Commission presses applicant for gable/no‑gable visuals as building‑height exception is debated

A central technical debate at the July 8 meeting focused on how much of the requested height exception is architectural (gable and parapet articulation) versus necessary floor and mechanical stacking on a sloped site. City planner Anne Larson reviewed the code: the GC District allows 35 feet from existing grade and an additional 5 feet for qualifying gabled roofs or mechanical screening; the applicant is seeking exceptions that would result in portions of buildings measuring roughly 54 feet 6 inches at finished grade.

Architect Joel Jennings, speaking for the applicant, acknowledged the gables add vertical articulation and said those forms were included in response to council direction: "Our earlier presentation...some elevations showed the gabled roofs; the parapet is about 6 feet above the existing grade limit and its tallest point is about 14 foot‑6 above the 35‑foot limit line," he said, describing how the site's slope affects measurements. Commissioners repeatedly asked the applicant to return with comparative drawings showing the difference between (a) building heights measured from interpolated grade versus existing grade, and (b) the visual effect with and without the gabled roof forms so the commission — and the public — can better assess visual impacts from Kearns, Bonanza and multiple city vantage points. Staff agreed to provide a criteria‑by‑criteria memo ahead of the August 12 meeting explaining how the MPD six required findings are or are not met.