Commissioner’s proposal denied

The Planning Commission voted 4-0 at the Dec. 12 meeting against a project proposed by one of its own.

Staff had recommended denial of Commissioner Bob Chapman’s proposal to replace a retail store with a real estate office and visitors’ center on the first floor of a Forest Avenue building.

The recommendation was based on the staff’s determination that the abundance of offices in the downtown conflicts with the Downtown Specific Plan’s goal of diversity and the intent of the plan to discourage offices on ground floors.

“For me, the project did not enhance the pedestrian experience as a store or restaurant would,” Commissioner Norm Grossman said.

Chapman, who proposed the project, did not vote on it, but did participate in the presentation to the commission.

Although Grossman voted against the proposed project, he said he does favor a less rigid attitude by the commission on how projects are judged, particularly in a large building.

“I voted against it after droning on for five minutes about the need for flexibility and the commission agreed to discuss it at our retreat,” Grossman said.

“The city attorney has told us that decisions do not set precedents. Each decision should be based on its own set of facts.”

Office space on the ground floor is permitted by the Downtown Specific Plan with a conditional use permit. Chapman proposed opening a brokerage with a visitor information center in the front building of Landmark Plaza on the corner of Forest Avenue and Second Street.

He said in his application that the business would stimulate activity and a mix of customers that may not exist on the site today.

The building was originally occupied by First Interstate Bank from 1994 to 1997.

When the bank moved out, the building remained vacant for two years until Banana Republic Women took over the lease from 1999 to 2004, followed by another two years of vacancy for the highly visible building.

Stylistic Intervention opened in April of 2006.

The plaza is also home to a men’s clothing store in the front building and a hair salon, a restaurant and a women’s clothing store in the separate building at the back of the parcel.

The project was automatically appealed to the City Council, as is any project in which a sitting member of the hearing board or commission is involved.

No date has been set for the Chapman appeal.