DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
MARCH 22, 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, March 22, 2006 at 6:00 pm.
Members Michael Blier, Ernest DeMaio, Paul Durand, and Glenn Kennedy were present. Tania Hartford, Economic Development Planner, and Debra Tucker, Clerk, were also present.
SIGN REVIEW
1. 48 Central Street (A&J King Artisan Bakers, LLC)
Paul Durand recused himself from the matter and left the room.
Andy King appeared before the board to request signage approval for his bakery, A & J King Artisan Bakers LLC, which will be located on 48 Central Street across from Derby Lofts.
Mr. King will use the approved bracket for Derby Lofts. There will be no awnings or fan lighting. There will be four sections of signs and will be black with gold leaf lettering and will be 18 inches tall by 8 feet wide and mounted flush to the wall with 9-½ inch lettering height. They are modeled after those of Cornerstone Books. There will be an aluminum front with wooden lettering. There will be a sign on the building at the corner of New Derby St. and Central St. to draw customers up the little used street. Mr. King indicated that his would be a traditional-looking sign that he thought would fit in with the area. The bakery will also have vinyl lettering on the windows of the storefront.
Mr. Kennedy said that he had three comments. He thought that the signage needed alignment, which it seemed like a lot of signage for the space, although he said that that might not necessarily be a bad thing. He said that the signage was nice. Mr. King answered that he would like to draw customers from both sides—New Derby St. and from the nearby Peabody Essex Museum. He did not think that it was unusual to have large signage.
Mr. Kennedy said that it would not seem too out of place if the signs were not too big. Mr. Blier said that this would be his concern usually as well, but that he though that this signage makes the elevation stronger and was reflective of the scale of the building. Mr. King said that he will not have an awning like the other storefronts and the signage would fill out the space.
Mr. Kennedy said that he had noticed all of the signage on all of the storefronts and the space on top makes it feel empty.
Ms. Hartford said that the bracket had already been pre-approved, but that the board could comment on the lettering of the signage. Mr. DeMaio commented that three-dimensional items make a big difference in signs and that it would be nice. Mr. King asked if he decided to add that if he would have to come back to the board. Ms. Hartford replied that he would.
Ms. Hartford asked if the board had any changes. There were none.
Mr. DeMaio asked if there was to be any lighting. Mr. King said that there was not. Mr. DeMaio asked if there were requirements concerning interior lighting. Ms. Hartford replied that there were not. Mr. King said that there will be interior track lighting that will face out to light up the window signs, but he currently does not have the budget for gooseneck lighting.
Mr. Blier, Mr. DeMaio, and Mr. Kennedy were all in favor of the plan presented. Ms. Hartford requested that Mr. King deliver six copies of the plans to her for submission to the Redevelopment Authority for their April meeting. Mr. King indicated that he plans to open in mid May.
Paul Durand returned to the meeting.
OUTDOOR CAFÉ
2. 118 Washington Street (Fresh & Taste)
The owner of Fresh and Taste restaurant at 118 Washington Street appeared before the board for approval of plans for an outdoor café for the area facing Essex Street along Lappin Park.
Ms. Hartford reported that the plan includes tables, chairs, and fencing. The SRA approved the plan with the condition that the boundaries and any conditions of the Lappin Park agreement be researched.
The owner has been to the Board of Health and Licensing Board already and has been approved. The plan calls for the fencing, tables, and chairs will all be black metal. The owner hopes to plant flowers along the side of the fence in the summer.
Mr. Durand asked about the proximity to the walkway. The owner said that the walkway is sixteen feet wide and that he will use seven feet of space from the building. There will be nine feet left of walkway. Mr. Durand asked if the fencing were necessary. Ms. Hartford reported that a fence is required for the outdoor serving of alcohol. The owner stated that the fence would be custom made and would cost $15,000.00. He plans upon seven tables. Mr. Durand asked if this would count in his occupancy limit. Ms. Hartford replied that it would. The maximum is 106. The owner added that he had already reduced the number by one or two tables.
Mr. Durand asked if umbrellas would be used. The owner replied that they would not. He has awnings that extend out and protect the tables. Mr. Durand stated that the color black was fine, that he liked the outdoor seating plan, which had been discussed as an idea previously, and said that this would make the park lively.
Mr. DeMaio said that his only concern was the amount of room on the walkway for pedestrian use. The owner replied that he had physically measured the space. Ms. Hartford said that she has the park plans and will double check.
Mr. Blier questioned the grading and said that it changes. He asked that the top of the fence remain horizontally level. Mr. Durand agreed and said that the size of the supports should be altered to achieve this. The owner said that there is a five-inch change in grade.
Mr. Durand asked how high the fence is. The owner said that it was 36 inches. Ms. Hartford said that the plan shows 42 inches. The owner indicated that the tables would be between 36 and 42 inches and are a special order. The board members all agreed that a 36-inch fence would be best.
Ms. Hartford asked if the board would want to see a specification for the actual fence since pictures of a Boston restaurant were the only things presented. Mr. Durand asked if the fence would be exactly like the pictures. The owner said that it would be.
The matter of whether the fence should actually be permanently attached like the Taste of Cilantro on Liberty St was discussed. Ms. Hartford said that she did not think that it could be permanent because the land is SRA property. The owner said that he would only be using the area in the summer and thought that it should be clear in winter for easier snow removal.
Mr. DeMaio asked what the base of the fence would look like. The owner said that it would be round feet into which the frame inserts. This too will be a custom made special order. Ms. Hartford asked if the owner could have one piece made up for the board to see. The owner replied that it was to be made in New York and would be very expensive to have just one piece made and that he probably could not do that. Mr. Durand said that it would be nice to at least have the fabrication drawing. Mr. Kennedy said that it would be a leap of faith to approve it. The owner said that it would take two to three weeks to order and that he is hoping to open the restaurant by April 15th.
Mr. Durand stated that the owner would be taking the risk if the fence does not end up exactly as the picture rather than just similar. Mr. DeMaio said that the size of the feet of the base could be obtrusive to people walking by. Mr. Durand wondered if it would be better to have the fence bolted into the ground.
Ms. Hartford gave the example of Taste of Cilantro. She said that the fence is removable, but the large umbrella is bolted down. At the end of the season the bolt is removed and the brick replaced to restore the area. She asked the owner if he would rather have that. He said that he could do that. Ms. Hartford said that she would check on the possibility since the land is SRA-owned.
Ms. Hartford said that the board could recommend the plan to the SRA with the fencing being attached to the ground and some type of sleeve used. If the SRA rejects the plan, then the owner would come back to the DRB with some type of specification for the fencing. She added that the extra benefit to permanently attaching the fencing would be to ensure that the café stays in place and does not migrate larger.
Other Business
SIGN CHANGE REVIEW
The owner of Fresh Taste presented plans for changes in his signage as he was considering a name change. He is considering a change to Fresh Taste of Asia with Chinese letter characters above it. Other name options were discussed in length. Ms. Hartford asked Frandy if he wanted to re-think the name and get back to her. The owner said that he wanted approval now so that he would have time to order signage, menus, etc. Ms. Hartford asked that board if they approved the change and if they would approve the amendment.
Mr. DeMaio said that he wished that the sides of the awning were open. Mr. Kennedy said that as a sign maker and a typographer, the sign was not what he wanted it to be for that corner. He thought that the lettering should be smaller with simpler type and a different font and that it should be designed. Frandy said that a company in Quincy was making the signs. He said that the work was 75% complete. After much discussion, Mr. Kennedy said that he wanted to help the owner and would email some suggestions to him the next morning.
Ms. Hartford asked if the board was approving the amendment with changes to be made by Mr. Kennedy. Mr. Durand said that he understood Mr. DeMaio and Mr. Kennedy’s criticism and thought that the board should defer to Mr. Kennedy’s expertise in changing the lettering, if the owner was receptive. Ms. Hartford asked that Mr. Kennedy email the information to her the next morning and she would forward it to the owner.
Mr. Kennedy added that he was happy to help at no charge. He wondered if he were crossing the line. Mr. Durand answered that members of the board have done this in the past and it has been helpful. He said that he thought that it was all right to lend quick guidance when an applicant needs help, as long as he is not profiting from the assistance.
Ms. Hartford agreed that if it was quick that it would be all right. She informed the board that there is a Storefront Improvement Program that provides design assistance by architects offered and funded by the City of Salem. Mr. Durand added that the DRB tries to be helpful and proactive but does not design for applicants. He said that the end benefit is positive.
Mr. Kennedy said that he would do the work the next morning. Mr. Durand said that it could be done by email. Ms. Hartford said that the changes would be presented at the April SRA meeting.
Ms. Hartford noted that the color of the exhaust hood had been approved by the board members who had seen it. She added that the SRA had approved the lighting, which will be five gooseneck lights above the awning and matches the other two nearby buildings.
MINUTES
Minutes from the March 1, 2006 and the March 7, 2006 meetings were presented for approval.
Mr. DeMaio asked that clarification be made to the March 1, 2006 minutes concerning the Salem Five Bank project at 71 Washington Street. He noted that there were a series of emails sent after the meeting requesting more information. Ms. Hartford noted that there was discussion that the board recommends approval to the SRA with the condition that the modifications made through emails sent the next day concerning the size of the sign.
Mr. DeMaio moved that the minutes for the March 1, 2006 meeting be approved with the modification as noted. Mr. Kennedy seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-0).
Mr. Kennedy moved that the minutes for the March 7, 2006 meeting be approved as presented. Mr. Durand seconded the motion. Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Blier both stated that they were not present at the meeting. The motion passed (2-0, 2 absentions)
NEW PROJECTS
Ms. Hartford reported that there would be a new project in the North River Corridor area. Mr. Durand noted that the zoning requires DRB review yet not SRA approval. Ms. Hartford added that the DRB would review projects in this NRCC district under the direction of the Planning Board and recommendations would be made to that board.
Ms. Hartford said that she would be speaking with Ms. Duncan to bring the DRB up to speed since projects will be going before the Planning Department soon.
Ms. Hartford said that she would get copies of the Neighborhood Master Plan for the North River Corridor and the new zoning to the DRB members. Mr. Durand stated that the DRB will be giving more recommendations of buildings and developments and said that this was new for the DRB.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the board, the meeting was adjourned.
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