Design refinements sought for hotel and parking structure at 230 Franklin Road; DRC stresses facade materials, canopy scale and hiding rooftop parking

Developers and their design team presented updated schematic designs for a proposed hotel and a new parking structure at 230 Franklin Road (the factory campus). The packet included refinements to courtyard stair massing, a simplified portico/drive-through canopy and multiple parking-garage facade options exploring brick, architectural metal and concrete treatments.

Preservation staff reminded the DRC that the Central Franklin Overlay and the zoning facade standards favor brick or natural stone as the primary facade material and allow architectural metal or concrete only as accents (generally up to 25%). "The Central Franklin Overlay District further limits the primary materials to brick, natural stone, or other materials compatible with surrounding buildings expected to remain," staff said, and recommended brick as the primary material for the garage facades. Staff also requested side-by-side window cutouts comparing proposed windows to existing factory windows and urged the applicant to avoid locating stair egress and fire escapes on highly visible street-facing facades.

Commissioners broadly accepted the reduced hotel massing and several changes to the courtyard stair (applicants recessed the uppermost level and reduced the visible height) but gave detailed guidance about the canopy and the portico. Some commissioners preferred a simpler, heavier bracket solution for the canopy rather than light cable supports; others emphasized the canopy must read as proportionate to the building and function as a clear, weather-protected entry. On the courtyard stair, the design team said the stair would be enclosed as conditioned interior space and opened visually to the lobby by fire shutters, though commissioners asked for more-detailed sections and materials when the team returns.

The parking garage discussion centered on materiality, fenestration rhythm and rooftop visibility of parked cars. Commissioners and staff agreed that a garage dominated by large expanses of visible metal panels would not meet the overlay’s material guidance; they recommended a brick base, thoughtful vertical fenestration and limited metal as an accent. Several commissioners emphasized avoiding views of parked cars from Franklin Road and urged studies of parapet height, rooftop screening and nighttime lighting effects. The DRC requested revised elevations, a material palette keyed to the factory buildings, and photomontages showing views from Franklin Road and the drive approach.