August 14, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

31 (Pages 118 to 121)31 (Pages 118 to 121) Page 118 1 MR. APPEL: I -- I can't give you 2 those calculations. 3 MR. LATERZA: Okay. But you're an 4 architect, you know math. Right? 5 MR. APPEL: Excuse me? 6 MR. LATERZA: You're an architect, you 7 know math. 8 MR. APPEL: Yes. 9 MR. LATERZA: So sounds about right, 10 right? 11 MR. APPEL: I'm not even -- until you 12 provide an average or a weighted average with the 13 number of units and stuff like that, I couldn't even 14 tell you, you know, how much it's... (indiscernible) 15 MR. LATERZA: Okay. Could I ask the 16 Board if that would be an important number they 17 would want to know about the affordable housing, how 18 much smaller they're going to be on an average than 19 the larger ones, than the market rate? 20 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: There's a minimum 21 that the law sets for units, so they're going to 22 have to comply with the law. 23 MR. LATERZA: Sure, but you're making 24 an assumption, you guys are making a decision based 25 off of the importance of these affordable housing Page 120 1 there's been multiple references when we're talking 2 about fire safety about those areas of refuge, but 3 they haven't been planned out at all. 4 MR. APPEL: Well, it's -- this is a -- 5 this is a concept level of drawings right now; all 6 of that is looked at very carefully code-wise when 7 the construction documents are put together. 8 MR. LATERZA: I think there was 9 concern about fire, but areas of refuge, if you're 10 saying conceptually they're going to be there, 11 you're saying they could hold anywhere from one 12 person, just in case, to a family of four? 13 MR. APPEL: It is going to meet or 14 exceed the code. 15 MR. LATERZA: Okay. 16 MR. APPEL: In every respect. 17 MR. LATERZA: I know this wasn't your 18 testimony but it was brought up during the last -- 19 during this portion so I'm going to bring it up. 20 Mr. Hoffman testified that you could get a credit if 21 you didn't use your parking spot, but people weren't 22 paying for parking spots. I was just curious how 23 that's different. So if you chose -- and I know, 24 once again, this wasn't your thing, but if you chose 25 not to use your parking spot and instead parked on Page 119 1 units and how important they're going to be, how 2 they're going to be utilized, so I think that would 3 be an important factor for you guys, but I don't 4 want to be making commentary.

on Page 119 1 units and how important they're going to be, how 2 they're going to be utilized, so I think that would 3 be an important factor for you guys, but I don't 4 want to be making commentary. I'm sorry, I just 5 wanted to ask that question. 6 Has anything been done -- since you're 7 cutting down so many trees, has anything been done 8 to mitigate heat island effect for the buildings? 9 MR. APPEL: There are a number of 10 green provisions in the ordinance and we are going 11 to meet the ordinance. I can't give you 12 calculations or additional information about 13 providing numbers or other metrics of that. 14 MR. LATERZA: Okay. Approximately, 15 how many people could fit in the fire areas of 16 refuge? 17 MR. APPEL: The fire areas of refuge 18 have not yet been designed, we're just going to 19 comply with the code. I don't have an answer with 20 the exact number and whether we're going to be using 21 a -- whether we're going to put an area of refuge 22 that would be separating the building into two 23 pieces or if it will be contiguous and connected to 24 one of the stair towers. 25 MR. LATERZA: Okay, so it -- because Page 121 1 the street because you could get a credit for it, 2 how is that any different than paying for parking 3 spots? 4 MR. APPEL: Well, there's no -- you're 5 talking about a surface spot or a street spot 6 because I don't know that there is street parking, 7 there is surface parking that -- 8 MR. LATERZA: Yes, surface parking or 9 utilizing any other parts of the street that aren't 10 necessarily parking areas and they're walking to 11 their house. 12 MR. APPEL: Operationally, I don't -- 13 I don't know how that would work in a different... 14 (indiscernible) 15 MR. LATERZA: And you were just saying 16 about how building management would handle misuse of 17 visitor parking spots. Has anyone had any sort of 18 plan on how that misuse would be managed? I know, 19 once again, this is not going to be your space but 20 you mentioned it, so... 21 MR. APPEL: This is operational. I 22 design buildings but I -- you know, it's a good 23 question but these are operational, you know, issues 24 and they want to make it right. They don't want it 25 to function poorly.