[Charleston] The boulevard @ 2412

[seicer]

East End condo plan up for review

Map with outline of the planned development

Notes --

1. "The Boulevard @ 2412" was proposed earlier in the year as a residential and office project east of the Capitol. Now, the Municipal Planning Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Historic Landmarks Commission will review a revised project -- and all must approve of it.

2. The project consists of seven buildings - six that would be built east of the Capitol bounded by Kanawha Blvd., East Ave., Washington St., and Chesapeake Ave. An apartment/condo may be constructed north of Washington St.

3. It would contain 60 units, some first-floor offices, a senior center, and ~175 parking spaces. The 160,000 sq. ft. multi-use project is considered a 'major development'.

4. The Kanawha Blvd. side of the project is within the East End Historic District, where buildings cannot exceed 35 ft. The current design meets that criteria -- on the front -- but on the rear third of the lots that are on the Boulevard, the building rises to 60 ft.

4a. The buildings must also conform to the existing neighborhood.

5. The lots facing Washington St. are zoned for R-10, where the height for buildings is 70 ft. The seven-story building rises to 85-feet, though, so the developers are requesting a 15-ft. variance.

6. The Historic Landmarks Commission is considering only the part of the project to be built in the East End Historic District -- four Kanawha Blvd. lots (out of 20). They will decide whether the project conforms to standards for new construction in the historic district that was only adopted April 19.

Article information: "East End condo plan up for review, By Jim Balow, Charleston Gazette, May 03, 2007"

[seicer]

Condo project gets its first OK

Notes --

1. On Wednesday (May 9), the Municipal Planning Commission gave "high marks" to the developers for their project. Not surprising, the development passed the first of three hurdles.

2. The Board of Zoning Appeals will consider the requests for height variances today (actually, this morning).

2a. The request for a variance is because the project facing Kanawha Blvd. at 60 ft. is 25 ft. higher than what is allowed in the East End Historic District. The seven-story condo, at 85 ft., is 15 ft. higher than what is allowed -- projected for Washington St.

3. The building is modeled after several of the existing homes along the Boulevard, using a terra cotta roof style, similar roof pitches, similar window size openings, and similar red brick.

4. It would also include 164 parking spaces, some of which would be shared with Kanawha Valley Senior Services -- which will locate in the new development.

5. The Kanawha Valley Historical & Preservation Society met Tuesday night and supported the project -- but had two reservations over the exterior materials and enforcement mechanism.

6. A similar condo project was rejected because there was no "transition." It was "just a tower, much taller than its neighbors."

Article information: "Condo project gets its first OK, By Jim Balow, Charleston Gazette, May 10, 2007"

[seicer]

And now it appears likely it will be built!

Zoning OK'd for condo project

Notes --

1. The condominium project is much more likely to be built after city zoning officials gave the green light Tuesday! They approved several zoning variances -- such as height -- in the meeting.

2. The developers could invest as much as $20 million into the project, although the official cost for the entire project is still unknown.

3. The original plan was for a single high-rise tower in the block bounded by Kanawha Blvd., Chesapeake Ave., Washington St., and East Ave. The city planning officials objected at first, and the developers came up with a four three-story office/condo buildings with a seven-story condominium tower instead.

Article information: "Zoning OK'd for condo project, By Jim Balow, Charleston Gazette, May 11, 2007"

[seicer]

East End condo plan gets final OK

Notes --

1. Construction on The Boulevard @ 2412 could begin within months after the last of three city boards approved the project May 17.

1a. Demolition of the structures along Washington Street cold begin in a few weeks.

2. The $20 million project is named after the Howard family home at 2412 Kanawha Blvd. East. It is to be constructed about half a city block east of the Capitol complex.

2a. It will contain 7 buildings with 60 housing units, 4,000 sq. ft. of offices, an an activities center for Kanawha Valley Senior Services. It will provide parking for 164 vehicles. Another building, with 18 "budget-sized" apartments or condos, will be constructed on the north side of Washington Street.

3. Construction will start on the 18-unit apartment building -- that will be small apartments in the 900- to 1,100 sq. ft. range. The condos will have 1,800 sq. ft. to 8,000 sq. ft. (entire floor).

3a. It will feature a workout room, a small coffee shop, a computer room with WiFi internet access, and a concierge service for laundry.

3b. Work could start on the senior services center in a few months, the apartments by September, and the seven-story condo by November -- depending on pre-sales.

Article information: "East End condo plan gets final OK, By Jim Balow, Sunday Gazette-Mail [Charleston], May 18, 2007"