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Commissioners push back on setbacks and heights for Causeway Commons; propose stepping and reduced massing
Summary
During the informal review of Causeway Commons, multiple commissioners said the proposed setbacks and tall perimeter buildings produce a ‘fortress’ effect. Commissioners asked the applicant to reduce the tallest buildings, step upper floors, and provide clearer massing sections and development text.
Commissioners raised repeated concerns about the proposed perimeter setbacks, building heights and perceived massing of the Causeway Commons plan. Several commissioners said the current combination of narrow setbacks and tall buildings could feel unduly dense next to lower‑rise adjacent lands.
One committee member said the plan felt “like a fortress in the middle of cornfields,” urging the applicant to reconsider setbacks and massing along Cosgray and other frontages. Another commissioner asked the applicant to reduce the tallest buildings by one story or otherwise create more upper‑story stepbacks so the perceived mass is reduced at the pedestrian level.
The applicant team responded that the tallest buildings were proposed to allow a mix of uses, that office floor‑to‑floor heights differ from residential, and that modest reductions (for example, knocking one floor off office buildings) would still maintain design variation while responding to commissioner concerns. Staff reminded the commission that the community plan recommends two‑to‑eight story buildings and asked commissioners where they would consider exceptions; several members said they could support limited deviation for a marquee hotel at the northeast corner but otherwise preferred heights closer to the plan guidance.
