The artist renderings of proposed renovations to the KeyBank on the Four Corners in Delmar have drawn skepticism and outright criticism from the majority on the Bethlehem Planning Board.
KeyBank is proposing to renovate the actual building, along with making several changes to the site that would include new planters, walkways and park benches. The problem arose when architects originally sought to place the bank’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment on the roof of building and make the three separate units of the building appear as one.
They eventually decided to keep the HVAC system on the ground.
The result, in many of the board members’ eyes: a big box.
My main comment is that it’s awfully boxy in a part of town where there’s a lot of pitched roofs, said planning board member Katherine McCarthy. `I can tell you what I’m not looking for, a big box.`
Fellow board member Kate Powers agreed.
`I agree. I believe the comprehensive plan calls for sloped roofs. This is a major departure from what is there,` Powers said of the renderings shown at the meeting. `This is a crucial area of town; this is the Four Corners; and this is the area everyone focuses on when they come to town. I think you can do better.`
McCarthy added, `I’m also worried about setting a precedent.`
Board member Christine Motta also agreed with the `boxiness` of the proposal, but said she did like the proposed pillars on the outside of the building, adding, `I think the roof needs a little work.`
When asked by board member John Smolinsky why the roof was flat even though the HVAC apparatus was going to remain on the ground level, engineer Scott Allen of Woodword, Connors, Gillies and Selleman said it was `functional to tie the building together.`
Allen said his firm `tried to adhere to the hamlet guidelines,` and create a two-story appearance even though the structure’s roof varied greatly from each section of the building.
Board member Nicholas Behuniak said he appreciated the bank attempting to screen its waste receptacles and suggested that the walkways around the bench area could be constructed of brick or stamped concrete instead of regular concrete sidewalks.
Michael Morelli, the town’s assistant director of economic development and planning, said, `Dead flat roofs are inconsistent and should generally be avoided.`
`We try to avoid just a plain vanilla box,` Morelli said, `and I think the applicant is trying to do that. I don’t think we would be having this discussion if this was a brand-new site, but this is an existing site.`
The board’s acting chairman, Howard Engel, said, `I personally like the overall outside aesthetic appearance to the plans,` but later he asked if more could be done to spruce up the `bland design.`
Another architect representing the project, Pete Gillies, said there were other design possibilities but financial constraints had come into play.
`There’s a scheme that does this that we simply cannot afford,` Gillies said, to which Engel said he understood considering the current economic climate.
The board came to a consensus with the architects by the end of the presentation to come back with a design that keeps the current one-story roofline and incorporate the other proposed changes. Gillies and Allen said they would change the roofing materials used and that they would submit new buildings plans as quickly as possible.
The board unanimously voted to table the project and it is expected to come back to the planning board within two to four weeks.“