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Board continues review of large student-housing proposal at 2195 North High Street
Summary
The board continued action on a certificate-of-appropriateness for a multi-building student housing and retail project at 2195 North High Street after extended discussion about scale, setbacks, street trees and preservation of on-site buildings; staff recommended conditional approval pending a historic resource report.
The University District Design Review Board continued consideration of the 2195 North High Street proposal after extended public and board discussion about building scale, setbacks, ground-floor uses and coordination with adjacent properties. Staff recommended conditional approval subject to submission of a historic-resource report addressing the on-site contributing building prior to demolition of the Little Bar building.
Project summary and staff recommendations: staff presented the submission for a multi-building development including demolition of the existing on-site building (the Little Bar), construction of a main building with ground-floor retail and a tower with student-oriented housing (presented as 41 units totaling about 151 beds across floors 2–9), an inter-building connector and on-site parking at the Main Avenue building. Staff said the project generally aligns with University District design guidance on ground-floor transparency, articulation, materials and lighting, but asked the applicant to deliver a historic-resource report coordinating with the city before any demolition permit is issued.
Public comment and concerns: a nearby resident, Bob Singleton, testified that the project’s increased height and massing (going in some parts from 8 to 12 stories and similar increases at nearby parcels) would overwhelm adjacent single-family neighborhoods to the north, questioned whether the project serves neighborhood housing needs or investor profit motives, and warned the scale could deepen barriers between campus and nearby neighborhoods. Other public commenters expressed concern about tree planting feasibility given narrow sidewalks.
Applicant responses and board inquiry: the applicant told the board the submission includes added connectivity to the north/south pedestrian corridor, bicycle parking at code or above-code levels in the garage, a clarified approach to street trees and a 15-foot separation from the church/Newman Center on one side to allow for a landscaped walk. The applicant also explained constraints on street-tree planting because some tree locations are in the city right-of-way and on city property. Board members asked detailed questions about setbacks (the applicant described 0-foot setbacks on much of the frontage with limited one-foot offsets at some edges and a five-foot south setback), the width of sidewalks (examples given: 8–10 feet at some frontages), and whether additional public-facing open space could be added.
Decision to continue: several board members said they needed more members present to finalize a vote on a project of this size and complexity. After discussion, a motion to continue the application to the next hearing passed. The board recorded that staff’s conditional recommendation (including submission of a historic-resource report in coordination with the city before demolition) remains in place for future review.
What’s next: the applicant will revise or supplement materials as advised and return at the continued hearing. Staff’s condition about a historic-resource report is to be satisfied before demolition permitting for the Little Bar building.
