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Carbondale HPC questions scale of proposed three‑story building at 242–256 Main Street
Summary
FormFi proposed demolishing the 1974 building at 242–256 Main Street for a three‑story, 15,000‑sq‑ft mixed‑use building with a 2,000‑sq‑ft roof deck. Commissioners split over alternative compliance requests—lowering first‑floor plate from 14 ft to 12 ft and allowing a 42‑ft elevator/stair override—citing massing impacts next to the village Smithy.
The Carbondale Historic Preservation Commission reviewed a FormFi proposal to replace the 1974 building at 242–256 Main Street with a three‑story, mixed‑use structure that the applicant described as about 15,000 square feet with roughly 9,000 square feet of commercial space, 6,000 square feet of residential space divided into four units, and a roughly 2,000‑square‑foot roof deck. Andrew Dillon of FormFi said the project is designed with a zero‑foot front setback, three distinct bays to break up massing and a facade treatment intended to match historic materials: “Mostly brick is what you'll see,” he said, and the team provided sun/shading diagrams aimed at minimizing shadow effects on the adjacent Smithy yard.
The applicant requested two alternative compliances that drew most of the commission’s scrutiny. The first is a reduction in floor‑to‑floor height on the first floor from the UDC‑required 14 feet to 12 feet, with a facade banding intended to preserve the street‑level appearance. The second seeks permission for stair and elevator overrides that would allow the elevator core to rise to about 42 feet; Dillon said that by placing the elevator and stair overrun at the core and stepping the rest of the roof down, “by granting it, you'd actually be pushing the building down by about 2 feet overall,” which the applicant argues reduces shadowing on the Smithy.
Commissioners said the building’s overall bulk and the rooftop amenity change how the structure reads from the Smithy and the alley. Commissioner John Williams and others called the west facade facing the Smithy “really, really visible” and described the mass as disproportionate for the block; Vice Chair Kim McGee — absent but whose prepared statement was read into the record — urged the design team to revisit the proposal, calling it “a blatant disregard for the historic character of HCC” and warning that the requested variances could set an undesirable precedent. Several commissioners suggested alternatives such as moving amenity functions to lower decks, adding more stepping along the alley, or otherwise reducing the rooftop program so the project would not trigger elevator/stair requirements that increase perceived height.
FormFi said the roof deck is intended as a curated community amenity for limited events (First Fridays, town festivals) rather than daily public access, and that many decks shown in the plans are private decks required by code for residential units; the roof deck requires elevator access to meet fair‑access code if opened to the public. The applicant also proposed a vertical green wall to soften the west facade; commissioners pressed for a concrete maintenance plan and a plan‑B if plantings fail.
No formal vote on the design or alternative compliances was taken by the HPC; staff noted the project will go to Planning & Zoning for review and that a date had not yet been set. Commissioners asked staff to confirm the PNZ schedule before further steps. The commission’s comments will be forwarded in the record for PNZ consideration.
