5 7 25 WO PB Draft Minutes

5 • To sum up, Mr. Zeberl, stated we've heard from a number of experts, their professional planner, professional engineer, professional architect, and traffic engineer who have all provided testimony to the effect that this application satisfies the requirements for the granting of a C variance under the flexible C balancing test as the benefits substantially outweigh the detriments. • The applicant asked this board to grant their application permitting the addition of a third story subject to the conditions that they had discussed previously. BOARD QUESTIONS • Mr. Klein asked is it possible, even though it's not the applicant's property, to put some landscaping on the neighbor's property to do some natural screening. Mr. Zeberl said that they have some difficulty in terms of, one, they're not legally permitted to do anything on somebody else's property and that they have such a small amount of space behind that building. NO PROFESSIONALS QUESTIONS PUBLIC QUESTIONS • Mr. Sweeny asked Mr. McDonough what's the difference in the elevation between the sidewalk, elevation on land, and the first floor. Mr. McDonough said he doesn't know. • Mr. Sweeny asked Mr. McDonough is the site walkable. Mr. McDonough said yes, the site is walkable. • Mr. Sweeny asked Mr. McDonough what the slope is of the parking lot. Mr. McDonough said he doesn’t know. Mr. Zeberl added that it is 18 feet, not the slope but the elevation. • Mr. Sweeny asked Mr. McDonough that the building would only be increased by 34.5 feet, is that measured from the mean height of the building. Mr. McDonough said it's measured in accordance with the ordinance. • Mr. Sweeny asked what's the difference between the mean height and the base of that wall. Mr. McDonough said he doesn’t know; he didn't conduct a measurement. • Mr. Sweeny asked essentially from the front, the building would look like it's 40 feet high or equivalent to four stories. Mr. McDonough said that is not accurate, under the letter of the ordinance, it's a three-story building. • Mr. Sweeny asked Mr. McDonald if he has walked from Lakeside Avenue to Charles Street along Main Street. Mr. McDonough said he has walked several streets in front of the site. • Mr. Sweeny asked if Mr. McDonough noticed that this lot is completely different from every other lot and it has a very long, very huge parking lot in front of the building,

ets in front of the site. • Mr. Sweeny asked if Mr. McDonough noticed that this lot is completely different from every other lot and it has a very long, very huge parking lot in front of the building, very unattractive, and very steep slope. Mr. McDonough said he’ll answer the first question in the affirmative that he did notice that the site is distinctly different than other properties along the corridor. • Mr. Sweeny asked Mr. McDonough if he noticed that the mass of the building was disproportionate to the adjacent buildings or any other building on that side of the street. Mr. McDonough said no. • Mr. Sweeny asked Mr. McDonough if he views that the approval of this will result in permanent, essentially, fixing that unattractive lot in the way that it appears now, in a way that's inconsistent with all the other downtown properties in the area on that side of the street, or even across the street. Mr. McDonough said no. OBJECTOR PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATION