Design Review Board

Executive Summary

The Design Review Board conducted an early design guidance session for a proposed 36-unit, four-story multifamily residential building at the corner of Forest Street and Maple Street in downtown Bellingham. The project, presented by development team Ali Taysi, property owner Brett Bennett, and architect Sergio Ruiz, proposes to demolish an existing two-story office building while preserving its foundation to support the new construction. The board's discussion centered heavily on the proposed common usable space located within the parking lot area, with members expressing concerns about its functionality and visual appeal from the street. Board members Robert Wright and Ryan Van Straten advocated for raising the common space to basement level to create better separation from parking areas and improve the pedestrian experience along Maple Street. The architectural approach deliberately avoids mimicking nearby historic structures like the YWCA and Majestic buildings, instead pursuing a contemporary design consistent with other recent residential developments in the area. The board provided constructive feedback on building massing, material choices, and the importance of extending architectural elements to all visible facades. No formal departures from design standards were requested at this early stage, and the applicant expressed appreciation for the board's guidance on the challenging usable space requirements.

Key Decisions & Actions

**Early Design Guidance Provided:** - Motion to recommend raising common usable space to basement level for better functionality and street presence - Guidance to extend building massing projections to the north (alley-side) facade for architectural consistency - Recommendation to add pedestrian gates on both ends of the common space for improved connectivity - Direction to prioritize visual appeal of amenities visible from Maple Street to enhance public realm **Design Approach Endorsed:** - Contemporary architectural style differentiated from historic neighbors - Proposed brick veneer and fiber cement panel materials deemed appropriate - Building setback from Forest Street supported for residential privacy - Preservation of existing foundation structure accepted as feasible approach

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Notable Quotes

**Ali Taysi, on historic context:** "We feel like you'd be better off doing something that's entirely different from those, so that they maintain their like uniqueness within the district, versus trying to draw like one or two elements from them to create like a caricature, so to speak, of those." **Robert Wright, on the common space:** "I'd have a hard time envisioning it truly being an interactive and fully usable space with both of the rows of parking kind of facing it." **Ryan Van Straten, on public realm priorities:** "That usable common area kind of down in a hole with the alley feels pretty weird as a pedestrian walking down the street." **Maggie Bates, on architectural consistency:** "I want to see the back developed as nicely as you do the front, because there's so much space visually from walking up the street, you'll be able to see all of it." **Ali Taysi, on parking ratios:** "Whether or not a parking stall is available for a tenant is actually becoming like a leaseability factor." **Brett Bennett, on foundation reuse:** "We didn't really think [the minimal setback] would affect the overall kind of program of the structure itself, so that's the basis behind using the existing footprint."