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Design Review Commission approves final plan for The Square at Forest Hill Heights; project moves to Board of Mayor and Aldermen
Summary
The commission approved final plans for a two-building retail center on Winchester Road (T5 urban center zoning) with landscaping, lighting and a payment-in-lieu for required public art; the planning commission had previously approved five justified design alternatives.
The Design Review Commission on Jan. 28 approved the final plan for The Square at Forest Hill Heights (Forest Hill Heights amended P.D.P.H. 18D), a proposed retail center on the south side of Winchester Road just east of Forest Hill Irene Road. The project now advances to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for final review.
Why it matters: The project sits in the Forest Hill Heights small area plan and T5 urban center zoning; its design decisions (including previously granted Justified Design Alternatives) will shape streetscape, parking arrangement and building façades in a high-visibility corridor adjacent to the Hyatt Place hotel.
Project details approved: - Location: South side of Winchester Road, east of Forest Hill Irene Road (adjacent to Circle K and in front of the Hyatt Place). - Site plan: Two buildings of about 13,000 square feet each with a common surface parking lot providing 113 parking spaces. - Design exceptions: The Planning Commission previously approved five Justified Design Alternatives (formerly called warrants) including reduced building frontage (<70%), additional parking beyond code, parking located in front of buildings and reduced parking screening. Those JDAs remain a planning precedent for the site. - Aesthetic changes requested at DRC subcommittee: The applicant added more façade detail for the building backs as seen from the Hyatt, added landscape buffering, refined awning and door colors to blend with the brick palette, and provided a dumpster enclosure design and fence treatment similar to examples in other developments. - Public art: Because the parcel sits in a smart-code area where public art is required, the applicant will pay the fee in lieu of providing on-site public art at this time. Signage will be handled later as a separate application.
Applicant comments: Donnie Singh (applicant) said the team adjusted the rear elevations to reflect successful nearby examples and increased landscaping. He said tenants were not yet signed but that the design changes had produced positive leasing interest.
Next steps: After DRC final-plan approval, the project goes to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for final review and then to engineering for construction-plan submission and permitting.
