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ARB endorses landscaping refinements for new grocery-anchored building at 411 Barnum Avenue Cutoff
Summary
The Architecture Review Board reviewed a complete application from Brittimore Property Group to build roughly 19,432 square feet of retail at 411 Barnum Avenue Cutoff and voted to forward recommendations asking for landscaping redistribution, less-visible bollard color and dumpster screening to the zoning commission.
The Architecture Review Board on Feb. 13 reviewed plans from Brittimore Property Group to construct a roughly 19,432-square-foot retail building within an existing shopping plaza at 411 Barnum Avenue Cutoff and voted to transmit a short list of site-design recommendations to the zoning commission.
Board members described this application as one of the more complete submissions the board has seen, said the architecture and materials matched typical retail prototypes, and noted the proposal would replace an expanse of asphalt with new planting islands and trees. The applicant was not present at the meeting for discussion.
Reviewers suggested modest refinements. Members asked that some plantings proposed at the rear of the site (near the rail corridor) be redistributed into more visible islands near the building’s north–northwest corner to better enhance the publicly visible approach. The ARB also recommended that safety bollards be a less visually prominent, more neutral color than the bright yellow shown in the drawings, and that the dumpster/loading area be screened with architectural fencing or enhanced landscaping instead of chain-link, even though the service area is largely out of public view from Interstate 95.
The ARB voted to adopt the following recommendations for transmission to the zoning commission: add plantings to the northwest corner lawn areas to enhance the site; change the color of bright-yellow bollards to a less distracting, neutral tone; and require that the dumpster area be screened with architectural fencing (not chain link) or further enhanced landscaping. The motion passed with the board’s affirmative vote and will be included in the board’s formal advisory letter to zoning.
Board members noted that the application included a small loading/dock and a modest number of rear plantings; they recommended spreading vegetation where feasible to improve the street-facing presentation. The board also reiterated its general practice of requiring screened dumpsters and asked staff to include a screening note in the letter to zoning.
