Just over five years ago, a proposal to build a seven-story residential building at the corner of East Hubbard Avenue and North Pearl Street was met with some resistance from residents in the neighborhood. Concerns included the scale of the 47-unit proposal and the impact it would have the adjacent Italian Village Park.
An agreement with the Italian Village Society that addressed some of those concerns was eventually reached, and a plan was approved by the Italian Village Commission. The building, however, was never built, as the development team behind it – the Wood Companies and Schiff Capital Group – prioritized other projects.
A new design for the building, dubbed Parkside on Pearl, was brought back to the commission earlier this week.
The plan now calls for a slightly taller building with smaller apartment units – two floors of parking will provide 46 spaces, topped by a total of 65 apartments. The exterior of the building also features more brick and a darker color palate than the previously-approved design.
What’s changed most in the last five years, though, is the building’s immediate surroundings. Since Parkside on Pearl was first proposed, the five-story Hub apartment building opened at corner of Hubbard and North High Street, along with a 250-space parking garage lined by three-story townhomes facing the park. Also, the 10-story Moxy Hotel was approved and is currently under construction on the other side of Pearl Street.
“The commission was generally in favor of the design,” said commissioner Jason Sudy, adding that there was some discussion about the interface with the park and about the changes to the building’s exterior, but that the concerns were relatively minor.
It was a conceptual review, meaning no vote was taken and the applicant will have to return to the commission for final approval.
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