2330-2332 Royal St. & 630-632 Mandeville St.

Staff Recommendations: 

The CofA for the renovation and construction of new 2nd floor additions at these two connected Non-Contributing rated buildings was issued in August 2022. Currently, the majority of construction work appears to have been substantially completed, however, there are several minor deviations from the approved documents that are not Staff approvable. The applicant is now requesting retention approval for these deviations. 

Visually Prominent HVAC Equipment:

The approved drawings show the new roof-mounted HVAC units located away from the building edges at a position where they would not be visible from any surrounding street. However, the units were instead installed closer to the front and right-side of the building than approved. At the current location, the tops of both units are visible from the intersection of Mandeville and Royal Street, and from several points along Royal Street. Because these units were approved at a location where they would have no visibility, because there is ample space available on the roof for relocation, and because shifting the unit locations is likely not cost prohibitive, Staff recommends denial of the request for retention and recommends the HVAC units be relocated to a position where they are not visible from the surrounding public right of way. 

Inappropriate Decorative Light Fixtures:

The approved elevation drawings indicate the locations where decorative light fixtures were approved for installation, with two (2)  fixtures at the Mandeville Street side and four (4) fixtures at the Royal Street side. Additionally, the approved drawings and CofA clearly indicate that all new exterior light fixtures must be submitted to HDLC for review and approval prior to purchase and installation. Unfortunately, the installed fixtures were not submitted for review, and are not considered appropriate in terms of their overall quantity, locations, and design. 

The HDLC Design Guidelines note that the type and placement of lighting plays an important role in maintaining the authentic historic character of a building. When modifying or installing lighting, there must be a balance between providing sufficient lighting to provide a secure feeling and fitting within a neighborhood and streetscape context. Decorative Lighting generally draws attention to the fixture or design rather than providing significant illumination. In most instances, the number of decorative lights should be limited, and located near the primary entrance, and they should be scaled appropriately for the proposed location. 

Based on these factors, Staff recommends denial of the request for retention and recommends the light fixtures be removed and replaced with new fixtures that are more appropriate for the building and historic context, and that are located where previously approved.

Inappropriate Decorative Gate:

The HDLC Design Guidelines require new metal fences and gates to be plain and simple in their overall design and detailing, with no additional decorative infill panels or filigree. The approved drawings show this gate as being plain and simple to meet these requirements, however, four additional decorative fleur-de-lis panels were installed at the exterior side that are considered inappropriate. Because these decorative panels do not meet the HDLC Design Guidelines, because they were installed without HDLC approval, and because they can be easily removed, Staff recommends denial of the request for retention.