When talking about height in Savannah’s Historic District, what matters more: stories or feet? Is the Height Map a rigid rule or a mere guideline? Do height variances set a bad precedent or should each project be considered in its individual context?
So went the vigorous debate Wednesday at the Historic District Board of Review as it considered the height and mass of an ambitious infill project for the empty lot on 215 W. Broughton St.
The proposed glass and limestone building would have a basement, ground level retail, two stories of offices and a private residence for its owners, Tak and Ourania Argentinis, in the top two stories.
A setback glass conservatory on the roof would make it a six-story building under the city’s ordinance, a problem because the building is in a four-story height zone.
As part of its initial review, the Historic Board was asked to make a recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a one-story variance. If the zoning board were to grant a variance, the building would then be classified as a large-scale development and qualify for that “bonus” sixth-level conservatory, a point of some confusion.
The architect behind the project, Christian Sottile, said the height was not arbitrarily arrived at and is complementary to the buildings around it and those that came before it.
“It does classify as a sixth story in the ordinance but does not register as that in the design,” he said. “This is a very confident five-story building.”
From the ground to the fifth-story cornice is 66 feet, measuring to the glass conservatory is 74 feet and measuring to the height of the elevator overrun is 79 feet, Sottile said, but the last two elements will not be visible from the vantage point of pedestrians on the street.
Because Sottile designed the upper floors to be shorter than normal, at 9 feet 6 inches instead of 10 feet, he technically could have made a four-story building reach the same height as the fifth floor and potentially bypassed the headache of a variance — though he still would’ve been subject to rules defining visual compatibitlity.
Board member Robin Williams, who helped craft the current height map, said they intentionally left the height of a story undefined to allow architects to have this sort of flexibility.
“This is precisely why we did it, to create variability,” Williams said.
However, not all board members were convinced the extra story was necessary.
“It is so nice to have high quality materials ... but my chief concern is the height,” said member Nicholas Henry.
The nearly three-hour deliberation took several twists and turns. About six people spoke in favor of the project during public comment, while three people spoke against.
Developer Michael Brown, who owns four buildings on the same block, said he felt awkward speaking against the project because he actually likes the design but felt the height was incompatible.
“This is a large-scale development on a small lot,” he said. “The only reason to deviate from the Chadbourne guidelines and height map is for the benefit of the owner. ... It sets a precedent.”
Ruel Joyner, president of the Savannah Downtown Business Association and a Broughton business owner, said the Argentinises weren’t money-driven developers but longtime members of the community with a real stake in downtown.
“I’m very excited to see a project not only of this scale but by somebody who really cares about the city,” he said. “What Mr. Brown said I’d like to echo. He said it was going to set a precedent — yeah, it’s going to set a precedent of excellence.”
Paul Sunderland, the owner of the next-door building at 207 W. Broughton St., formerly a Goodwill, said the height of the building would threaten his plans to redevelop his property, which he purchased a year ago. He said he plans to rent the upper floors as vacation rentals and would want to add a rooftop deck as an amenity.
“Essentially it’s going to cast a shadow from one o’clock on over the entire rooftop,” he said. “Perhaps there’s a solution, maybe their architect could meet with mine ... and figure out some way to mitigate the impact of that abrupt elevation change.”
Real estate developer Steve Green, Wells Fargo market president Jenny Gentry, Savannah Coffee Roasters co-owner John Collins and director of the Telfair Museums Lisa Grove also voiced their support.
“I’m a native Savannahian, and I will tell you for many, many years we struggled to get entrepreneurs to come down and invest in the Historic District,” said Green. “A city is a living, breathing organism. It grows and changes.”
The Historic Savannah Foundation, busy hosting the National Preservation Conference this week, submitted comments supporting the concept but not the extra stories.
“HSF also sees the importance of respecting and defending the height map — not because it is the norm but because it is a rational, thoughtful and time-tested process that protects the context of existing historic architecture,” wrote Danielle Meurnier.
Proceedings were temporarily derailed when Henry asked whether fellow board members Williams and Justin Gunther had a conflict of interest because they work in the same department as Sottile, dean of the School of Building Arts, at Savannah College of Art and Design. Williams reports to Sottile; Gunther does not.
MPC Executive Director Tom Thomson said they had brought this to the attention of the city attorney and received the all clear after it was established there was no evidence of malfeasance. Henry, however, remained unconvinced.
“I’ve been in this business. If you stiff your boss, there could be consequences,” he told Williams.
Both Williams and Gunther have previously stated for the record their relationship to Sottile before deliberating, most recently at the Oct. 8 special meeting to review hotelier Richard Kessler’s West River Street project.
In its report, planning staff recommended a denial for the one-story variance because it did not meet the criteria and would be granting what it called special privilege to the applicant that is denied to other properties in the district.
With three members absent, the board voted 5-2 to recommend the one-story variance to the zoning board as well as variances for its shorter upper-floor heights. They voted against a recommendation for a separate variance for its non-centered entrances. Broughton Street entrances are required to be centrally placed, but Sottile’s design has two doors on each side of the transparent ground level.
The project will be continued to the next meeting while the variance requests make their way to the zoning board for final consideration.