620-622 Louisa St.

District: Bywater - Full Control

Owner: 620 Louisa Street LLC

HDLC Staff: Dennis Murphy

Rating: Contributing

Applicant: Loretta Harmon

Permit #: 24-34189-HDLC

Description: Partial demolition of a Contributing rated, one-story, two-family residential building for renovation and new construction of a 5,451 SF two-story rear camelback addition.

Previous ARC Recommendations:

11/19/2024: The ARC voted to defer the application for additional review. The ARC also agreed that:

Options 1 and 2 showing the overall building massing stepping up to 3 stories at the rear appears to be too large, foreign, atypical, and acontextual to be appropriate for the existing historic building and the historic context and will be highly visible at the right-side elevation and from several vantage points from Royal and Chartres Streets.
- - For example, the proposal seeks to accommodate 3 stories within a building envelope that is typically intended for only 2 stories. The overall height and floor-to-ceiling heights should be reconsidered and refined relative to the adjacent camelback building on the block at 610-12 Louisa Street.

The applicant should explore alternative massing options that may be more compatible with the existing historic context and that lessen the overall impact of the addition on the original building and adjacent structures.
- - If Zoning allows, the applicant could consider a more traditionally designed and scaled camelback addition at the front and create a new rear accessory, service structure, or connected addition that utilizes the depth of the lot to shift to some of the program and massing further to the rear to reduce its overall height and visibility.
    - - For example, the applicant should consider the existing two-story rear accessory structure at 634 Louisa Street and how it allows for better distribution of the program and utilization of the overall site.
      - Additionally, the operator apartment program on the 3rd floor could easily be shifted on the site and relocated within a new rear structure with units below to maintain the same number of units.

Additional information on the proposed new roof deck, parapet, and how it is incorporated into the design with the other proposed roof forms should be provided for the next meeting.