Neighbors, board push back on townhouse concept at 806 N. Columbus: lower, set back, use consistent materials
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Summary
At concept review the BAR and multiple neighbors urged the applicant to reduce proposed height, set the front façade back to match the block face, and avoid mixed siding/brick treatments. Neighbors also raised questions about driveway access via Snowden Hallowell Way, a privately maintained alley.
At a concept review the Board of Architectural Review and nearby residents urged a developer proposing three new townhouses at 806 North Columbus Street to reduce height, step the building back from the sidewalk and match the prevailing street rhythm and materials.
Applicant Ken Wier and the project architect presented a three‑unit design with a three‑bay rhythm, projecting front bays and a stepped Fourth‑floor rooftop deck set back approximately 13 feet from the front plane. The architect said the bay is intended to pick up a historic rhythm along the block and the Fourth floor would be set back from the primary elevation.
Several neighbors said the proposal’s overall height and mass would overwhelm adjacent late‑19th/early‑20th‑century houses on the 800 block and disrupt a predominantly consistent two‑story block face. Graham Douglas, who lives across the privately maintained Snowden Hallowell Way, told the board, “It isn’t a public alley. It’s a privately owned street” and asked what role neighbors would have in ongoing maintenance and snow removal if curb cuts were changed. Kate Zearns, an adjacent owner, described the proposed height as “architecturally absurd” compared with immediate neighbors.
Board members responded with technical feedback. Several asked the applicant to lower floor‑to‑floor heights and consider eight‑ or nine‑foot interior ceilings to reduce overall building height; others said the applicant should set the front façade back to align with the neighboring cornice line. One board member suggested reversing the front bay orientation to reduce the visual wall seen from a neighbor’s bay window. Multiple members cautioned against mixing brick and horizontal siding on the front façade and asked the applicant to return with material samples and a revised massing that better matches the block face.
This item was a concept review only; the board did not take a vote on a permit application. The applicant said he will revise plans to respond to BAR guidance and neighborhood concerns and will return to BAR with updated drawings and material samples.
What’s next: Applicant to revise massing, lower height where feasible, consider moving the bay orientation, and provide a packet showing how the proposal aligns with the existing cornice line and materials for a future BAR hearing.
