Symphony Property Management and Michigan-Redev LLC are heading back to the Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday in an effort to construct an apartment building at 983 Michigan Avenue in the Fruit Belt. Three previous iterations were panned by the Board and neighborhood residents over concerns about parking, project design, and neighborhood gentrification.
The Lawrence, named after Harlem Renaissance artist Jacob Lawrence, is a 133-unit apartment project on a site that fronts both Michigan Avenue and Maple Street adjacent to the Medical Campus. The block contains three homes and one commercial building, two of the residences would be demolished if the project proceeds.
Responding to input received from the Zoning Board, Planning Board and the public, architect Stieglitz Snyder Architecture reduced the number of stories from five to four by sinking the parking completely below grade and have made façade changes.
From the revised application:
The Applicants are now proposing five (5) stories on the Michigan side of the Project Site which allows the reduction of eight units and creation of significant vertical separation in the Maple Street facade and creation of two patios which are accessible to the tenants. The Project will now have 133 units with the majority on Michigan.
The revised design eliminates 8 units from the Maple Street side of the Project Site and creates several newer visual elements. Firstly, the revised design creates three distinct building elements on Maple Street. These three distinct elements mimic the 3-4 structures that could be built using the massing limits of the N-2R District. Further, the horizontal separation of approximately 25′ mimics the side setbacks required for 60′ lots (12′ on either side for a total of 24′.) This opening of the Maple Street facade creates two patios which are approximately 25’x 22′ and will be landscaped with trees and planters.
The creation of the patios also created building elements which are closer to that envisioned under in the N-2R District and similar to structures on the east side of Maple Street. The width of the building elements facing Maple Street are now approximately 48′ on each end and 100′ for the center section. The 48′ width sections are below what would be allowed in the N-2R and the 100′ section is similar to a building located directly across the street at 241 Maple Street. The change in design also now reduced the unit count to 23 directly on Maple Street and from 76 to 68 within the N-2R. Lastly, the remaining 4 story height is a natural progression from the 6 stories permitted on the west side of Michigan, 5 stories proposed for the Project on the east side of Michigan and the 3 stories on the east side of Maple Street.
On the Michigan side, the Applicants had to add an additional floor at substantial cost to offset the loss of units on Maple Street. The Michigan Street side will now be 5 stories and -63′ above average ground level. The Applicants believe that the significant changes in the proposed design are responsive to public concerns about the scale of the Project and mitigate potential impacts to the greatest extent practicable.
The project requires a number of Variances: excess residential density; excess of lot width, excess building coverage, excess impervious surface coverage, deficiency in required site yard setback, deficient in rear yard setback, and excess height.