The Planning Board will start its review of the second phase of the Shoreline Apartments redevelopment project on November 20. Norstar Development USA is proposing to demolish much of the remaining Shoreline complex and construct 166 rental units in 18 new buildings and extend Georgia Street west to Seventh Street. The new units will include 70 townhouses and 96 apartments in two three-story buildings at the corner of Niagara and Georgia that will contain a small amount of retail space. A tot-lot is proposed along Seventh Street and parking will be located internal to the site.
From the Application to the Planning Board:
In May 2015, Norstar successfully closed on the financing for the first phase of the redevelopment. The first phase, which is located at the corner of Niagara Street and Carolina Street, involved the demolition of five buildings and the new construction of one low‐rise apartment building and seven townhouse structures containing a total of 48 replacement affordable housing units (below). Construction was completed earlier this year and the project is fully occupied.
Norstar seeks site plan approval for the second phase of redevelopment. The second phase will involve the demolition of the remaining 16 structures at the complex and the new construction of 18 well‐designed buildings containing 166 replacement affordable housing units. Of the total 18 buildings, there are two low‐rise apartment buildings containing a total of 96 apartments and 16 townhouse structures containing a total of 70 rental apartments.
Of the total 166 units, 20% will be targeted to households with incomes at or below 50% of the area median income, 60% will be targeted to households with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income and 20% will be targeted to households with incomes at or below 90% of the area median income.
Similar to the first phase, the development team is proposing a variety of building types to bring back a residential look and feel to the complex while at the same time maintaining the urban aesthetic. Building size and setbacks mirror the existing neighborhood context through appropriate scale and complementary materials. As with the first phase, the newly constructed buildings will help to weave the site cohesively into the existing neighborhood fabric. The second phase also proposes the construction of a new public street: the Georgia Street extension. As designed, the new Georgia Street extension will extend Georgia Street from Niagara Street to 7th Street – helping to restore the original grid street pattern of the neighborhood that was eliminated in order to create the superblock on which the original complex was built.
The proposed second phase includes two low‐rise apartment buildings at the intersection of Niagara Street and the newly constructed Georgia Street extension (above). The proposed design of the apartment buildings responds well to the massing along Niagara Street and the buildings will act as anchors for the site. The smaller, semi‐detached buildings which contain the townhome units are proposed along Niagara Street and 7th Street.
All buildings will be wood frame construction. The development team is proposing exterior finishes of brick and cementitious siding to be consistent with the surrounding neighborhood. The plans call for the apartment buildings and townhomes with frontage along Niagara Street to be predominately clad in brick. A mixture of fiber cement siding and brick is proposed for the townhomes with frontage along 7th Street.