637-639 Lizardi St.

Staff Recommendations: This new construction was recommended for conceptual approval by the ARC on 12/20/2022 and approved by the Commission on 1/4/2023.  The ARC and Staff take great care in their reviews to ensure that the aesthetics and orientation of new constructions complement the surrounding streetscape within historic districts.  The altered roof slope, foundation design, and porch stair configuration that were approved within reviews differ greatly from what was constructed.  The resulting low pitched roof, tall foundation, and improper setback put the building, as constructed, in conflict with the HDLC's design principles of scale, form and massing, setback, and alignment, rhythm, and spacing.  The HDLC Guidelines for New Construction, Additions, and Demolition explain the importance of a new construction's relationship to its context when compared with neighboring structures.  637 Lizardi's very low pitch of the roof and the short distance from the front of the porch to the property line do not allow the new construction to align contextually with neighboring properties.  The porch stair configuration had to shift due to the increased height of the foundation and the proximity of the front of the building to the property line at Lizardi street.  

Also in deviation are door and window locations at the primary façade, the omission of foundation vents, inappropriate detailing at the columns, inappropriate foundation screening, inappropriate soffit lighting locations, an inappropriate concrete slab parking pad, the addition of inappropriate window cornices, missing flashing between the concrete chain wall and Hardie siding, missing gutters and downspouts, and a lack of screening around highly visible HVAC condensers.  Since the applicant has agreed to address these other, easier-to-correct divergences, Staff is willing to recommend approval for the elements of the new construction that cannot be easily altered.  The three items coming before the Commission for retention would be more difficult or next to impossible to reconstruct now that they are in place.  For that reason, Staff recommends the retention of the deviation of the roof slope, foundation design, and porch stair configuration from the approved drawings and CofA, with the proviso that all other elements that are in deviation be brought back into alignment with the approved drawings.