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Commission approves parking and movable-restroom shelter for Union Point Park at 400 East Front Street
Summary
The Historic Preservation Commission approved a COA for a new parking lot and an 18-by-38-foot screening structure to house movable restroom trailers at 400 East Front Street; Parks Director Carrie Green Warren said the units are flush-capable and designed to be removable for floods or storms.
The New Bern Historic Preservation Commission approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for a project at 400 East Front Street that will add a parking lot and an 18‑by‑38‑foot screening structure intended to shelter movable restroom trailers.
Staff presented the proposal and noted that the property is a vacant parcel in the waterfront development pattern; the applicant is Carrie Green Warren, the city’s Parks and Recreation director, who was authorized to represent the owner (City of New Bern). The plan calls for a parking area occupying most of the lot and a small structure with fiber‑cement siding, louvers, wood‑wrapped columns and metal standing‑seam roofing intended to resemble an historic carriage house while allowing movable restroom units to be inserted and removed as needed.
Warren said the units are not "porta potties" but movable restroom trailers with flushing toilets and running water: "They're just movable ... It's flushing toilets. It has sinks with running water. All the amenities that a regular restroom has." She said the design accommodates potential flooding or storm removal by placing the restroom trailers on piers so they can be pulled out if necessary. Landscaping in the parking area will include crape myrtles and azaleas.
Commissioners asked about scale, massing and parking access from the roundabout; staff and commissioners noted the project will be reviewed by the chief building inspector and zoning administrator. One commissioner questioned whether the structure should be considered primary or accessory; the maker of the motion described the project as infill construction and cited applicable design guidelines while striking a label of "accessory structure" from the findings.
A motion to approve the COA, with conditions requiring that any exterior changes beyond the approved design be submitted to the HPC administrator for staff review and potential HPC review prior to construction or final inspection, was moved and seconded and carried. The Commission instructed staff to monitor compliance with the approved materials and details during construction.
