1517 Broadway St.

District: Uptown - Partial Control

Owner: Eddy J Gutierrez Jr

HDLC Staff: Jesse Stephenson

Rating: Contributing

Applicant: Abry Brothers, Inc.

Permit #: 23-23946-HDLC

Description: Demolition of a Contributing rated, raised basement, single family residential building through raising the ground floor for habitable space.

Section 13, Page 6-7 of the Guidelines for Storm Preparedness & Resilience state the following considerations when reviewing elevating an existing building, the HDLC requires:

Feasibility: Some buildings might be extremely difficult to elevate due to size, configuration, or construction type, such as row houses with common party walls, or whether or not they are in good enough condition to lift.
Appearance: The greater the height of the elevation, the greater the exposed foundation, changing the appearance of the building and its relationship to its neighbors along the streetscape.
Foundation modification: Although it might be possible to extend existing foundation walls or piers, they may not have sufficient strength or stability to be reused, this is also true of chimneys.
Access: Elevation requires modification of building access including stairs, and could include the installation of an elevator. Consequently, it may be difficult to maintain entrance stair orientation for buildings located close to a front property line and to provide access for physically challenged individuals.

Staff Recommendations:

The HDLC demolition definition considers the raising of an existing building to create habitable space that complies with the ceiling height requirements set forth by the building code, to be demolition. Further the HDLC Guidelines do not approve the elevation of buildings that were constructed with raised basements, or later modified to include raised basements. Additionally the FEMA grant program allows for the applicant to abandon the raised basement and add flood vents. This is also an opportunity for a rear or side addition to recoop the lost square footage. For the aforementioned reasons Staff recommends denial.

Recommendation: Denial

Context Photos:

Elevation Comparison:

Current Drawings:

1517 BROADWAY_FEMA REVIEW_REV 10-21-2022.pdf

Street View:

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