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Board pushes back on six-story West 8th proposal that would demolish multiple houses; calls for preservation and major redesign
Summary
A proposed six-story residential building at 225 West 8th that would demolish several potentially contributing houses drew sharp criticism; board members said the scale and demolition plan is out of place and urged preservation or re-siting to a corridor parcel such as Neil Avenue.
A conceptual six-story residential proposal for 225 West 8th Avenue, requiring variances and involving demolition of multiple potentially contributing structures, met strong opposition from the University District Design Review Board.
Staff told the board the site’s University District Plan calls for medium-intensity residential with a 35-foot height limit at this location and recommended preserving or incorporating contributing buildings; staff said the current proposal as presented was "generally not consistent" with plan recommendations and encouraged retaining certain corner buildings and lowering frontages to three stories where the site abuts lower-scale houses.
The applicant argued the site is near the growing medical campus and that the assemblage offers an opportunity for denser housing; the applicant said the assemblage is part of a larger acquisition and that they would consider design strategies and coordinate with staff. Several board members, however, said tearing down seven buildings (some potentially contributing) to create a single bulk mass would be inappropriate, calling the scheme an "invasion" of the neighborhood and urging the applicant to study alternatives — preserving the corner building, moving density to a nearby corridor parcel such as Neil Avenue, or developing a design that better masks bulk with setbacks and articulation.
No action was taken; staff and the applicant will continue conversations and the applicant indicated willingness to explore alternative parcel configurations and preservation strategies.
