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Planning board approves Breeze Apartments changes; requires engineered sections and plantings
Summary
The board approved proposed site-plan changes for Breeze Apartments (121–125 Lake St.) including switching an eastern retaining wall from cast-in-place concrete to segmented block, relocating a dumpster and moving a transformer, and imposed conditions requiring engineered drainage/structural sections and planting the fill behind the new block wall.
The Planning & Development Board voted Nov. 24 to approve proposed project changes for the Breeze Apartments at 121–125 Lake Street, subject to conditions that require the applicant to submit engineered drainage and structural drawings and to add specified plantings.
Architect Eric Reynolds explained that brownfield cleanup and site constraints made the originally approved cast-in-place concrete retaining wall impractical: doing the necessary formwork and excavation would have required deeper excavation near a neighbor’s property and potentially triggered DEC review related to unremediated soils. The applicant proposed a segmented/block retaining wall that crews can set from one side, reducing excavation and safety risks.
The applicant also proposed moving the dumpster enclosure and relocating the transformer; proposed mitigation included a cedar dumpster enclosure screened with arborvitae and tall grasses and arborvitae screening around the transformer. Eric Reynolds said existing loading and emergency vehicle turnaround requirements would be preserved.
Board members had visited the site and asked for additional drawings showing how the proposed new wall ties into the existing right-of-way wall, capstone detail, stabilization and drainage sections, and a clearer sidewalk/curb exhibit for the city engineering questions about a proposed sidewalk extension. The applicant said the block wall is a gravity system with very large base blocks (described as several feet deep at the footing); the contractor noted the block type would be installed in a staggered pattern to avoid a uniform look.
Following discussion, the board approved project changes in a roll-call vote. Conditions recorded in the approval language require submission of engineered section drawings demonstrating drainage and structural approaches for the block wall; the fill behind the block wall must be planted with a meadow seed mix (Metamax was cited), and plantings shown for the dumpster enclosure and relocated transformer must appear on the final drawings.
The board encouraged the applicant to return with any further, substantial aesthetic changes (railings, parapet, color) so staff can determine whether those changes require board review. The board also instructed staff to accept the engineering submittal for review and to return any unresolved sidewalk/right-of-way issues to the board as needed.
