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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us April 13, 2005 Northlight sent back for change Planning commission to consider project next time By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings Community input has played an ongoing role in designing Northlight — a four-building, 75,183-square-foot retail, residential and office space complex proposed for the corner of Lithia Way and First Street — according to the developers of the project at Tuesday night’s Ashland Planning Commission meeting. “The presentation you are about to see tonight is the culmination of nearly two years of public outreach and input,” Evan Archerd, one of the developers of the project, told the full house of approximately 40 people in the council chambers. “The result is a project that is not one person’s idea or even one group’s idea of what this strategic part of our downtown should become, it is truly our community’s vision that has been realized,” Archerd said. “It is, in the end, a consensus of our values as a community. It is a design that is rooted in the best tradition of Ashland’s past but harkens the city’s bright future.” As of this morning, the project is still being designed by the community as planning commissioners, city planners and residents all made suggestions for change to what city planning staff have dubbed "arguably the largest development in the history of Ashland." After three hours of testimony, slide shows and presentations, the commission decided to continue the hearing until next month’s meeting and directed the developers to make several changes. In addition to several concerns submitted by the planning staff — including a lack of staggered heights between the two prominent buildings on Lithia Way, a shortage of public space throughout the project and a derth of inviting entrance ways in the building’s facades — planning commissioners listed several issues of their own and even directed the developers to address a list of design standards submitted by a resident. Several planning commissioners stated that they thought the “streamline moderne” architectural style slated for the southerly building on Lithia Way was not appropriate for downtown Ashland. Although architectural style is not traditionally the purview of the commission, members indicated they would like the developers to re-think this design decision. George Kramer, the historic design consultant for the project, said the decision to use this style stems from community requests out of the charrette process in which people indicated they wanted the buildings’ tops be unique from each other in design. Kramer said streamline moderne was chosen because, being a popular building style used when Lithia Way was first built in the 1940s, the architects thought this style would give the project a historical feel. “What if Lithia Way would have given us more help,” Kramer said, noting that Lithia was intended to be a kind of second main street that never developed because Interstate 5 was built shortly after the couplet system of parallel one-way roads was added to downtown Ashland. He said if Lithia Way would have developed into a more downtown locale, it likely would have included this architectural style known for its stucco appearance and rounded corners. “What kind of architecture would have developed. Moderne came out of a need to separate the buildings visually and was historic to Ashland.” Bill Street, an Ashlander, submitted a list of 18 building and design criteria which he believes the project falls short of. The commission, in a hastily-passed motion at ten minutes before 11 p.m., asked the developers to address these concerns when the project is continued at next month’s meeting. He also brought up a point that several commissioners seemed to put some stock in. Street said because both Lithia Way buildings contained first floors with 16-foot ceilings, taking some of this height from either building could allow the project to achieve the staggered height commissioners desire. “If they need three floors, why do they need to go to 40-feet,” he said. “The first floor is 16 feet high. I’ve never been in a doctor’s office that has 16-foot ceilings.” Colin Swales, a former planning commissioner, told the assembled group that, while it is touted as a commercial development in the downtown area, only 83 percent of the project is residential. The developers said they have submitted a revised traffic impact analysis to the planning department that better coincides with the traffic analysis done by the city. They also said they would look into adding recessed entryways to the Lithia Way buildings as a way to visually break up the mass of the buildings. Many Ashland residents spoke for and against the proposed project. Those who spoke against it focused on its design and its ability to conform to city standards. Those who spoke for the project focused more on the potential economic impacts of the project. Staff writer Robert Plain can be reached at 482-3456 x 3040 or [email protected]. 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