613-615 Elmira Ave.

Description: Massing review for a 2,100 SF garage/residential building, 866 SF accessory building, and camelback addition at a Contributing rated, two-story, residential building. 

Previous ARC Recommendations:

07/23/24: The ARC voted to defer this application for additional review.  The ARC stated that the massing of the third-floor addition at the existing building is still problematic and acontextual.  The ARC stated that the study room pop-up should be removed, and the vented attic space removed from the office, to lower the ceiling height.  The ARC agreed that the elevator shaft should be incorporated into the massing of the new addition or the existing building, as it currently stands out too much as its own element.  The hyphen piece between the new addition and existing building should be further simplified.  

06/18/24: The ARC voted to defer your application for additional review. The ARC agreed that:

• Previous notes for reducing the massing still stand. A combination of reducing the massing and program changes might be key to making the site not feel overbuilt.

• The crow’s nest at the rear addition is too visible from Evelina Street. Perhaps the vaulted ceiling of the master bedroom could be reduced to pull the height down and have the exterior portion be less visible.

• The exterior stair to the apartment at the courtyard should be incorporated at the interior of the building.

• The front wall of the third story addition should be pulled back to further reduce visibility from the public right of way and eliminate demolition of original roof material.

05/14/24: The ARC deferred the application for additional review. The ARC agreed that: 

• The overall massing of the garage/residential building should be simplified and read as subordinate to the main building. This simplification in massing could be accomplished through changes to the roofline and incorporating a more transitional/contemporary style rather than repeating the massing of the existing residential building. Details such as floor to floor heights, opening sizes, and removing the front balcony could further distinguish the new from the existing. 

• The third story portion at the existing building is acceptable to explore but the current massing is disjointed and could be made clearer through exploring a different orientation and roofline as well as incorporating more of the desired program at the interior i.e. the exterior stair. 

• Providing a detailed front façade elevation of the proposed and other more detailed elevations might be helpful for the next ARC meeting.

Context Photos:

Current Drawings:

Previous Drawings - 07/23/24:

Previous Drawings - 06/18/24:

Previous Drawings - 05/14/24:

Street View: