27 Newcomb Blvd.

District: Uptown - Partial Control

Owner: Christian Sauce

HDLC Staff: Jesse Stephenson

Rating: Contributing

Applicant: Zach Smith Design & Consulting, LLC

Permit #: 24-02203-HDLC

Description: Demolition through raising the building and alteration of more than 25% of the primary facade at a Contributing rated, single-family residential building.

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 applicant is proposing to modify the building by raising the basement for habitable space and removing original window openings and windows for new openings. 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 HDLC Guidelines do not allow for the removal of more than 25% of the historic materials at the primary facade. The multi-lite casement windows are a character defining feature of the building and the window openings are original and should be maintained. For the aforementioned reasons, Staff recommends denial of the application to raise the building and the removal of the historic casement windows and openings.

Recommendation: Denial

Context Photos:

Demolition Calculations:

Elevation Comparison:

Current Drawings:

HDLC Demo Calcs_27 Newcomb_SD_1.17.24.pdf

Street View:

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