Designers for The Linden, a proposed five‑story mixed housing and commercial building at 360 Linden Street, presented conceptual plans to the Historic Preservation Commission on June 18. Staff described the submission as a conceptual development review — early‑stage feedback, not a final recommendation — and asked commissioners to identify design refinements that would support a positive recommendation to the community development director.

Project summary

Senior historic preservation planner Jim Bertolini told the commission the proposal calls for a five‑story building with about a 164‑foot parapet height, roughly 160 residential units and a ground‑floor commercial space fronting Linden Street; 34 units are proposed to be affordable at 80 percent of area median income (AMI). The property lies in the downtown zone and falls within the land‑use code’s 200‑foot area of adjacency, so design compatibility with nearby historic buildings — notably the Union Pacific Railroad Freight Depot (Old Town Historic District, National Register) to the north and the Harmony Mill (locally landmarked) to the south — is a central review consideration.

Applicant presentation and intent

Lupe Cantu, principal with Davis Partnership Architects, said the design team intentionally broke the mass of the project into multiple materials and datums to respond to the adjacent historic context. “We purposely pulled back the primary facades beyond the masonry to allow the masonry to be read three‑dimensionally as they wrap around,” Cantu said. He added the team had pulled primary brick elements toward Willow and Linden to produce a more pedestrian‑oriented frontage and planned a recessed chamfered corner and a small plaza between the new building and the depot to help define the downtown corner.

Staff and commission concerns

Bertolini and planning staff identified several areas that will likely change in subsequent submittals, and asked commissioners to weigh in on what design changes would be expected for a favorable recommendation. Key staff and commissioner observations included:

- Massing and step‑backs: Staff concluded the proposal generally met the code requirement to mediate height differences between the historic neighbors through articulated setbacks and changes in wall plane. Commissioners said the building’s massing near the freight depot generally succeeded in scaling down the street frontage but urged clearer reinforcement of the step‑back with materials and simpler massing moves to avoid a “checkerboard” appearance.

- Materials: Planning staff questioned use of a white cement‑fiber lap siding and a stark white stucco field on large portions of the Willow elevation, noting that the immediate historic context is dominated by red brick and masonry. Commissioners suggested toning or reducing the amount of white stucco and re‑evaluating the navy/blue paneling to better reference the district’s ag/industrial brick character.

- Fenestration and proportions: Staff said the lower floors exhibited appropriate rhythmic fenestration, while upper floors included large picture windows that break the historic proportion and should be refined with muntins or other divisions to better reference nearby industrial fenestration.

- Rear/parking elevation: Commissioners noted the southwest rear elevation — the face visible from downtown across the rail corridor and surface parking lots — is prominent in the public view and should be enriched with higher‑quality treatment (for example, brick continuation or additional articulation), not left visually subordinate to the street frontage.

- Cornice and upper‑story articulation: Planning staff recommended a stronger three‑dimensional cornice treatment at select stepped locations and clarified River District guidance that where upper stories are stepped back and do not include activated decks, additional articulation is required.

Other project details and conditions

Bertolini said the project team will be required to provide archaeological monitoring for excavation on the Linden Street side because the site overlaps the former military post area; a curatorial agreement with the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery could follow if significant material is recovered. Staff also noted that existing interpretive signs on the four corners nearby cover indigenous history, military history, industrial history and later uses; staff said the content and design of those signs is somewhat outdated and conversations have begun about updating interpretation.

Next steps

The commission provided detailed design feedback and asked the applicant to return with a revised submittal addressing the material palette, fenestration proportions, cornice treatment and more engaging treatment for the rear/parking elevation. Because this was a conceptual review for a project processed under a basic development review (due to its affordable housing component), the final decision will be made by the community development director after subsequent submittals and required reviews.

Ending

Staff and applicants said they would continue to coordinate on site layout (including how a historic Chestnut Street alignment might be reestablished) and Streetscape improvements, and that the applicant will revise building materials, detailing, and step‑back treatments before the next formal review.