HPOZ Hands Transit Village Developer 'Laundry List' of Needed Improvements

Neighborhood residents have expressed numerous concerns about the Highland Park Transit Village, including its potential impacts on local traffic, density, parking and business.

However, those weren't the issues on the table Tuesday evening as the Highland Park-Garvanza Historic Preservation Overlay Zone Board convened at the Arroyo Seco Library to discuss the aesthetic merits of the 80-unit residential development to be located between Avenues 56 and 59 behind North Figueroa Street.

Adopted in 1994 and then expanded to included Garvanza in 2010, the Highland Park-Garvana HPOZ was enacted to preserve the neighborhood's historic structures and to foster development that conformed to that historic nature.

So, for one evening, discussions regarding density and traffic impacts were set aside for those about building materials, window sills, and arroyo stones.

According to HPOZ Board Chairperson Charles Fisher, the board declined to grant a certificate of compatibility and instead sent builder McCormack, Baron, Salzar home with a "laundry list" of suggested improvements.

The following list includes the HPOZ's areas of concern: 

• Vinyl Windows and Fiberglass Doors on "Craftsman Style Condos"
  

Fisher said the board would prefer the builder use wood on the condos, which are inspired by the area's numerous craftsman homes.  Failing that, the board asked that McCormack, Baron, Salazar consider using a high-quality wood veneer that would allow to the condos to better blend in with the neighborhood.

• Concrete Blocks
  

The board recommended that the concrete blocks that current design calls for in areas of the project, including on the wall near the entrance of the elevator in the apartment building located on site two, either be replaced with cast stone or at least covered with an arroyo stone facade.

• Window Sills

The current facade of the craftsman-influenced condos do not include window sills. Fisher said the sills are a must for the condos to adequately capture the craftsman style.

• Color Palette

Designs presented by McCormack, Baron, Salazar included condos painted in lighter yellow hues. The HPOZ board asked that darker earth tones, like brown and green, be used instead. "Some of the colors were a bit too bright," Fisher said.

• Height

The peak height of the apartment building to be located on site two is 47.5-feet, which is about 2.5-feet taller than the neighborhood's current zoning restrictions allow. McCormack, Baron, Salazar is currently seeking a variance for the building, which includes three stories of residential apartments over one story of at-grade parking. While the board did not make a recommendation regarding the height, McCormack, Baron, Salazar did present renderings attempting to prove that the apartment building would blend into the neighborhood. Those renderings can be seen above.

• Apartment Building Facade

Many attendees of Tuesday's meeting noted that the austere facade of the 50-unit apartment building located on site 2 behind Antigua Bread did not match the surrounding environment. Among the concerns is that the northwest corner of the apartment building abuts the neighboring property, and therefore is prohibited by building code to have windows.

"It's just too sterile," Fisher said.

The board recommended that McMormack, Baron, Salazar install some manner of planting on the wall to improve its appearance and deter taggers.

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Though the HPOZ board does not have the last word when it comes to the construction of new buildings in Highland Park, the board's recommendation must be considered by the area's planning commission when the final determination is made.

Fisher said, despite the board's various concerns, he feels the builder has made noteworthy progress.

"They've come a long way," he said. "The project has a much more residential feel."

Update: The original version of this story reported that the large apartment building located on site two was prohibited by zoning law from having windows on its northeast facade. It is actually a building code issue. We regret the error.