Formerly a nine-story, largely residential project, the Waterhouse development slated for downtown Charlottesville is now set to be six stories and primarily devoted to commercial activity.
Developed by architect Bill Atwood, the development at 218 W. Water St. has morphed into a project with nine residential units but more than 50,000 square feet of office and retail space, he said. The amount of housing space is sharply decreased — before, 57 residential units were planned.
“It’s a big change, but I think we’re in new times. These are totally new times,” Atwood said.
Atwood would not divulge Waterhouse’s commercial tenant, but said the non-Charlottesville based company would take up 45,000 square feet of the building and bring 230 jobs downtown.
The Water Street project has undergone several changes over the last few years, a result of the economy, which Atwood said has made it difficult to secure financing for projects. It was one of many nine-story buildings envisioned for Charlottesville, designed to transform downtown with more infill development.
“That comes from the fact that the needs for jobs downtown has created a different kind of market, and the banking industry is absolutely frozen on condominiums,” Atwood said, referring to the explanation for the project’s changes. “It’s kind of a residential village on top of a commercial building.”
The project will also have 35,000 square feet of parking.
Though he wanted to do housing downtown, Atwood said he realized any mixed-use project with housing would have to have a strong commercial anchor.
The city’s Board of Architectural Review reviewed the project Tuesday, after making preliminary comments last month about the mixed-use project’s latest manifestation. At that time, members indicated that Atwood needed to simplify and unify the project’s design, according to a memo written by city staff.
“They thought we were kind of a little bit too over the top,” Atwood said.
On Tuesday, members approved Waterhouse’s general massing – or the size of the project and how it sits on its site — and the general materials proposed, which are precast concrete, stucco and metal. But they were not without concerns about some design elements.
“While I feel massing is getting better, I still feel it’s problematic on the Water Street side,” said BAR member William Adams, the only one to vote against the approval.
Member Eryn Brennan, while supportive of the project’s scale, said she also had concerns about the building’s facades, saying they could be more refined.
But, she said, “it feels much more cohesive than when it came to us last.”
Smaller details will have to return to the board at a later date for approval.
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