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Commission gives design guidance, not approval, on Forno restaurant pergola at 721 North High Street
Summary
The Victorian Village Commission provided detailed design feedback on a conceptual pergola for Forno restaurant, favoring a lower profile, alignment of posts with storefront bays and clearer 2-D deliverables; no formal approval was granted and applicants were asked to coordinate with Public Service about right-of-way anchors.
The Victorian Village Commission offered design guidance but did not vote on a conceptual pergola for Forno restaurant at 721 North High Street, urging the applicant to submit precise 2-D elevations and plan views and to coordinate with Public Service on right-of-way implications.
Staff placed the application on the agenda for conceptual review and asked for wall sections, elevations and feedback from the Department of Public Service about a 09/2004 lease that could affect placement in the public sidewalk. "Since this is a conceptual application, the recommendation is that the commission offer design feedback that can be utilized by the applicant to further refine the proposal for review at future meetings," staff said.
Applicant representatives said they reduced columns and scaled back previous iterations to be less intrusive. "We've tried to minimize the columns and, you know, to make it less intrusive," Spencer Holt said, describing changes made after prior feedback.
Commissioners discussed two main design options (a lower option that preserves the building's spandrel and a taller option that would slice some storefront elements) and expressed a preference for the lower approach. Commissioners directed the applicants to align the pergola's structural bays with the storefront bays (four total), provide scaled plan and section drawings that show where posts and footings occur relative to building openings and the street, and submit a mock-up or detailed visualizations for final review. Several commissioners emphasized compatibility with Short North and Victorian Village guidelines and asked the applicants to avoid obscuring historic fenestration.
The commission also advised the applicants to contact Public Service early to determine whether anchors or foundations in the right-of-way would be allowed; members noted Public Service may treat anchors differently from the preservation commission. Staff and commissioners repeated that a full packet, including the requested 2-D deliverables and any Public Service determination, will be necessary before the commission can consider a formal approval.
Next steps: applicants will prepare the requested 2-D drawings, clarify column alignment with storefront bays, coordinate with Public Service about feasibility of footings in the right-of-way and return to the commission for a final decision.
