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Commission urges more shade, pedestrian connections and parking screening for North Forest Street project
Summary
At concept review the commission gave detailed comments on building siting, pedestrian passages, tree placement and parking entry screening for a multi‑building proposal on North Forest Street, and requested the applicant return with engineering and landscape details.
The commission reviewed a conceptual submission for a multi‑building development along North Forest Street (applicant same as earlier items) and provided layered comments on pedestrian connectivity, landscape and parking screening. Commissioners said the space between buildings A and B could be improved to function as a pedestrian connector to Fourth Street, and urged the applicant to consider wider sidewalks or a small plaza at building entries to create more inviting pedestrian access.
Several commissioners pressed the applicant to add more trees within parking areas and to place trees closer to parking stalls to create shade and reduce heat-island effects; one commissioner recommended revisiting the standard of planting (historically one tree per eight parking spaces) and asked the applicant to consider structural systems that allow tree growth under pavement. Commissioners also suggested augmenting screening at the parking entry — low walls, planting or architectural elements — and reconsidering curb cuts so that two curb cuts are not placed consecutively if possible.
Staff said some site survey and engineering documentation remains outstanding; commissioners asked the applicant to return with final site and grading plans, engineering-level drawings, and refined landscape and screening strategies before the commission considers a final COA. The commission did not vote on a final action and treated the item as a conceptual design discussion.
