Planning board approves parklet license and design conditions for 10 Pleasant St. extension; sign placement remains under review

Applicant Alex Doyle (Monitor Statesman LLC / Revelstoke Coffee) presented plans to license a city-owned pocket park adjacent to 10 Pleasant Street Extension for use as an ADA entrance to the basement restaurant and outdoor seating. Doyle said the park is the only practical way to make the basement accessible because an elevator is infeasible inside the existing building.

The planning board reviewed ADR recommendations about the existing historic sign and its proposed relocation, sight-line and fire-hydrant clearance concerns for sign placement, landscaping (non-fruit/nut-bearing trees per ADR), detail of fence materials, and ADA accessible routes. The applicant confirmed a $10,000 license fee and that property tax liability related to the licensed area would be the responsibility of the licensee.

After questions about whether the park remains public or will be used privately under the license, the board voted to approve the park application with conditions requiring: (1) final sign placement and sign design to be coordinated with city engineering and ADR recommendations, (2) ADA-compliant accessible route grades and spot grades be provided prior to final approval, (3) a license agreement be in place before final approval, and (4) compliance with ADR detailed recommendations on landscaping and fence materials. The building-side architectural issues (10 Pleasant St. building elevations and windows) were continued to ADR for further comment and the planning board continued the building application to Jan. 21 for follow-up.