Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Site Plan Restaurant Depot topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Design Review Board accepts Restaurant Depot site plan, asks applicant for facade alternatives
Summary
The Waterford Design Review Board provisionally accepted a site plan for a roughly 45,000-square-foot Restaurant Depot at 161 Waterford Parkway North but asked the applicant to return with alternative treatments to break up the building's massing before the planning and zoning commission reviews the site plan on March 10.
The Waterford Design Review Board on Feb. 24 provisionally accepted a site plan for a proposed Restaurant Depot at 161 Waterford Parkway North while asking the applicant to provide design alternatives to soften the building’s facade.
The board’s request follows a presentation from Chaz Evans of Boller Engineering and architect Heather Mize of ADA Architects describing a slightly more-than-45,000-square-foot precast concrete building with four recessed loading docks, a main south-facing customer entrance and internally illuminated cabinet signage. Evans said the project ‘‘complies with all the parking and zoning regulations’’ and noted an existing 25–30-foot buffer along Waterford Parkway North that will remain and be supplemented with new plantings.
Board members repeatedly characterized the proposal as ‘‘a big white box’’ and urged visual interest at the primary entrance. ‘‘It would be nice if it were a little more visually interesting,’’ the chair said, adding that a front portal, paint accents or a canopy could help break up the massing. Architect Heather Mize said Restaurant Depot’s strategy is a utilitarian appearance but that paints, a portal, textured panels or a canopy are feasible: ‘‘We could add some additional striping… paint and adding interest, but still on the flat surface.’’
The design team also addressed site issues: Evans said truck circulation and turn studies assume up to three of the four docks could be in use simultaneously and described a proposed new catch basin and hood at the loading area coordinated with town staff. On landscaping, Evans and the team said new island plantings will supplement an existing evergreen/deciduous buffer to screen the building from the main roadway.
The board asked the applicant to return with alternative design options that focus on the front entrance and visible elevations; staff noted that planning and zoning will review the site plan on March 10 and can incorporate the board’s recommendations. The board then moved to accept the plan ‘‘with the understanding that they’ll be coming back with some alternative design ideas’’ for the commission’s consideration; the motion was seconded and the board voted in favor.
Next steps: the applicant will prepare alternative design treatments for the board to review and staff will forward the design review recommendations to the planning and zoning commission ahead of the March 10 site-plan hearing.
