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Italian Village commission gives design feedback on Dickinson Street Phase 9 apartment proposal
Summary
The Italian Village Commission reviewed a conceptual Certificate of Appropriateness for a multiunit building on Dickinson Street (Phase 9) and provided detailed design feedback, focusing on massing, corridors, pedestrian connections and courtyard treatment; staff asked for design guidance and deferred final approvals.
The Italian Village Commission on June 10 reviewed a conceptual Certificate of Appropriateness (COA 2500513301) for a proposed multiunit building on Dickinson Street, described by staff as the project’s Phase 9. Staff presented three unit-mix options — a studio-heavy plan with about 86 units, a one-bedroom–heavy plan with about 72 units, and a two‑bedroom–heavy plan with about 72 units — and asked commissioners for design feedback to guide later submittals.
Commissioners and attendees focused on how the building’s mass, courtyard and corridor design would affect resident experience and the district’s streetscape. One commissioner recommended eliminating long interior corridors that lack openings to the outside, saying corridors without windows would reduce quality of life for residents. Commissioners also urged that the building’s frontage and scale be considered from the nearby highway so it reads as a good introduction to the Italian Village on arrival.
Staff noted that no detailed elevations or final site plans were available at the conceptual review, and recommended the commission provide feedback that staff and the applicant could use to refine subsequent plans. Commissioners praised elements of earlier phases — especially the courtyard and alternative paving materials — and told the applicant to preserve those successful design moves in the new proposal.
Discussion identified several discrete design priorities: increase daylight and connections in interior circulation where feasible; maintain a pedestrian-friendly setback and better pedestrian connections to nearby streets; ensure the building materials and courtyard treatment are consistent with earlier, successful phases; and address visibility of parking and garage elements so they are not dominant from the public right-of-way.
The commission treated the item as a design-review discussion; staff said this was a conceptual review and no final action was taken. Commissioners asked staff and the applicant to return with refined plans, site elevations and landscape details in a future meeting so the commission could consider final COA action.
