ARB endorses Main Street project

A major Main Street project progressed Wednesday, earning unanimous design approval from the Town Architectural Review Board.

Developer Greg Yates’ proposed four-story restaurant and condominium building at the corner of South Main and East Stevens streets will adjoin an addition to the historic, under-construction State Theatre.

The Stevens Street building will be downtown’s tallest structure, slightly taller than the theater when built out with the fly tower.

“It will be (downtown) Culpeper’s first four-story building,” said architect Michael Lysczek of Culpeper at Wednesday’s meeting. “It is a sensitive issue and we have taken a lot of steps to minimize the impact.”

Last month, Yates, of Culpeper, withdrew an earlier design for his Stevens Street project after town staff recommended denial of the plans, citing architectural incompatibility with the circa 1938 theater and the nearby Lord Culpeper Hotel, circa 1933. Town staff recommended approval of the new design, a brick building created by local architect Lysczek, who also serves on the ARB. He excused himself from voting on the item at Wednesday’s meeting.

Town planning staff, in its written comments, commended the applicant for revising the design to include building materials consistent with nearby structures; town staff also liked the creation of additional public spaces and streetscape features.

“Although the proposed structure remains taller than the theater and the Lord Culpeper Hotel, the offsets or step-ins help to diminish the impact of a four-story building and blends in – while making clear that the building is modern,” the comments said.

Town Planning Director Patrick Mulhern called the new design “a terrific job,” saying the “step back effect” would allow the State Theatre to stand out still.

“The downtown plans talks about it being two or three stories, but I think it works,” he said.

ARB member Chris Hamilton, a member of the State Theatre Foundation Board, said he always heard it was a bad idea to have surface parking lots on Main Street. The town swapped the Stevens Street parking lot on which Yates will build his project for West Street’s Blair House, marked for demolition.

“It disrupts the window shopping experience,” Hamilton said of parking lots on Main. “I think it is one of the motivations for the town selling that lot to see something like this happen.”

ARB members John Cerio and Tom Letts commended fellow member Lysczek for a job well done with the new design.

“You said it would be different, it definitely is different,” than the original design, Letts said.

He felt the Stevens Street project would not overwhelm the Lord Culpeper Hotel, but would instead complement it.

Cerio said the design did a good job mitigating the potential elevation impact.

“This one will catch your eye,” he said.

Yates recently told the Star-Exponent he would build the Stevens Street project once the $8.5 million State Theatre renovation and expansion is completed. Lynchburg-based C.L. Lewis was recently selected contractor for the theatre project; the estimated timeline has the 700-seat former vaudeville house opening in the fall of 2012. Once open, it will host live theater and music acts and screen movies.

Before construction, the town planning commission will further consider the Stevens Street project.

ARB Chairman Powell O’Bannon was absent from Wednesday’s meeting.