DDRC approves addition at 725 Olive Street with conditions; staff to review redesign details

The Design/Development Review Commission approved a certificate of design approval for an addition at 725 Olive Street in the Oakwood Court Architectural Conservation District, with a condition that the addition preserve the original form of the house and that staff review and approve final redesign details to ensure compliance with district guidelines.

Staff presented the proposal as a two-story addition attached to the rear and right side of a circa-1916 boxy house. Staff concluded the proposed massing, which extended the addition in line with the house, would “obscure the original form” and recommended denial because the addition lacked differentiation and did not remain clearly subordinate to the original structure. Staff noted original window rhythm would be altered and that additions in the district are typically designed so they do not obstruct principal facades or compete with the original form.

Applicant Pete Kronos said the house is narrow and that his family needs a functional kitchen, a first-floor bedroom for visiting relatives, and a screened porch; he also said he and his architect tried to keep the addition “boxy” to match the house form. Commission members and staff recommended alternatives including: a one-story side appendage, insetting (a hyphen) to preserve visible original corners, or locating a larger two-story portion set back from the primary façade. The goal was to maintain the visual read of the original 2-story box while accommodating the owners’ program needs.

A motion to approve the application with the condition that the original form of the existing structure be maintained and that staff review redesign details passed. Staff said that if the applicant returns with revised plans that preserve the original form and demonstrate appropriate differentiation, those changes could be approved administratively rather than requiring a return appearance before the full commission.