One week after unveiling a broad vision for reuse of the Children’s Hospital site, the development team behind Elmwood Crossing is moving forward with a signature piece of their proposal. Sinatra & Company Real Estate and Ellicott Development Company have submitted plans for a six-story, 72,485 sq.ft. building to be located at the northeast corner of Elmwood Avenue and Bryant Street. It would contain retail space, second floor office space, and up to 36 upper floor apartments.
Sinatra and Ellicott are seeking to expedite development of the corner while the larger project for the balance of the hospital site is refined and will be reviewed at a later date. From the project application to the Planning Board:
The 1st floor will be retail space, the 2nd floor will be commercial/office and the upper floors will consist of a maximum of 36 upscale attached residential units for lease. The action includes all required discretionary approvals and permits including but not limited to site plan approval as well as all proposed site improvements including the proposed mixed use building; building lighting; necessary utility improvements and connections, etc. The layout of the proposed mixed use project is depicted on the Site Plan prepared by Carmina Wood Morris, P.C. The appearance of the proposed mixed use building is depicted on the Conceptual Elevation Plans prepared by Wendel.
Pursuant to Section 3.2.5E of the Unified Development Ordinance, the N-2C zoning district, the maximum number of floors for a Commercial Block building type is three and the maximum allowable building height is 44 feet. The proposed mixed use building will consist of six floors with a height of 76 feet to the roof line. The proposed project will also require an area variance from the maximum allowable building coverage of 90%. Additionally, based on the Project Site being located in the Elmwood Village, the project requires area variances from the allowable commercial establishment floor area of 3,500 sq. ft. and the overall allowable commercial floor area of 7,000 sq. ft.
Construction on the $16 million building is estimated to take 14 months. The Planning Board will begin its review of the building at its meeting on Monday.
Elmwood Crossing is envisioned to include a hotel, a grocery store, a daycare center, 22 townhomes on West Utica Street, 45 condominiums, 240 apartments throughout the campus, small retail on Elmwood and West Utica, health and wellness, commercial office space, pocket parks, pedestrian pathways, public art, and dedicated ramp parking.