Architectural Review Board - May 1, 2025

Board recommends Fabian Way school conversion with five design issues pending

The Architectural Review Board voted 4-0 to recommend moving the Girls Middle School project at 3950 Fabian Way toward approval while reserving five design issues for later review by a two-member ad hoc committee. The proposal would convert and renovate an existing two-story, 32,500-square-foot commercial building for a private middle school, add an approximately 4,400-square-foot gymnasium and accommodate up to 240 students. The vote was a recommendation, not final project approval.

Board members asked the applicant to reconsider the bicycle-parking and enclosure design, add exterior elements that better integrate the existing building with the new gymnasium, improve interior circulation for trash removal and consider hardscape changes that would make the front entry plaza more useful as a student gathering area. The bicycle plan is intended to provide the required 48 spaces, with 16 at the front, about 30 at the rear and two within a fenced area. Members questioned the parking design, capacity, access and use of six-foot chain-link fencing.

The fifth item calls for collaboration with adjacent residential neighbors over the existing boundary fencing. The owner of a neighboring property said the fence along the shared area had deteriorated and asked that it be evaluated during construction. Staff also reported that a transportation analysis found less-than-significant impacts and that a draft transportation demand management plan remained under review as a proposed condition of approval.

Board limits downtown garage signs to flat-mounted 20-by-80-inch panels

The board voted 5-0 to recommend approval of a downtown parking-guidance sign system only with substantial design changes. Under the recommendation to the director of Planning and Development Services, every sign must be flat-mounted, measure no more than 20 inches by 80 inches and have its top no higher than 12 feet. The motion did not require further board or ad hoc committee review.

Staff presented the applications as a coordinated system of eight LED matrix signs across four downtown garages. Five were proposed as double-sided projecting signs measuring about 40 inches by 80 inches and roughly 22 square feet each, exceeding the three-square-foot code limit; three wall signs were described as code-compliant. Staff said the signs would display parking availability to guide drivers toward open spaces and reduce circulation.

Most board members considered the original signs oversized or poorly suited to their locations and parking-information function. They favored smaller signs mounted flat against garage walls and placed lower. One member supported retaining a projecting sign at the Alma Street entrance for advance visibility, but that change was not incorporated into the adopted motion. Planning, Public Works and the project team are expected to finalize the designs and placement under the board’s limits.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting packet