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Commission sends proposed airport walkway back to design review after debate over historic columns
Summary
Designers presented a new pedestrian walkway at 98 iPod Boulevard; commissioners split over whether vertical, three-dimensional elements referencing a nearby historic structure should be required. An initial approval failed and commissioners voted to refer the project to the Design Review Committee for more study.
A proposed pedestrian walkway at 98 iPod Boulevard drew detailed scrutiny from the Historic Review and Design Commission on Dec. 17, with commissioners divided over how closely the new design should reference an adjacent historic building.
Jane Erens, design manager for the project, described the proposal as a largely enclosed walkway using stone, metal panels and a metal roof meant to "honor" the massing of the earlier building while using a contemporary expression. "Este es el frente, el alzado frontal de la pasarela peatonal, con los mismos materiales que vemos aquí," Erens said, emphasizing the team's use of shadow and planar elements rather than literal replication.
Several commissioners urged stronger three-dimensional references to the historic building known in the package as "1322," arguing vertical elements or smaller column-like features would improve visibility for pedestrians and provide shade. One commissioner noted the site's heavy sun and pedestrian-vehicle interface and said the walkway would "benefit muchísimo" from added shade structures.
When the commission first moved to approve the application with staff stipulations, the motion failed on a roll call: Sabino, Mezuca and Cervantes voted "no," while Council/commission members Group and Cohen voted "yes" and other members recorded no or absent votes, producing a failed motion. After discussion the commission made a second motion to refer design details to the Design Review Committee (DRC) for additional study and to encourage the applicant to return with options that address verticality and shade; that motion passed on a subsequent roll call.
Jim McCord, airport projects director who participated in the discussion, said the airport team would support development of supplemental studies and coordinate model reviews with the design reviewer.
Next steps: the commission referred the design to the DRC for follow-up design work and asked staff to coordinate a model or sectional drawings illustrating how vertical elements or seating could be incorporated without destabilizing the proposed enclosure.
