their other two signs were not ready yet. Those will be presented at the meeting on February 22, 2006. A matte black sign is proposed for the 13” substrate area. The size and location were discussed.
The applicant stated that another of their signs would need to be changeable in order to post service times. Mr. Durand recommended a few seasonal signs that could be changed out seasonally. He also requested of sign maker that any future sign presentations be specific with dimensions.
The applicant asked if right angle signs on the building were acceptable since there will be an outreach training center housed as well. Mr. Jaquith noted that the petitioner was not yet at his limit. Ms. Hartford answered that since the building is located on two streets, then one sign would be allowed for each of Washington and Essex Streets. She recommended that the petitioner look at other existing approved signs downtown for ideas.
The one sign was approved as presented and will be submitted at the January 11, 2006 Redevelopment Authority meeting for approval.
5. 50 Palmer Street (Salem Harbor CDC)
Madeleine Nash and the architect from Luna Design Group appeared before the Board on behalf of Salem Harbor CDC to present plans for 50 Palmer Street. Ms. Hartford noted that the group had received a grant from the City of Salem and therefore the project review was under the jurisdiction of the Redevelopment Authority.
The architect stated that the bids for construction were due on January 5, 2006. The project is for development of 15 units. The boards have seen the project at the schematic phase and they are now at the final phase. Due to soil analysis results, there will be crawlspaces instead of full basements. There will be no window air conditioners and there will be 9 to 15 air systems located on the roof. Harvey windows will be used. Two basic Benjamin Moore color schemes from their historic collection were presented.
Mr. Durand stated that he preferred the gold color scheme and thought that it was more uplifting. Mr. Jaquith preferred the green color scheme.
The architect noted that a standard 4” Hardy plank siding and trim system would be used with a factory applied Churchill color coating. . A Certainteed asphalt shingle will be used. There will be brick pavers on the corner and concrete pavers in place of landscaping. Trex decking will be used. The architect stated that the Planning Board had approved the landscaping plan. A 2 over 2 Harvey vinyl window with sandwiched mullions will be installed. Azac trim will be applied and there will be no wood on the exterior. The project must remain affordable for 50 years.
Mr. Durand stated that he thought that the plans looked good. He asked what the square footage was. Ms. Nash replied that the lot is 15,500 square feet and the corner units will be 1,065 square feet and the townhouses will be 1,400.
The architect noted that nine interested contractors had obtained plans, seven were still interested, and they were hoping for five bids.
Mr. Durand stated that either paint scheme would be good. Ms. Hartford commented that the blue doors were throwing her. The architect said that the gold color scheme would stand out more in the neighborhood. Ms. Hartford asked that the developers notify her of the color decision and when the plans are finalized to copy the information to her. The architect said that they were hoping to break ground in the spring and complete the project in a year.
6. Other Business
Ms. Hartford stated that the North River Corridor Zoning had passed and that the Design Review Board would be advising the Planning Board on the design of projects in this district.
Mr. Jaquith stated that the applications for signs have been getting worse. He recommended copying a good proposal such as the New England Soup Factory and giving it out as a sample to business owners. Ms. Hartford stated that she would work with the applicants on putting together better applications.
MINUTES
Minutes for the Regular Meeting held on November 16, 2005 were presented.
Mr. Durand moved to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on November 16, 2005. Mr. Jaquith seconded the motion, and the motion passed.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the board, the meeting was adjourned.
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