After pushback from a few neighbors and two visits to the Planning Board without an approval, Severyn Development has revised its plans for a townhouse project at 390 Jersey Street. The new proposal reduces the unit count by one to four and a more traditional design from HHL Architects.
“We decided to reduce the number of total units from five to four row homes,” says William Severyn, Severyn Development’s chief executive officer. “We understood that this was a concern of the neighborhood and ultimately believe it makes for a much better project. We now have room for two-car garages so every resident will have space within the property to park their cars without taking anything away from the existing street parking.”
The building is now 15 feet away from the north property line to allow for a driveway exit onto 14th street where the existing garage curb cut exists. A fence will be installed around the driveway that will be six feet at it highest at the rear of the project and drop to four feet as it approaches the exits. This will allow for residents to have an unobstructed view when pulling out of the driveway. The wrap around driveway will also make removing snow much easier.
The project architecture has changed as well.
“We have decided to finish each unit with a real red brick facade, black windows and wood paneling surrounding the cantilevered bay windows,” says Severyn. “The first course of stone has stayed the same from our previous renderings. We will be using a gray ashlar limestone veneer for the first floor elevation, a limestone water table and a set-back red brick facade for the second and third stories.”
The front door was also revised to a wood front door to give the project more of a traditional and residential feel as opposed to the glass door previously presented.
Each elevation will also have a parapet wall with a front gable. This blocks the sight of the railings on the roof top terrace as well as the penthouse. The penthouse size has also been reduced to reduce its visibility, a concern of the Planning Board.
The rear of the building will be finished with LP Smart Siding or cement composite siding. A seven-inch reveal is planned on the siding which is more in keeping with the neighborhood. Garage doors will have a wood finish to match the front door and window projections will be wrapped in the same wood paneling as shown on the front.
“We will be scheduling another public meeting to walk the community through the changes we have made,” says Severyn. “We hope that our efforts on revising this project are well received.”
