Construction and Parking Costs: All options include construction of
portions above 50 feet, which will involve more expensive steel and/or concrete
construction. Option 1 is the least
costly since all of the family housing and portions of Sites B and C can be
constructed in wood frame. Each of the
successive options involves increased costs, as more of the construction moves
from wood-frame to steel and concrete.
Additional construction costs related to life safety are incurred in
Options 4 and 5 for the portions of development that exceed 85 feet in
height. As the density increases beyond
300 units, there will also be increased costs related to parking, which will be
required to be constructed deeper into the ground.
Financing of Affordable Housing: Increased construction costs may
make affordable housing more difficult to finance.
Building Articulation: All of the options can be designed appropriately within this
setting, given: the context of Ocean Avenue which exceeds 100 feet in width;
the planned surrounding open spaces; and the adjacent RAND building which
exceeds 80 feet in height relative to Ocean Avenue. An 85-foot high building can be designed to be scaled and
articulated to produce an attractive and high quality building complex. From a compositional and massing standpoint,
one tower on the southern portion of the property (Option 5) is preferable to
two towers, as the northern tower (Option 4) would impose an inappropriately
strong visual statement in relation to the City Hall and planned Civic Center
open spaces.
Shade and Shadowing: Option 4 with the 165-foot tower on
Site B will result in shade and shadow impacts on Palisades Garden Walk and the
Town Square. Option 3 (85-foot high
building on Site B) and Option 5 (85-foot high buildings on both Sites A and B)
will also result in some shadowing within these open spaces.
On-Site Open Space: As the heights and densities
increase, the podium courtyards and open spaces will become smaller and
experience more shade and shadow making them less desirable for residents. However, this will be somewhat mitigated by
the significant amount of public open space proposed in the immediate vicinity
of the housing.
Livability of Family Housing:
Conventional American wisdom based upon our experience with high density
public housing suggests that livability will be reduced in Option 5 where
elevators and corridors will be required to access family housing units above
the third floor. However, high quality
materials and design treatments, a greater mix of unit types (e.g., family
units on the lower floors, smaller units above), and management approaches that
promote security and oversight may help mitigate these issues.
High Density versus Low Density: In considering height and massing,
it is important to emphasize that this is not just another housing project;
there is a special challenge on this site to create a Civic Center with an
appropriate civic stature and identity.
The land is a precious commodity within the community, and as such,
higher density development that is sensitively designed, that is unique from
more conventional development occurring elsewhere, and that is less consumptive
of land, could be an appropriate response.