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Landmarks Commission approves addition to Podksy site, requires screening for storage containers
Summary
The Landmarks Commission approved a 1,668 sq ft rear addition and rooftop access at the Podksy site (530 & 536 NW Arizona) with conditions including screening for onsite storage containers, building permits and staff review of deck/handrail changes.
The Bend Landmarks Commission on April 15 approved an application by Mill Street Square LLC to construct a 1,668-square-foot addition to the rear of the existing Podksy building at 530 and 536 NW Arizona and to add rooftop stair access and storage screening, subject to conditions and follow-up reviews.
Heidi Kennedy, staff planner, recommended approval with conditions including a standard safety checklist, a site plan submission for review, required building permits, and ongoing staff coordination if designs change. Kennedy also asked the applicant to provide additional details for screening and gate placement for two on-site storage containers and for the large deck associated with one food cart.
Architects and owners described the addition as consistent with the site's industrial, lot-line character. Applicant representative said the east (property-line) wall and alley elevations were designed without openings to remain compatible with historic, zero-lot-line industrial buildings nearby. "If there were windows prior to the building being built next to it, those were filled in typically by brick," an applicant representative said, noting the proposal follows that traditional pattern.
The commission discussed several details before voting: whether the long property-line elevation would create an excessive solid-to-void mass; the roof parapet and rooftop access (the parapet will remain and the plan calls for a single opening to access the roof); and how to treat the food-cart deck and its decorative rope railing. The applicant said the rope decoration would be removed if commissioners preferred; the commission ultimately allowed the rope to remain but said building-department code requirements for railing/kick rails must be met if applicable.
Commissioners also sought clarification about parking and temporary structures. The applicant noted that city code changes removed minimum parking requirements for uses within city limits and that the food-cart decks are temporary, non-foundation structures sited atop the carts. Kennedy noted prior precedent in which storage containers visible in historic districts were later removed via code compliance; she recommended screening the containers so they meet design-review expectations.
Commissioner motion to approve application PLHIS202500500 included staff-recommended conditions 1–4 and added that the approval should include fencing/screening around the two storage containers in the northwest portion of the site, and that any code-related changes to pods (decks, handrails or similar built features) be submitted for administrative staff review. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
The applicant acknowledged they will coordinate with staff on gate swing and alley access so gates do not open into the alley and will provide more detail on the screening materials and gate location as part of permit and site-plan submittals. Kennedy asked the applicant to take care with specified planting material (dwarf mugo pine) because nursery tags can be inconsistent. The commission closed the public hearing and approved the project with the conditions described.
