The Alpharetta Design Review Board on June 20 approved exterior changes for a proposed Ivy Kids early learning center at 3455 Webb Bridal Road, including a redesigned porte-cochere, painted brick, new storefront windows and a new sign, with conditions on proportions, materials and landscaping.

The board voted 7-0 to approve elevations, materials and the sign, with requirements that the applicant increase the height of portico column bases to the bottom of the windows, scale the top of the portico band to one-third of the portico’s total height, reduce the sign to fit the revised opening, use a black metal roof on flatter roof sections, choose a lighter paint tone than the originally proposed “nearly brown” for the brick, and work with staff to upgrade landscaping.

Ivy Kids’ representative, Sagar Panjwani, described the work at the former Kids Are Kids building as a conversion to an Ivy Kids early learning center that will remove residential-style windows and porte-cochere elements and introduce a more rectilinear, commercial storefront look. "We will be proposing to convert this building into an IB kids early learning center…deletion of the existing porte cochere and reinstalling a new porte cochere face with a more rectangular and more modern sleek style," Panjwani said.

The board’s discussion focused on proportions and circulation. Staff and board members noted that the existing porte-cochere opening was measured at about 9 feet high and flagged concern that a broad sign band could dominate the opening. Brett, the city staff presenter, asked the applicant to confirm exact dimensions; Panjwani agreed to provide exact measurements and to reduce the sign and portico height to better match the roof line.

Board members recommended specific proportioning: the approved condition requires that the portico’s sign band be kept roughly to a one-third portion of the total portico height (the board described this as a 1/3–2/3 proportion between the band and the opening) so the façade does not read as a large flat billboard. The board also requested that the applicant raise the column bases to align with the bottom of the front windows to improve visual proportion.

Sign details were reviewed in the hearing. The applicant said the sign currently shown in the drawings measures about 63 3/4 inches and that letters would be direct-mounted backlit channel letters on a painted panel; the board required the sign be resized to suit the smaller band and asked that finishes be factory-applied to avoid rapid fading.

On materials the board required flat roof portions be metal (black finish) rather than shingles and asked the applicant to select a lighter brick paint tone than the Sherwin-Williams “Nearly Brown” sample submitted. Staff agreed to work with the applicant on final color and landscape plan approvals.

The board’s approval included the standard DRB condition that final hardscape, lighting and planting plans be coordinated with staff and that any changes to sign placement or size be returned for staff review if they exceed the dimensions agreed in the motion.