HomeMy Public PortalAboutWATERTOWN_385_Pleasant_Street_2_DESIGN_REVIEW_1_3_18_GA1
GAMBLE
ASSOCIATES
678 Massachusetts Avenue Suite 502
Cambridge MA 02139
January 3, 2018
Steve Magoon, Director
Community Planning and Development
149 Main Street Watertown, MA 02472
Cc: Andrea Adams
Sent via Email
385 Pleasant Street
DESIGN REVIEW for Planning Board
Based on Drawings dated December 21, 2017
Dear Mr. Magoon,
This memo represents a second outside design review for the 385 Pleasant Street Project in Watertown,
MA. The drawings were submitted by developer Amstel Heritage Watertown, LLC and Embarc Studio.
We first received the drawings via email on Tuesday, December 26, 2017. Please feel free to contact me
if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
&tied 6~44
David Gamble, AIA AICP LEED AP
Principal, Gamble Associates
Lecturer, Department of Urban Planning and Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
DESIGN REVIEW
January 3, 2018 385 Pleasant Street
2
385 Pleasant Street
Based on December 21, 2017 revised submission
PRIMARY COMMENTS
POSITIVE: Community concerns in Watertown expressed a number of years ago surrounding
scale and density of new multi -family residential construction along Pleasant Street were
warranted. The large wood frame buildings were rather isolated structures surrounded by a
great deal of surface parking. By contrast, 385 Pleasant Street integrates new construction with
building reuse. By breaking the project into a variety of structures and scales, greater variation
and visual interest is created. The project cleverly adds housing and commercial space into a
residual and underutilized property. Working with (rather than against) the topography, greater
building height is situated farthest away from the existing homes along Waltham Street (Plan
L1+ L4/L5). Lush landscape buffers have a performative function and line both the front and the
rear of the site (L2/L3). Parking is located behind and/or below the buildings. When viewed in
combination with the mixed -use project currently under construction across the street at 330-
350 Pleasant Street, a critical gap in the fabric of Pleasant Street will begin to be filled in,
fostering a more pedestrian -scaled environment. While concerns from abutters are
understandable, the project minimizes the negative effects of shadows through the spacing of
the buildings and landscape buffers.
CONCERN: The rendering on Sheet Al2, as well as other renderings, color the base of the largest
building (Building F) in a tone similar to the elevation of the adjacent building (Building E) which
has an existing brick facade. The difference between Fiber Cement Panels and brick is immense.
The later is a durable and natural material with a life -span that greatly exceeds the former.
Moreover, efforts to modulate the fiber cement board into various dimensions seldom achieve
the desired effect and can, in fact, exacerbate the look of an inexpensive material. The previous
design critique to add a "base" to the buildings suggested a larger dimension to the lower story
of the buildings that is greater than what is being shown on the drawings currently (less than
two feet). While adding masonry to the exterior skin of an elevation increases costs, the
durability of the material and its aesthetic value is significant and fosters a high quality project.
End of Memo.
1/3/18
DESIGN REVIEW
January 3, 2018 385 Pleasant Street