Zenith redevelopment advances with partial sign-off; planners ask for attainable-housing and circulation clarifications

City reviewers gave partial sign-off on the Zenith redevelopment (25 ASP 12) but left a set of technical clarifications for the applicant to address before full approval.

The proposal, presented by Bill Weddell (Kimley Horn) with Kimley Horn team members and ODP Architects, would redevelop the former Zenith building and adjacent parking garage at the Five Points area. Rebecca Webster, certified planner with Development Services, led the zoning review and identified outstanding items primarily related to attainable-housing requirements, parking and service areas.

Webster asked the team to show the basement on elevation sheets to confirm it does not exceed four feet above grade and to reconcile the attainable-housing calculation with the site data table. She cited the attainable-housing definition in section 2-201 and reminded the team that maximum base density is rounded down while attainable-housing density is rounded up. The applicant clarified on the record that the proposed hobby rooms and lounges are limited to building residents, not the public; planning staff said that clarification should be added to the response materials.

Planning staff also requested that back-of-house areas be included in parking calculations, that the vertical clearance for required off-street loading spaces be dimensioned, and that a column that blocks hallway ingress on GA-104 be corrected. The team was asked to provide additional information regarding a proposed vehicle turntable (how it is activated, whether other local buildings use a similar device, and operations/maintenance expectations).

Traffic, engineering and utilities reviewers raised technical comments that will need to be addressed at the plan stage: ADA layout and ramp details, correct orientation of accessible parking symbols, garage vehicle turnaround at top parking levels, and coordination of technical deviations where driveway aprons may extend beyond property lines. Fire review had no objections but reminded the applicant to identify hydrants, fire-department connections and access on formal applications.

Staff said the preliminary draft conditions remain on the comment memo and additional advisory comments may follow. The city gave partial sign-off at the meeting and asked the applicant to work with the remaining reviewers to achieve full sign-off.

Why it matters: The project is in an urban downtown location (Five Points); attainable-housing standards require design parity between market-rate and attainable units, and parking/loading and accessibility details are material to building code compliance and circulation. Addressing the outstanding items will be necessary for building-permit readiness.

Next steps: Applicant to revise plans to show basement elevations, provide updated parking/loading calculations including back-of-house areas, detail the turntable’s operation and provide ADA and garage-turnaround details requested by traffic and engineering reviewers.