HomeMy WebLinkAboutNarrative Spinelli Alley Build 712 S 7TH AVE Project Narrative
Design Goal:
The design goal of this project is to build a small detached ADU on the alley of the property located at 712 S 7TH
Avenue.The end use of the ADU structure will be a long term lease residential unit that will serve the increasing
demand for college student housing.The design intention of this ADU is to honor the existing scale of the
structures found along the alley while working within the existing site constraints to maintain as much of the
open space of the original back yard as possible. The overall design of this ADU intentionally preserves the
appearance of the historic streetscape along south 7th Avenue by maintaining a small footprint along the alley
and respecting the height of the existing house on the site.The design of this ADU includes no alterations to any
of the existing structures on the site.
Site Constraints:
It can be seen in the provided Civil Survey that there are a network of utilities already existing on the site that
carve up most of the useable building space in the backyard. It is especially unfortunate that a primary power
supply pole is located directly in the middle of the property line along the alley. From that primary power pole are
a lot of the feeder lines serving multiple houses along the alley, including the current house on the property and
the house to the north.The buried gas line serving the existing house on the property is located on the southern
part of the backyard and further carves up the buildable area of the backyard.Another major site constraint is city
mandated 45 degree setback plane located at both side yard setbacks and starting at 15'-0" high.
Acknowledgement of Non-Conforming Alley Structure to the North:
It should be mentioned that while this project seeks to maintain the scale of the existing structures along the
alley and adhere to the guidelines described in the "Bozeman Guidelines for Historic Preservation &The
Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District"the recent alley addition to the historically contributing house on
the north side of the property does not.There are several areas of the guidelines that should be examined when
studying the non-conformance character of the additon along the alley directly to the north.
The aforementioned guidelines state:
"A new addition should respect the mass and scale of the original structure" (Chapter 1.E.11.0)
"For a larger addition, break up the mass of the addition into smaller modules that relate to the historic house"
(Chapter 1.E.11.4)
"The roof form of a new addition should be in character with and subordinate to that of the primary building"
(Chapter 1.E.12.0)
"The traditional scale and width of alleys should be continued" (Chapter 2.C.2.0)
"Use a ratio of solid-to-void (wall-to-window) that is similar to that found on historic structures in the district"
(Chapter 2.G.1.0)
"On larger structures, step down a building's height toward the street, neighboring structures and rear of the lot"
(Chapter 3.13.2.0)
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"Minimize the perceived scale of a multi-household building" (Chapter 3.E.2.0)
Use of Guidelines in Project Design:
This project adheres to the guidelines of the Conservation Overlay District through its use of gable roof form,
appropriate alley scale, use of punched windows, narrow building massing,and architectural design and detail
that clearly delineates itself as not being an existing historic structure.The overall appearance of the structure is
an interpreted gable form that is a direct design response to the restrictions of the 45 degree setback plane to the
north and open space to the south.The size and location of the proposed ADU structure at the back of the alley
visually separates itself from the existing historically contributing house along the street in order to preserve the
street appearance of the historic neighborhood.
The guidelines state:
"Site a new building such that it is arranged on its site in a way similar to the historic buildings in the area.This
includes consideration of building setbacks and open space." (Chapter 2.13.1.1)
"The traditional scale and width of alleys should be continued" (Chapter 2.C.2.0)
"A similarity of building forms also contributes to a sense of visual continuity. In order to maintain this sense of
visual continuity,a new building should have basic roof and building forms that are similar to those seen
traditionally.Overall facade proportions also should be in harmony with the context" (Chapter 2.F.Policy)
Exterior Material Appearance.
The material composition of the buildings exterior intentionally relates to the existing surrounding houses
(existing house on property along the street and house on north side along the street) with its primary lower
stucco finish.The use of vertical metal siding at the upper floor level and roof visually reinforces that the structure
is not historically contributing and thus amplifies the presence of the contributing structures.The white windows
and doors used are of similar size and color predominant in the neighborhood.
The guidelines state:
"New construction should distinguish itself from historic structures" (Chapter 2.I.Policy)
"The imitation of older historic styles is discouraged for new structures" (Chapter 2.1.1.0)
"One should not replicate historic styles, because this blurs the distinction between old and new buildings,as
well as making it more difficult to visually interpret the architectural evolution of the district" (Chapter 2.1.1.1)
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