In a suburban New York village the owner of a centrally located business asked us to imagine the best use for his property.
Maximizing the Site Through Zoning Analysis
Our research into the municipal Zoning Code concluded the highest use-by-right option was solution comprising a mixed use building with retail shops and food establishments at the ground level, office spaces at the upper floors. The property fortuitously slopes to the back – thereby providing easy access to a basement parking facility without the need for a huge excavation effort.
Creating a Clock-Tower as an Architectural Feature
The site is located at the gateway to the commercial district so we concluded a special architectural feature in that location would make sense…and thus the idea of a prominent clock-tower was born.
Logical Separation of Public, Commercial, and Service Areas
The size and configuration of the lot led us to envision a solution that segregated the various functions without compromise. Our design placed the entry to the upper level offices next to the clock tower – facing the busy main street. The group of small shops and restaurants were accessed by a covered walk along the right side of the building while the drive leading to the covered parking was located on the left side. In this way, access to the 3 primary building functions were comfortably separated – eliminating any possibility of confusion or overlap.
Ensuring Building Code and Life Safety Requirements
Mixed-use buildings trigger demand for a higher level of concern for life safety by the building code. We therefore worked with our consultants to ensure a higher level of protection from the possibility of fire wind, earthquake and personal safety.
