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CONCLUSIONS - DESIGN REVIEW <br />1. Site Planning: The site is accessed by two driveways along Andover Park East. The site <br />layout accommodates a future north south street on the west side of the site. East -west <br />pedestrian connections are provided to link the parking area to the building entrances. The <br />building is sited to provide a presence along Andover Park East and the parking garage is <br />screened by the building from the existing street. The L- shaped building does make the <br />building appear larger as the north and west facades are not differentiated, nor is there any <br />break in the skyline. The double loaded parking aisle between the building and the sidewalk <br />should be designed as a forecourt or a plaza to complement adjacent activities and improve <br />visual character in relationship with Andover Park East. This could be accomplished by <br />detailing the parking surface with a different material than asphalt, such as stamped concrete <br />or pavers, and enhancing the landscaping. A fifteen foot sidewalk with street trees, benches <br />and pedestrian lights is proposed along the street. Some of the details related to the frontage <br />such as light fixtures and benches have not been provided at this time. Also, curb transition <br />details for driveway entrances were not provided. The curb cut for the driveway shall match <br />the height of the sidewalk to ensure that the sidewalk stays at a consistent grade for pedestrian <br />safety. Additionally the details of the transition between the new proposed sidewalk and the <br />existing narrow sidewalks to the north and the south along the adjacent properties shall be <br />designed to assure safe access /transition/ maneuvering for a person in a wheelchair. The five <br />foot gap between the south side of the garage building and the L- shaped building creates some <br />building code challenges that shall be addressed during the building permit review process. <br />2. Building Design: The quality of the facade facing Andover Park East shows a high quality of <br />design with modulation and articulation. However it is important that this building be designed <br />as a 360 degree composition with equal importance given to all four sides as the building will <br />be visible from many vantage points. There is an opportunity to improve the quality of the <br />back side of the building to match the quality along the front side by including details such as <br />different window sizes, material/color variations, modulation and articulation to differentiate <br />the hotel and the residential tower. Exterior building materials include metal panels, glass, <br />brick and concrete. Wood grained metal panels are used at the entries and at the top of the <br />building. Brick is used on the podium and is reflective of Westfield Southcenter Mall and <br />provides a pedestrian scale at the base of the building. The two metal panels "Sandstone" and <br />"Surrey Beige" do not display sufficient color differentiation and could appear as the same <br />color from a distance. Applicant has added a darker brown color on the west side of the hotel <br />wing (see west elevation) to add differentiation between the apartment tower and the hotel <br />tower. However due to the L -shape of the building and no differentiation in the skyline of the <br />two wings, color differentiation needs to be supplemented with another element such as <br />variety in window sizes and patterns, modulation or articulation similar to the front of the <br />Page 17 of 19 <br />21 <br />