1998-10-19 - Laserfiche WebLink

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292 RESOLUTION: APPROVING UNDERGROUND UTILITIES STUDY Mr. O'Connell explained that staff are trying to establish the cost of undergrounding utilities in certain areas of the City, and the engineering study will help establish the cost. Mr. O'Connell said that the matter can be deferred so that staff can explore the legality of having Virginia Power pay for a portion of the undergrounding as suggested by Mr. Smith. Ms. Daugherty asked staff to investigate other issues mentioned by Mr. Smith, such as establishing a citizen board. Mr. Cox pointed out that Ridge Street is not included among the areas in historic districts where utilities would be undergrounded, and requested that Ridge Street be included in the study. Mr. Caravati noted that undergrounding utilities wilt be a multi-million dollar project and Council needs to prioritize items in the capital budget and determine how much they are willing to spend on undergrounding. Mr. Caravati expressed concern that cost estimates generated from an engineering study conducted now might be stale by the time the undergrounding actually occurs. Mr. Toscano suggested that staff work through some of the issues raised. Ms, Richards said that as different areas of the City develop, opportunities for undergrounding will exist, which may make it difficult to establish a priorky order. Ms. Richards suggested exploring TEA-21 funding for undergrounding. The issue was deferred. APPEAL: BAR DECISION RE: 1203 - 1205 WEST MAIN.STREET Mr. Tim Sfiffier of Tidewater Management, requested that Council grant the appeal of the Board of Architectural Review decision regarding 1203-1205 West Main Street, and issue a certificate of appropriateness for the Marriott Hotel proposal. Mr. Stiffier said that his goal is to work with the City on the project, and noted that the projected started by meeting with staff and then the BAR. Mr. Stiffier explained that the original proposal Called for the demolition of the "O'Keefe" house on Wertland Avenue, which will now be saved, and the scale of the project has been reduced which will lessen the impact of the project on the neighborhood. Mr. Berle Saunders, architect for the Marriott Hotel project, said that research was done on the two houses they are requesting be demolished, and a moving expert has advised that they are in bad condition and would not survive a move, and an engineer has found the houses to be in disrepair. Mr. Saunders explained that a 137 room, four-stow hotel, with a three-stow addition fronting on Main Street, and a parking structure three elevations above grade is proposed. Mr. Saunders said that the BAR had requested underground parking, but an above groUnd parking structure costs $8,000 per parking space, and an underground structure increases the cost to $22,000 per parking space, an additional cost of $1.5 million to the project. Mr. Saunders reviewed the site plan and changes made at the suggestion of the City: upgrading landscaping at the entrance; addition of brick faCade and landscaping at the garage; softening of the pedestrian crossing; and reduction in the height of the garage by one stow. Mr. Saunders noted that the proposed design is off-standard of that usually used by Marriott and was changed to be more compatible with the surrounding area. The restaurant has been shifted to the front of the building so that it works as a commercial front. The hotel was originally proposed to have 147 rooms and have five stories. Mr. Saunders said that he has heard that parking is a problem in the area, and said the garage will serve the Marriott as well as the adjacent bed and breakfast establishment. Mr. Saunders reviewed the scale of the footprint and plans for each floor of the hotel. Mr. Saunders said that the sleeping porch on the "O'Keefe" house, a later addition to the structure, is proposed to be removed