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Commission approves transparency relief for Birch Ridge outparcel despite concerns about 'rear' facade
Summary
The commission granted full transparency relief for the east-facing facade of a Birch Ridge outparcel, after the applicant argued the western facade functions as the front and the east is effectively screened by tree conservation and bioretention; commissioners raised concerns about potential drive-through use making the rear function more public-facing.
The Raleigh Design Review Commission approved a design alternate granting complete relief from ground-floor transparency requirements for the east-facing facade of a proposed one-story, multi-tenant building at 910 Birch Ridge Drive.
Staff senior planner Jeff Cain reviewed the transparency standard in CX zoning and the measurement method for window transparency between 3 and 8 feet above the finished floor. Applicant counsel Hunter Winstead said Meadowbranch Associates treats the western facade as the building's functional front because a recorded tree-conservation area and a large bioretention cell screen views from Birch Ridge Drive, and therefore argued the eastern elevation functions as the building's rear.
Architect Albert McDonald, tendered as an expert, said the western facade meets the UDO's minimum transparency and that the eastern facade will use red brick insets, metal canopies and other architectural elements to provide visual interest even with reduced glazing. "The proposed design alternate is consistent with the intent of the UDO's transparency requirements," McDonald said.
Commissioners probed the landscape plan and whether the proposed configuration would allow a drive-through tenant; one commissioner said the layout "feels as if the back is the back of a building, but yet the intent is to market the building to somebody like a Starbucks and make it a drive through," questioning whether the design truly met the transparency purpose. The applicant clarified tree plantings (red oak at 3-inch caliper) and a 1,500-gallon grease interceptor location; staff and applicants noted the landscape and architectural gestures provide visual interest.
After deliberation, a motion to approve the design alternate passed with at least five affirmative votes. The commission will issue a written decision following adoption of the minutes.
What happens next: the applicant will receive the written decision after minutes adoption and any tenant-driven design details (for example, a future drive-through layout) will be subject to building-permit review and any applicable local standards.
