Robb Burroughs, architect for renovations at 515 Oxford. (Photos by the writer.)

At a meeting with a third of the nine-member commission absent, the group voted unanimously to grant a special exception use that will allow the building to be used by the Delta Gamma sorority. It will be limited to 20 residents, and will be used as an annex to the main sorority house down the street.

The commission also recommended approval of a “planned project” site plan, which will now be forwarded to city council for consideration. Unlike a preliminary version of the project – when the architect had been unaware of the building’s historical significance – the current proposal works to preserve the integrity of the original design. The new design keeps the existing structure, but nearly doubles the square footage with an addition in the back.

During deliberations, some commissioners mentioned the relatively large amount of correspondence they’d received about this project, including letters from several preservation groups – a2modern, Detroit Area Art Deco Society, the Michigan State Historic Preservation Board, and the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission. The house is not located in an historic district, and is not protected by any other historic designation.

City planner Jill Thacher, who serves as support staff for the city’s historic district commission, said she appreciated that the renovations are sensitive to the history of the structure, keeping the front design in tact and minimizing the overall visual impact of the rear addition.

This was the only major agenda item in a relatively brief meeting that lasted about an hour. The commission’s next regular meeting is on May 6 and will be held at the county administration building at 220 N. Main. The second floor of city hall, where the commission’s meetings are typically held, will be used by election staff for the May 6 transit millage vote.

Before then, the commission will hold a retreat on April 29 starting at 3 p.m. at the NEW Center, 1100 N. Main. It will likely last until about 8:30 p.m. and will include a walking tour of the area.

Delta Gamma Annex

Ann Arbor planning commissioners acted on two requests related to converting a house at 515 Oxford for use as an annex to the Delta Gamma sorority.

Aerial view showing the location of 515 Oxford, south of Geddes and at the eastern end of South University.

First, commissioners were asked to grant a special exception use to allow the house to be used as a sorority. The main sorority house is located nearby at 626 Oxford.

In a separate item, commissioners were asked to recommend approval of a “planned project” site plan, conditional on rezoning the site from R4A (multi-family dwelling) to R2B (two-family dwelling and student housing). The rezoning request, which the commission recommended for approval on Jan. 23, 2014, has been forwarded to the city council.

According to city planner Jill Thacher, who gave the staff report, the timeline for this project is coordinated so that the site plan will be on the same council agenda as the second reading of the rezoning request.

The two-story house at 515 Oxford includes two one-story wings on the building’s north and south sides. It is currently a rental property with three units – a studio apartment, one-bedroom apartment, and four-bedroom apartment – and a maximum occupancy of 8 people.

The existing house was designed by George Brigham and built in 1940 as his home and architectural studio. He designed over 40 houses in Ann Arbor, including many in Arbor Hills and Barton Hills between 1936 and 1958.

The proposal for a renovation would accommodate a maximum of 20 residents, including a required resident manager. The structure would be expanded, with an addition to be constructed in the back that roughly doubles the building’s square footage – from 3,089 square feet to 6,490 square feet. The renovation would retain the north wing, which doesn’t meet current zoning setback requirements. [The original proposal had called for demolishing that section of the house.] A second story would be added to the south wing, which also encroaches into the required rear setback.

City planner Jill Thacher.

The original wood siding would remain on the existing structure, and most of the windows will be replaced with casement windows – similar to those used in the original house. An existing carport in the front would be glassed in and used as the front entry. A trellis structure that was part of the original house will be restored.

The site would include four parking spaces – three parallel spaces along the driveway and one in back – and more than 10 bicycle parking spaces. The shared driveway, on University of Michigan property, is used by the house and the adjacent Oxford Housing, a UM complex.

Planned projects allow for variations of the city’s area, height and placement requirements, if certain criteria are met. Among those criteria are “preservation of historical or architectural features.” In this case, reduced side and rear setbacks are being requested to allow the original footprint of the Brigham house and studio to be retained to preserve the house’s existing façade. The house is not located in a historic district.

The commission received more than a dozen letters and emails about this project. Several communications focused on concerns about compromising the building’s historic integrity – from representatives of the Detroit Area Art Deco Society, the Michigan State Historic Preservation Board, the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission, and a2modern, a group created to highlight mid-century modern architecture in Ann Arbor.

Communications were also received in support of the project from sorority representatives and neighbors. One email from George Price was particularly pointed:

Apparently, this property was designed by some distant relative of mine, and now there is a bunch of whining from various relatives about how turning the property into housing for Michigan students is some kind of crime against humanity or some such nonsense. But I have been asked by people who otherwise couldn’t pick me out of a lineup to email you expressing my love of this house I was once dragged to kicking and screaming.

You can tear the place down for all I care, and I hope you do, just so I can laugh at the complaints of these idiots. Definitely don’t waste the public’s resources debating the completely legal rezoning of this property any further.

The site is owned by Dan Pampreen and is located in Ward 2. The project is estimated to cost about $250,000.

The project includes a park contribution of $5,580 that was requested by the city. It will be used for a nearby park – either the Forest Avenue plaza, South University Park, or Burns Park.

Thacher reported that the planning staff strongly supports this project. The building isn’t in an historic district and doesn’t have any historic designation. She said she appreciated that the renovations are sensitive to the history of the structure, keeping the front design in tact and minimizing the overall visual impact of the addition.

Delta Gamma Annex: Public Hearing

Two people spoke during the project’s public hearing. Al Pass introduced himself as a member of a2modern, but said that his remarks were his own personal comments.

Al Pass, a member of a2modern, spoke during a public hearing on the 515 Oxford project.

He clarified with Jill Thacher that the current proposal does not entail demolishing the north wing, as the original proposal did. She said the drawings that Pass had brought with him were from a citizens participation meeting and had been drastically changed since then.

Pass said he didn’t have much of a problem with the project as it’s designed now. The house is part of Ann Arbor’s architectural legacy, and he felt that the project tried to accommodate that. Ann Arbor has a unique collection of mid-century modern architecture, he noted.

Pass observed that the house isn’t protected under an historic district. Most homes that belong to that era – by Robert Metcalf and other architects – typically are still used as family residences. The 515 Oxford site is one of the exceptions in that regard. He suspected trying to put these houses into an historic district would meet with considerable opposition.

He asked planning commissioners if there was a way that they could work with the city’s historic district commission, a2modern and perhaps the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning – since many of these architects were also faculty members – to find some mechanism to protect these buildings in the future.

Robb Burroughs, the project’s architect, told commissioners that after the project was initially submitted to the city, he learned that the house was an “architectural gem” by George Brigham. At the commission’s January meeting, he noted, he had very clearly represented “our major mea culpa” with regards to the original design. The new design is an attempt to retain the vestiges of the house relatively in tact. That’s why, in working with the city planning staff, they decided to pursue a planned project approach, he said, which gives them the latitude to preserve the house.

From left: Architect Robb Burroughs, a Delta Gamma representative, and Dan Pampreen, owner of 515 Oxford.

He showed images of the current condition of the house, as well as renderings of the proposed design. He highlighted some of the significant elements that are character-defining of the original house, including a trellis that will be replaced, and reconstruction of a “terribly degraded carport.” The carport will be enclosed in a very transparent way, he said, so that it won’t downplay the other elements of the house.

He noted that the second floor addition will be slightly higher than the main house. He and another architect who worked on the design didn’t want to “clone” the existing house, in terms of the overall design. So there’s a slight bump up in the southeast rear corner, to create a terracing or scalloping effect.

The first floor of the new addition will primarily be gathering space. Many of the existing ceilings in the house are shorter than eight feet, he said. The new addition will have higher ceilings, which also accounts for the higher building height. Viewing the house from the front, the height of the rear addition is minimized because of the grade change in the front. It’s about a six-foot drop from the front to the sidewalk, and an even greater drop to the opposite side of the street. So there’s a significant topographic change, which minimizes the visual impact of the rear addition, he said.

Delta Gamma Annex: Commission Discussion

Ken Clein confirmed with staff that the sorority will rent the property from the owner. So in the future, Clein said, it might be rented to another tenant. Jill Thacher replied that in R2B zoning, the requested special exception use would allow for a sorority, fraternity or student cooperative. He confirmed that it shouldn’t be used for general student housing, though he noted that it would be hard to enforce that.

Sabra Briere noted that the house could in the future be used as a single-family residence or duplex, or boarding house – if a different special exception use were requested and granted. Those are also allowed in R2B, she noted. So while the current special exception use would limit the use to a fraternity, sorority or student cooperative, “there’s still a variety of alternatives,” Briere said.

[In a follow-up phone conversation with The Chronicle, planning manager Wendy Rampson explained that a special exception use would also be required in order to operate a boarding house at that site. No special exception use would be required to use the house as a single-family or duplex residence.]

Planning commissioner Wendy Woods.

Clein wondered if the renovations require that the home must be made ADA accessible. The project’s architect, Robb Burroughs, replied that because of the amount of square footage that’s being added, there are certain accessibility requirements that must be met. Those issues will be dealt with at the building code level, he said.

Clein said he was asking because he didn’t want any surprises later that might change the design dramatically, because of accessibility requirements. Burroughs said he didn’t think that would happen.

Wendy Woods clarified with staff that there won’t be a garage. Historically, Thacher explained, a garage was designed in the southeast corner of the building, but at some point it was converted into housing. Burroughs added to the explanation, describing George Brigham as “one of the early landlord converters.” The original drawings for the house, which are archived at the Bentley Historical Library, show that space in the southeast corner as a two-car garage, he reported. But in later plans, it was converted into an occupied space – for Brigham’s studio. So it doesn’t appear that it was ever a garage, he said.

Responding to another query from Woods, Burroughs explained that the house was originally a duplex, and the northern wing has its own separate entry. So that’s where a standalone suite will be located for the sorority’s resident manager. There will be an outside entrance to that suite, but also a connection directly into the main house.

Woods wondered whether fraternities or student cooperatives also require a resident manager. If not, what happens to that resident manager’s living space? Thacher replied that sororities and fraternities require resident managers, but student co-ops don’t. Thacher said the design for the resident manager’s suite could be easily integrated into the house. She clarified for Woods that if any tenant wanted more than 20 residents there, they’d have to apply for a new special exception use.

Kirk Westphal asked if the sign on the structure for “Dan’s Houses” will remain. Speaking from the audience,  owner Dan Pampreen indicated that the sign will be removed.

Responding to another query from Westphal, Thacher reported that she hasn’t received any feedback from UM about this project.

Planning commissioners Paras Parekh and Sabra Briere.

Briere noted that the original design was innovative in using differently angled wings, but in the renovations “the wing concept seems to have disappeared.” She understood that it might not fit with the proposed use, but the wings had “really made dynamic building.” She said she was just voicing a little regret about that, adding that she appreciated the restoration.

Westphal referred to the correspondence that planning commissioners had received about this project, which included some passionate arguments for preserving the house in its current state – with the hope that it would be reestablished as a single-family residence or some other use that wouldn’t require expansion. He noted that it’s a struggle when a site is located near the university, which affects property values. He asked Thacher to speak about the tension between restoration and upgrades for a different use.

Thacher said that one thing weighing heavily on her mind, when looking at the site plan, is the location. It’s on Oxford, where several fraternities and sororities are located. To the north, there’s a rental property. The site is also adjacent to Oxford Housing, a large student housing complex. Nearby on South University, there’s a mix of rental and single-family owner-occupied houses. Angell Elementary School is down the street.

Personally, she thought it was very appropriate to expand sorority and fraternity use to this lot. It’s a location that would have less of an impact on neighbors than many other sites around town, she said. And unfortunately, Thacher added, it’s not a protected historic resource. “They could, if they wanted to, just bulldoze the whole thing and start over and build the biggest box that they possibly could.”

Instead, they’ve chose to take the “riskier” planned project approach, she noted, in order to preserve the existing structure. “I do appreciate that they’ve taken that leap,” Thacher said, and that it will preserve the north wing and much of the facade.

Planning commissioner Diane Giannola.

Woods brought up the correspondence too, noting that there were a range of opinions. Some people are concerned about how the building will look and whether it’s in keeping with Brigham’s original architecture. Others are concerned about how the building will be used, she said. It was interesting for her to read that Brigham had his students come to his studio there, Woods noted, “so in a way this is really bringing students back into the building.”

Given that the building is set back from the street and that it would be difficult to see the addition, Woods didn’t think that the integrity of the building is being damaged by this proposal. She appreciated the fact that the building was being renovated and upgraded.

Woods asked for feedback from Diane Giannola, who previously had served on the city’s historic district commission.

Giannola replied that she mostly agreed with Thacher’s assessment. The deciding factor for Giannola was whether a building is located in an historic district. “You can’t just protect everything all the time,” she said.

Clein agreed that the plan is appropriate, given the surrounding uses are primarily student housing. It seems like an appropriate special exception use for this property. As an architect, Clein said, he might quibble with some of the details of the proposed work, “but that’s normal for us architects.”

Outcome: On two separate votes, the commission voted to grant the special exception use and to recommend approval of the site plan. The site plan will now move to city council for consideration.

Communications & Commentary

Every meeting includes several opportunities for communications from planning staff and commissioners, as well as two opportunities for public commentary. Here are some highlights from April 15.

Communications & Commentary: Upcoming Meeting, Retreat

Planning manager Wendy Rampson reminded commissioners that their next meeting, on May 6, will be held at the Washtenaw County boardroom at 220 N. Main. That’s because the second floor of city hall, where meetings are typically held, will be used by election staff. A transit tax is on the ballot for May 6.

Planning manager Wendy Rampson.

She also noted that the commission’s retreat is scheduled for April 29 starting at 3 p.m. at the NEW Center, 1100 N. Main. It will likely last until about 8:30 p.m. and will include a walking tour of the area.

Communications & Commentary: City Council Update

Sabra Briere, who serves as the city council’s representative on the planning commission, reported that the council’s April 7 meeting had included action regarding the Library Lane site. The council increased the size of the area to be designated as a park to about 12,000 square feet, extending across the frontage of South Fifth Avenue, with a northern boundary to be determined. Previously, the council had passed a resolution designating a range of 6,500 to 12,000 square feet, also along South Fifth Avenue.

Briere noted that the council had reconsidered a resolution to hire a broker to explore selling development rights to the site, but had again decided to move forward with that process. She expected that at the next council meeting, on April 21, there will be action on determining a public process for that effort. Briere said she’s heard a lot of concern from people who think there’s already been a lot of public process about that site. But she noted that the discussion has always been about whether to have a public space there, “and very little about what it should accomplish for the city.” Some people have advocated for one view or another, she added, but addressing the question of what the site should accomplish for the city hasn’t been approached in a formal way.

Communications & Commentary: DDA Streetscape Framework

Ken Clein, who represents the planning commission on the partnerships committee of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, reported that the DDA is holding its first advisory committee meeting for the streetscape framework project on May 1. He’ll be representing the planning commission as part of that effort. [The DDA board authorized a $200,000 contract for development of a streetscape framework plan at its Nov. 6, 2013 meeting.]

The meetings are open to the public. The May 1 meeting runs from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Planning manager Wendy Rampson noted that the May 1 meeting will begin as a walking tour, looking at different components of the existing streetscape downtown to determine what works and what doesn’t work. A public forum on this project will be held sometime in late May or early June, she said.

[Responding to a follow-up query from The Chronicle, Amber Miller – the DDA's planning and research specialist – reported that the May 1 advisory committee meeting will be held starting at the DDA offices, 150 S. Fifth Ave., Suite 301. On May 2, the consultants on the project will meet with DDA board members, but a time for that meeting – which is also open to the public – hasn't yet been set. She indicated that more details will be posted on the project's website.]

Communications & Commentary: Public Commentary

Changming Fan spoke about his company, TiniLite World Inc., which he noted has been registered in Ann Arbor since 1996. The firm is the innovator, producer and supplier of new technology called TiniLite, he said. It’s a lighting display using LED lights, cell phones, and wireless Internet. Ann Arbor is a tech town, he said. It has potential, but unfortunately many young people move away. He said he continues to stay because he believes this is the best town. It’s important to develop technology, including TiniLite, to help underserved residents, he said. He hoped planning commissioners could help him.

Present: Sabra Briere, Ken Clein, Diane Giannola, Paras Parekh, Kirk Westphal, Wendy Woods. Also: City planning manager Wendy Rampson.

Absent: Eleanore Adenekan, Bonnie Bona, Jeremy Peters.

Next meeting: Tuesday, May 6, 2014 at 7 p.m. in Washtenaw County administration building’s boardroom, 220 N. Main St., Ann Arbor. [Check Chronicle event listings to confirm date]

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Aerial view showing the location of 515 Oxford, south of Geddes and at the eastern end of South University.

First, commissioners granted a special exception use to allow the house to be used as a sorority. The main sorority house is located nearby at 626 Oxford.

In a separate vote, commissioners recommended approval of a “planned project” site plan, conditional on rezoning the site from R4A (multi-family dwelling) to R2B (two-family dwelling and student housing). The rezoning request, which the commission recommended for approval on Jan. 23, 2014, has been forwarded to the city council.

According to a staff memo, the timeline for this project is coordinated so that the site plan will be on the same council agenda as the second reading of the rezoning request.

The two-story house at 515 Oxford includes two one-story wings. It is currently a rental property with three units – a studio apartment, one-bedroom apartment, and four-bedroom apartment – and a maximum occupancy of 8 people. One of the units is in a former garage. The existing house was designed by George Brigham and built in 1940 as his home and architectural studio. He designed over 40 houses in Ann Arbor, including many in Arbor Hills and Barton Hills.

The proposal for a renovation would accommodate a maximum of 20 residents, including a required resident manager. The structure would be expanded, with an addition to be constructed in the back that roughly doubles the building’s square footage. An existing carport in the front would be glassed in and used as the front entry. The site would include four parking spaces and more than 10 bicycle parking spaces.

Planned projects allow for variations of the city’s area, height and placement requirements, if certain criteria are met. Among those criteria are “preservation of historical or architectural features.” In this case, reduced side and rear setbacks are being requested to allow the original footprint of the Brigham house and studio to be retained to preserve the house’s existing façade. The house is not located in a historic district.

The commission received more than a dozen letters and emails about this project. Several communications focused on concerns about compromising the building’s historic integrity – from representatives of the Detroit Area Art Deco Society, the Michigan State Historic Preservation Board, the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission, and a2modern, a group created to highlight mid-century modern architecture in Ann Arbor.

Communications were also received in support of the project from sorority representatives and neighbors. One email from George Price was particularly pointed:

Apparently, this property was designed by some distant relative of mine, and now there is a bunch of whining from various relatives about how turning the property into housing for Michigan students is some kind of crime against humanity or some such nonsense. But I have been asked by people who otherwise couldn’t pick me out of a lineup to email you expressing my love of this house I was once dragged to kicking and screaming.

You can tear the place down for all I care, and I hope you do, just so I can laugh at the complaints of these idiots. Definitely don’t waste the public’s resources debating the completely legal rezoning of this property any further.

The site is owned by Dan Pampreen and is located in Ward 2. The project is estimated to cost about $250,000.

This brief was filed from the second floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron St. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

Members of the project team for 515 Oxford, which will be an annex to the Delta Gamma sorority. (Photos by the writer.)

The 515 Oxford property is near the main sorority house at 626 Oxford, and is currently split into three apartment units. Planning commissioners recommended approval of the request to rezone the parcel from R4A (multi-family dwelling) to R2B (two-family dwelling and student housing).

Additional approvals for the project itself will be required before the project’s construction work can begin.

The proposal for a renovation would accommodate a maximum of 20 residents, including a required resident manager. A special exception use will also be required to allow for a sorority use. That request will be made to the planning commission at a later date, along with a more detailed site plan.

The house was designed by architect George Brigham and built in 1940 as his home and studio. He designed over 40 houses in Ann Arbor, including many in Arbor Hills and Barton Hills. Planning staff reported that they were contacted about this site by a2modern, a group created to highlight mid-century modern architecture in Ann Arbor. On Jan. 23, the group posted a “statement of concern” about the proposal on its website.

At the planning commission meeting, Robb Burroughs, the project’s architect, said that until they were alerted by a2modern, the design team hadn’t been aware of the site’s history. They’ve now done research at the Bentley Historical Library and have met with a representative from a2modern, and are working on the site plan to preserve to the greatest extent possible the exterior view of the house.

The rezoning request and area plan, which commissioners also recommended for approval, will now be considered by the city council.

In other action on Jan. 23, commissioners voted to recommend that the city council reappoint Kirk Westphal as the planning commission’s representative to the environmental commission. Westphal, who chairs the planning commission, did not participate in the vote, and vice chair Wendy Woods led the meeting as the commission acted on that item.

During communications time, planning manager Wendy Rampson noted that the city council had passed a resolution at its Jan. 21, 2014 meeting regarding the downtown zoning review. The council has directed the planning commission to develop ordinance language that would enact the commission’s recommendations for zoning revisions, with a deadline of Oct. 20, 2014. The commission’s ordinance revisions committee will meet on Feb. 4, before the regular planning commission meeting, to start figuring out how to implement these council directions.

In other communications, Bonnie Bona reported that the energy commission plans to propose a commercial energy disclosure ordinance for the city council’s consideration. They’d like the planning commission to consider a resolution in support of that. An energy disclosure ordinance would require owners of certain properties to report how much energy their buildings use.

Delta Gamma Annex

Planning commissioners were asked to recommend approval of a rezoning request and area plan for 515 Oxford, to convert a house for use as an annex to the Delta Gamma sorority. The main sorority house is located nearby at 626 Oxford.

Aerial view showing the location of 515 Oxford, south of Geddes and at the eastern end of South University.

The request, supported by the city’s planning staff, is to rezone the parcel from R4A (multi-family dwelling) to R2B (two-family dwelling and student housing). Most of the surrounding parcels are zoned R2B, although the site immediately to the north is also zoned R4A. Also nearby is public land (PL) where the University of Michigan’s Oxford Houses complex is located.

The two-story house at 515 Oxford includes two one-story wings. It is currently a rental property with three units – a studio apartment, one-bedroom apartment, and four-bedroom apartment – and a maximum occupancy of 8 people. One of the units is in a former garage.

The proposal for a renovation would accommodate a maximum of 20 residents, including a required resident manager. A special exception use will also be required to allow for a sorority use. That request will be made to the planning commission at a later date, along with a more detailed site plan. In giving the planning staff report, Jill Thacher noted that most of the women living in the annex would take their meals at the main sorority house.

The structure would be reconfigured on the site and expanded. A tentative plan calls for removing a one-story wing and replacing it with a two-story wing that would be set back further from the north property line, to conform with city zoning. The site would include four parking spaces and more than 10 bicycle parking spaces.

The entrance to the driveway is located directly across from the end of South University. The back of the driveway, which is shared with other properties, connects to walkways that go into the Oxford Houses complex. Thacher noted that none of the current driveway is actually within the site’s property lines, although part of it lies within a permanent easement to the south.

The existing house was designed by George Brigham and built in 1940 as his home and architectural studio. He designed over 40 houses in Ann Arbor, including many in Arbor Hills and Barton Hills. Planning staff reported that they were contacted about this property by a2modern, a group “formed to raise awareness of and appreciation for mid-century modern architecture in Ann Arbor,” according to a staff memo. On Jan. 23, the group posted a “statement of concern” about the proposal on its website. In part, it states:

We urge that the planning commission support proposals that maintain the original design integrity instead of approving an exception to change it beyond recognition. The home’s historic character can be retained and any adaptive reuse should be sympathetic to the structure’s original intent while meeting existing planning codes and setbacks. This approach offers a win-win solution that balances neighborhood values with reuse needs.

The statement is signed by the a2modern board: Tracy Aris, Nancy Deromedi, Linda Elert and Grace Shackman. The staff and owner are discussing how to renovate and expand the structure without significantly altering its main features. Thacher noted that the house isn’t located in an historic district, and isn’t designated as a historic structure.

Rendering of proposed renovations and expansion at 515 Oxford.

Rezoning is requested because the area and placement standards of the R4A zoning would limit the building’s renovation for group housing. At this point, the proposal includes an area plan, which isn’t as detailed as a site plan.

The site, owned by Dan Pampreen, is located in Ward 2.

Delta Gamma Annex: Public Hearing

The only speaker during the project’s public hearing was Robb Burroughs of OX Studio. He highlighted the citizens participation ordinance meeting that was held on Nov. 15, 2013. Representatives of the Oxbridge neighborhood association attended, he said. “I think it’s fair to say they were in full support of this project.” [.pdf of CPO meeting report]

Burroughs also noted that they learned about the home’s history shortly after they submitted the rezoning request and area plan. “Mea culpa” for not knowing about it, he said, as a local architect, resident and lover of mid-century modern architecture. The entire design team had been completely unaware that it was George Brigham’s home, he said. It has a strong character from the street, but up close, Burroughs said, it’s “not quite as elegant any longer – I guess that would be a very safe way of phrasing it.” For example, very few of the original built-in pieces remain in the interior, he told commissioners.

Even so, the design team has embraced this history, Burroughs said, and they’ve had formal discussions with Nancy Deromedi of a2modern. They’ve also done research at the Bentley Historical Library to review Brigham’s archives, he said, including the original architectural plans that Brigham drafted himself. Burroughs noted that the garage was an addition that was later converted to an office. “Even back in the ’50s, developers liked to play little tricks of hand,” Burroughs joked, by getting a project approved and then changing its purpose.

The design team is working on the site plan to preserve to the greatest extent possible the exterior view of the house. He said they’ll likely pursue a “planned project” from the city in order to retain the north wing, which currently is closer to the property line than the city’s zoning code allows – it doesn’t have a conforming setback from the property line. He hoped the commission would support the rezoning request and area plan.

Delta Gamma Annex: Commission Discussion

Bonnie Bona asked Jill Thacher if commissioners should be concerned about whether the proposed area plan might differ from the eventual site plan. Thacher replied that the area plan is conceptual. The project isn’t proposing to tear down the existing building, “so you kind of know what the starting point is,” she said.

Jill Thacher of the city’s planning staff.

If a “planned project” is eventually proposed, it wouldn’t make any of the conditions less conforming, Thacher noted – because the building already is non-conforming with city code. The structure wouldn’t be going any closer to the property lines, she noted. A planned project would simply allow the building to keep the existing setback.

What’s likely to change is the design within the building footprint, Thacher said, but not the footprint itself.

Planning manager Wendy Rampson noted that the area plan doesn’t allow the project to move ahead on any construction.

Bona then asked what kind of flexibility the planning commission has under a planned project approach, in terms of preserving features of the building that “would be just an opinion call.” Thacher replied that there’s language under planned projects that refers to preserving neighborhood character.

By way of background, planned projects allow for variations of the city’s area, height and placement requirements, if certain criteria are met. Among those criteria are “preservation of historical or architectural features.”

Bona also wanted to know about the parking spaces. There are two spaces in a garage, and two along the house. There’s a lot of pavement in addition to that, Bona said, adding that more cars would likely be parked there – “I guarantee it.” She wondered if the city needs to be stricter about that.

Thacher explained that the paved area isn’t large enough to be deemed a parking lot. It’s less than 1,200 square feet, and has only two spots that are outside. However, she acknowledged that it looked like it would be easy to park more cars there. Planning staff haven’t talked about this with the design team yet. Thacher noted that there’s also a carport in front of the house, and she’d prefer to have the cars parked in back on the pavement, as long as the vehicles don’t obstruct access to other buildings.

Bona hoped that the pavement could be reduced as much as possible. She encouraged the design team to figure out how many spaces they really needed, then eliminate any pavement beyond that.

From left: Planning commissioners Eleanore Adenekan and Diane Giannola.

Wendy Woods asked about the easement on the shared driveway. She was curious about how the driveway functioned as a walkway. Thacher showed a slide that indicated the location of various sidewalks and walkways near the house, including some that led into Oxford Houses. “It’s a web of sidewalks back there,” she said. But there’s not a dedicated sidewalk along the driveway. Rather, it’s a drive that’s shared by pedestrians and vehicles.

Woods said she assumed the maintenance of the drive and walkways were the responsibility of the property owners. She asked about the sidewalk in front of the house. Thacher explained that there’s a public sidewalk in front of the house, connecting to a crosswalk across Oxford and over to South University. There’s a sharp grade change between the street-level crosswalk and the sidewalk, so rather than putting in steps, the city built a curved ramp to make it accessible.

In giving her staff report earlier in the meeting, Thacher had noted that the ramp hasn’t been shoveled in a while “and really is unusable.” During the commission’s deliberations, she told Woods that clearing the ramp is the property owner’s responsibility. She also noted that there are trash bins at the end of it. “So I was going to have a little conversation with the property owner about that,” Thacher said.

Jeremy Peters indicated support for rezoning, saying it seemed a good fit with the surrounding R2B zoning. He was pleased that the project team is talking with a2modern about preserving as much as possible the original character of the historic house. He hoped to see that reflected in the future site plan.

Kirk Westphal asked about bicycle parking. Thacher explained that the property needs at least five Class A spaces and five Class B spaces, though they are allowed to exceed that. The design team is proposing 10 Class A spots and will need an additional five Class B spaces. She said the details will be worked out in the site plan phase. [Class A spaces are located in an enclosed storage area. Class B spaces are covered bike racks. Class C spaces are fixed bike racks that aren't required to be inside or covered.]

Westphal said he supported the rezoning and area plan, but had several issues that he wanted to see addressed when the site plan comes forward. That includes bicycle parking, the condition of the house, and the brush and other detritus in the back yard.

Outcome: Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend the rezoning and area plan for 515 Oxford. The recommendation will be forwarded to the city council for consideration.

Appointment to Environmental Commission

Added to the agenda during the Jan. 23 meeting was a resolution recommending the reappointment of Kirk Westphal as the planning commission’s representative to the environmental commission.

Planning commissioners Eleanore Adenekan and Kirk Westphal, who chairs the commission.

Diane Giannola put forward the resolution. At that point, Westphal turned the meeting over to Wendy Woods, the commission’s vice chair, and he stepped down to sit in the audience. He was immediately swarmed with students from Skyline High School who asked him to sign sheets attesting to their attendance for a government class assignment.

There was no discussion on this item.

Outcome: The resolution recommending the reappointment of Kirk Westphal to the environmental commission was passed unanimously. Westphal did not vote.

There are actually two current planning commissioners who serve on the environmental commission. In addition to Westphal, Sabra Briere is a member of both commissions, by dint of her position on the city council.

Because the planning commission’s meeting was rescheduled due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday earlier in the week, the planning commission’s Jan. 23 meeting was held at the same time as the environmental commission meeting, which is held on the fourth Thursday of each month. Briere attended the environmental commission meeting that night, while Westphal chaired the planning commission.

Communications & Commentary

Every meeting includes several opportunities for communications from planning staff and commissioners, as well as two opportunities for public commentary. At the Jan. 23 meeting, no one spoke during public commentary. Here are highlights from other communications.

Communications & Commentary: Downtown Zoning

Planning manager Wendy Rampson updated the commission on actions from the city council’s Jan. 21, 2014 meeting. She noted that councilmembers spent time talking about the downtown zoning recommendations that planning commissioners had made to the council. The council made some amendments, and Rampson provided commissioners with the final version of the council resolution, as amended. [.pdf of council resolution]

Planning commissioner Diane Giannola, left, talks with planning manager Wendy Rampson (standing) and commissioners Wendy Woods and Jeremy Peters.

Rampson highlighted some aspects of the council resolution, including the deadline of Oct. 20, 2014 for delivering ordinance revisions to the council. Also, the council has requested that the planning commission meet with the city’s design review board to talk about linking the core design guidelines to premiums that developers might seek. Tamara Burns, chair of the design review board, spoke during a public hearing at the Jan. 21 meeting, Rampson noted, and expressed concerns that the board had about that linkage.

Another recommendation from council is for the planning commission to look at extending the East Huron 1 character district west to Fourth Avenue. As part of that, some community members have suggested looking at 25-foot minimum side setbacks and 10-foot front setbacks in that district where feasible, Rampson reported.

The council also wants the commission to look at areas of South University, Thayer Street, and Ann Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues to determine if those areas should be rezoned from D1 to D2, because they are proximate to either University of Michigan or residential properties.

Rampson told commissioners that they’ll be exploring these issues in more detail at their February meeting. The commission’s ordinance revisions committee will meet on Feb. 4 prior to the regular planning commission meeting to start figuring out how to implement these council directions.

Communications & Commentary: 624 Church

Wendy Rampson also reported that the city council approved the site plan and development agreement for a revised, expanded 624 Church St. apartment building at its Jan. 21, 2014 meeting. She noted that there was considerable discussion about the contribution-in-lieu parking arrangement that the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority had authorized for the project. It’s the first significant use of the contribution-in-lieu program, she said. The DDA had committed 48 parking permits in the Forest Avenue parking structure to 624 Church, and had agreed to do three five-year extensions to the original 15-year agreement with the developer.

Rampson described the council discussion as “comprehensive,” and included the issue of whether it’s fair for permits allotted to a private development to move ahead of people who are on a wait list for monthly permits. Also discussed was the appropriateness of allowing the five-year extensions, she noted. Ultimately, the council approved the development agreement with the 48 permits and extension options. Now the project is ready to move forward, she said.

Communications & Commentary: Energy Disclosure

Bonnie Bona noted that in the past, particularly related to the city’s sustainability framework, the planning commission has worked closely with the energy and environmental commissions. The energy commission has informed Bona that they plan to propose a commercial energy disclosure ordinance for the city council’s consideration. They’d like the planning commission to consider a resolution in support of that, she said. Bona said it’s consistent with the goals of the city’s climate action plan, which is related to the sustainability framework.

By way of background, an energy disclosure ordinance would require owners of certain properties to report how much energy their buildings use. This kind of ordinance was enacted in Chicago last year. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, “buildings in excess of 50,000 square feet – which represent less than 1 percent of the city’s buildings but 22 percent of buildings total energy consumption – would be required to disclose energy consumption data and information about building size, use and occupancy levels into a software program like TurboTax administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The ‘benchmarking’ tool, called Energy Star Portfolio Manager, would then compare the energy efficiency of comparable buildings.”

Present: Eleanore Adenekan, Bonnie Bona, Diane Giannola, Paras Parekh, Jeremy Peters, Kirk Westphal, Wendy Woods. Also: City planning manager Wendy Rampson.

Absent: Sabra Briere, Ken Clein.

Next meeting: Rather than a regular meeting, the commission will hold a working session on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014 at 7 p.m. It will likely take place in the basement conference room at city hall, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor. [Check Chronicle event listings to confirm date]

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Aerial view showing the location of 515 Oxford, south of Geddes.

The request, supported by the city’s planning staff, is to rezone the parcel from R4A (multi-family dwelling) to R2B (two-family dwelling and student housing). Most of the surrounding parcels are also zoned R2B. The building is currently a rental property with three units – a studio apartment, one-bedroom apartment, and four-bedroom apartment – and a maximum occupancy of 8 people, according to a staff memo.

The proposal for a renovation would accommodate a maximum of 20 residents, including a required resident manager. A special exception use will also be required to allow for a sorority use. That request will be made to the planning commission at a later date, along with a more detailed site plan.

The structure would be reconfigured on the site and expanded. A tentative plan calls for removing a one-story wing and replacing it with a two-story wing that would be set back further from the north property line, to conform with city zoning. The site would include four parking spaces and more than 10 bicycle parking spaces.

The existing house was designed by George Brigham and built in 1940 as his home and architectural studio. Planning staff reported that they were contacted about this site by A2modern, a group “formed to raise awareness of and appreciation for mid-century modern architecture in Ann Arbor,” according to a staff memo. On Jan. 23, the group posted a “statement of concern” about the proposal on its website. In part, it states:

We urge that the planning commission support proposals that maintain the original design integrity instead of approving an exception to change it beyond recognition. The home’s historic character can be retained and any adaptive reuse should be sympathetic to the structure’s original intent while meeting existing planning codes and setbacks. This approach offers a win-win solution that balances neighborhood values with reuse needs.

The statement is signed by the a2modern board: Tracy Aris, Nancy Deromedi, Linda Elert and Grace Shackman. The staff and owner are discussing how to renovate and expand the structure without significantly altering its main features.

Rendering of proposed renovations and expansion at 515 Oxford.

Rezoning is requested because the area and placement standards of the R4A district would limit the building’s renovation for group housing. The site is located in Ward 2.

The planning commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the city council for consideration.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]