‘Clock has stopped’ on proposed Lucerne condo development

| January 3, 2014 | 0 Comments
A RENDERING of proposed apartment building.

RENDERING of proposed apartment building.

A re-design is in the works for Morumbila developers proposed five-story condo development at 859 S. Lucerne Blvd. The 15-unit project had been proposed to be built on the empty lot formerly occupied by a single-family home.

But outcry from the community regarding the project’s size and scope prompted the city to intervene.

“We met with the applicant who is submitting a re-design based on community concerns for the proposed structure,” said Ken Bernstein, manager, Office of Historic Resources of the city Planning Dept.

The building included a two-level subterranean parking and was attached to a condo conversion of the St. James Terrace apartment building next door, also owned by the developer.

Residents in Windsor Village opposed the design’s minimum setbacks, dwarfing of a two-story home to the south and its standing as the tallest façade on the block.   Developers showed their final design to the Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) design review board in November for approval of a Certificate of Compatibility, required to obtain a building permit.

The HPOZ board’s vote was split 3 to 3, but regardless of the vote Bernstein said it would go to the director of city planning for a final decision.

Normally, the city would have 75 days to decide, but in this case “the clock has stopped,” pending the design revision, Bernstein said.

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Category: Real Estate

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