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Brickworks Lot 1: developer seeks modifications for 91 four‑story townhouses, asks relief on setbacks and connectivity
Summary
The Brickworks Lot 1 team proposed about 91 four‑story, rear‑loaded townhouses at the Frederick Brickworks and asked the Planning Commission for multiple modifications to setbacks, encroachments and a street‑connectivity requirement.
Mike Wiley of Piedmont Design Group, representing Brickworks Land LLC (a Wormald-affiliated developer), presented plans for Lot 1 at the Frederick Brickworks at the Planning Commission workshop. The application proposes a predominantly rear‑loaded, four‑story townhouse product, with typical lot widths of 20 feet (interior) and 23 feet (end units). The initial submission proposed 99 units but the current plan reduced that figure to 91 units.
Wiley said Lot 1 would have three public‑street access points (East Street, South Street and a future Lower Depot Drive) and an internal grid of public alleys; the city’s engineering staff asked for 30‑foot public alleys in recognition of utilities, which drives alley width. The applicant proposed multiple modification requests to execute the unit layout: reduced interior side setbacks to 0 feet (standard for rowhouses), reduced end‑unit side setback from 5 to 3 feet, reduced rear setback from 15 (or 20) to as little as 5 feet because the units are alley‑served, and permission for cantilevered decks and small front stoop encroachments beyond standard LMC allowances.
Wiley described five on‑site open spaces ranging from a primary northwest‑corner park (about 14,000 square feet) to a central park (about 16,000 square feet), a small passive rec area, and two stormwater depressions with adjacent landscaped areas; total on‑site open space was reported as about 1.09 acres. Wiley said the prior master approvals and proposed open spaces could satisfy parkland requirements at the current reduced unit count (91 units) and that providing the proposed on‑site amenities would avoid a fee in lieu if the commission accepts the applicant’s parkland accounting. He also noted tree-planting commitments and forest-conservation credits are being pursued.
Commissioners asked about walkability and the street connectivity ratio. Wiley said he added cross connections but that the site cannot meet the LMC’s 1.8 connectivity ratio because the number of allowed external street access points is constrained; he described the internal grid and said circulation should function despite the ratio shortfall. Staff told the commission they did not wholly support the connectivity modification and asked for further evaluation and potential design adjustments.
Other items raised included parking calculations, exterior materials and elevation compliance with MU‑1 architectural elements, public‑street sidewalk and lighting details, and timing for hearings; commissioners asked for clearer modification tables and compensating features tied directly to each requested modification. Several commissioners said they preferred additional workshop time to vet technical modifications before the August hearing, and staff requested updated materials if the applicant wanted a July follow-up workshop.
No vote was taken; the commission directed staff and the applicant to refine connectivity explanations, provide clearer modification tables and compensating features, and coordinate any resubmission with staff toward a subsequent workshop and hearing schedule.
