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Board approves St. Joan of Arc parish office and rectory plans, raises traffic and massing concerns
Summary
The Chagrin Falls Architectural Board of Review gave final approval May 5 to a parish office addition and a rectory at 496 East Washington, endorsing garage reorientation to avoid a new curb cut but urging minor aesthetic refinements and recording traffic concerns that will be reviewed with the village engineer.
The Village of Chagrin Falls Architectural Board of Review on May 5 gave final approval to two related projects for St. Joan of Arc at 496 East Washington: a parish office addition and a new rectory.
Architect Rick Jozity presented revised drawings for the parish office addition and said the primary change mirrored the garage to the interior side of the building to avoid creating an additional curb cut on Pheasant Run and to better manage a steep grade between Pheasant Run and the existing parking lot. Jozity said that change reduced parking by about four spaces but improved functionality with the existing grades; he also said the homeowners' association was contacted and raised no objection.
Board members discussed adding a pitched roof over a previously flat portion of the building to better match the surrounding character, retaining existing roof drains by building the new roof over the old, and replacing the original proposed garage doors with standard doors to improve the building envelope for HVAC performance. The Board suggested the applicant consider subtle adjustments to roof slopes to achieve cleaner proportions where the new roof meets the existing structure.
For the rectory, Jozity said the garage orientation had been mirrored to align with the parking lot. The applicant's civil engineer raised a traffic concern about the proposed new driveway exit; Jozity said he was discussing that issue with Village Engineer Tim Landon and that a stop sign at the exit was being considered. Jozity also said the new access point would be open only for morning and after-school traffic and weekend Mass and that a security gate was planned to prevent cut-through traffic.
Board members raised a design concern about the rectory's height and massing, observing the structure appeared tall relative to its width and that the porch columns looked proportionally slender. The Board recommended widening the columns or adding entasis (a slight taper) to improve visual weight. The Board also noted more substantial cuts into grade were not feasible because doing so would allow stormwater from the adjoining parking lot to reach above the finished floor.
The Board moved and approved final plans. Motions and roll-call votes were recorded.
Jozity described anticipated future phases including enhancements to the parish hall exterior, a French garden, a statue of Joan of Arc and a retention pond. The Board encouraged the applicant to pursue minor refinements but did not require resubmission for those aesthetic tweaks.
