900 S Peters St.

Staff Recommendations: 

The original application requested approval to remove the penthouse wall cladding for installation of new wall cladding to match in-kind. The applicant has noted they met with previous HDLC Staff on-site to discuss this work and that verbal approval was granted for installation of new EIFS wall cladding. However, aside from the CofA being issued for replacement with "smooth finish stucco," the applicant has not provided stamped drawings, details, specifications, or other written correspondence to confirm this work was previously approved by the HDLC. As per the HDLC Guidelines, EIFS wall systems are considered problematic and are generally not approvable for installation on Contributing rated buildings because they can trap moisture within the wall thickness and require control joints or grooves on larger areas of wall which would not be necessary with a traditional 3-coat stucco. Zoning has confirmed there is no prohibition on EIFS cladding at this specific property and Safety and Permits has also noted the assembly may be approvable after-the-fact once they verify that correct sheathing was installed, as required by the building code. This particular building occupies an entire city block and is visible in the round with the penthouse walls prominent from a majority of the surrounding public right of ways. If the applicant had requested this scope in advance, Staff likely would have recommended denial based on the assembly's vulnerability to moisture and water intrusion. However, while some of the visual characteristics of the penthouse walls were altered as part of this change of materiality, the previous cladding was a panelized cementitious board product which also featured numerous edges and seams visible from the street. Based on this, and because the penthouse is a non-original addition to the Contributing rated building, Staff has no objection to the request for retention of the wall cladding with the proviso that the CofA will not be issued until Safety and Permits has confirmed the wall assembly as-installed meets all building code requirements.