German Village commission continues review of 67‑unit Cedar Square after heated public debate over massing, parking and lot coverage

The German Village Architectural Review Commission on Dec. 3 continued the Certificate of Appropriateness review for Cedar Square, a proposed demolition and new‑construction project at 251 East Livingston Avenue that would replace a noncontributing office building with a four‑story, mixed‑use building containing 67 apartments and 38 parking spaces.

The commission, applicants and several dozen residents spent the meeting debating whether the project’s scale, massing and lot coverage are compatible with the German Village guidelines. After more than an hour of presentations and about an hour of public comment, the commission voted to continue the application to allow applicants to supply additional visualizations and details.

Why it matters: The site sits on Livingston Avenue, a perimeter corridor the guidelines treat differently from interior cottage blocks, but neighbors, preservation professionals and commissioners said the project’s footprint and height still risked altering the historic block’s character. The application pits competing public priorities — neighborhood preservation and the city’s push for more housing near transit…