August 14, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

24 (Pages 90 to 93)24 (Pages 90 to 93) Page 90 1 see what it looks like at that pinch point. Are you 2 able to provide that cross-section? 3 MR. APPEL: It would be -- it would be 4 quite similar to this but obviously, there would be 5 just some grade changes, uh -- 6 MR. SHARRET: No, obviously, there 7 would be grade changes; that's what I'd like the 8 cross-section to show, because there were questions 9 about how there would be access to the rear of the 10 building and I think it would be helpful to be able 11 to see what the grade looks like at that pinch 12 point. So I'm asking you if you can provide that. 13 MR. APPEL: The -- actually, the 14 grading would be shown on the site drawings, so it 15 wouldn't need to be shown on a separate section 16 because you can pick up that grading right on the 17 site plan. 18 MR. SHARRET: No, I understand that, 19 but there was a decision made to draw the cross- 20 section at this particular point, correct? And as 21 the architect, I assume you were the one who made 22 the decision to show the cross-section, you know, 23 where it's widest at, you know, between 20 and 40 24 feet, as opposed to where it's narrowest at seven 25 feet, right? Page 92 1 because it provided an opportunity to have units 2 with dens on one side and units without dens on the 3 other and that, we thought, was a better decision 4 for the project. 5 MR. SHARRET: Part of the decision- 6 making also was to be able to put the affordable 7 units on the smaller side of the hallway, correct? 8 MR. APPEL: That's where they're 9 presently shown, correct. 10 MR. SHARRET: Right, and the reason 11 why, at least in part, the central hallway was 12 offset was to make smaller units that could then be 13 affordable units, correct? 14 MR. APPEL: Are you asking me or 15 telling me? 16 MR. SHARRET: It's a leading question, 17 but it is a question. 18 MR. APPEL: The primary reason was 19 done for dens. There are market units on the short 20 side -- the shorter side of the hallway. It's only 21 a couple of feet difference, it's not -- it's not 22 hugely different. 23 MR. SHARRET: Right, I'm glad you 24 mentioned that because you had testified that when 25 you're standing in that hallway and you're looking, Page 91 1 MR. APPEL: It doesn't -- it doesn't 2 change the picture very much. 3 MR. SHARRET: All right, but could you 4 provide that picture? 5 (Pause) 6 MR.

anding in that hallway and you're looking, Page 91 1 MR. APPEL: It doesn't -- it doesn't 2 change the picture very much. 3 MR. SHARRET: All right, but could you 4 provide that picture? 5 (Pause) 6 MR. APPEL: I don't -- I don't have 7 that section available. 8 MR. SHARRET: I'm not asking if you 9 have it available here, I'm asking could you go back 10 to your office and create it? 11 MR. PLOCKER: That's a -- the 12 applicant will take the comment under advisement. 13 MR. SHARRET: Okay. Thank you. 14 One final set of questions. There were 15 some slides, some testimony, about the positioning 16 of the central hallway within the building and you 17 had testified that it was offset, such that one side 18 of the building had larger units and one side of the 19 building had smaller units, correct? 20 MR. APPEL: That's correct. 21 MR. SHARRET: Okay. Was there ever 22 any consideration made to have that central hallway 23 not offset so that both sides of the hallway would 24 be equal in size? 25 MR. APPEL: We -- we did that merely Page 93 1 you know, at the doors, for example, of the units, 2 no one would be able to tell that one is an 3 affordable unit and one is not, correct? 4 MR. APPEL: That was my testimony, 5 yes. 6 MR. SHARRET: Right, but there are 7 also utility closets and storage closets along each 8 floor, correct? 9 MR. APPEL: Out of necessity, correct. 10 MR. SHARRET: Right. And all of those 11 units -- I'm sorry, all of those utility closets and 12 storage closets, they happen to be carved out from 13 only the affordable units, correct? 14 MR. APPEL: What's shown in there on 15 the plans, likely they're -- they're carved out, the 16 utility closets are carved out of the affordable 17 units. 18 MR. SHARRET: Right, so that makes the 19 affordable units smaller than the market units, even 20 on the same side, correct? 21 MR. APPEL: In a very de minimus way, 22 yes. 23 MR. SHARRET: Right, and also, if you 24 were standing in that hallway and you saw a storage 25 closet or a utility closet and you saw an apartment