Redesigned apartment building, color palette meet board’s approval

Ramona Design Review Board members complimented and approved architectural revisions to a proposed 62-unit apartment complex on 16th Street while saying they hope no more projects are allowed the same density in the village center.

Increased density appears to have become an unintended consequence of the Ramona Village Center Form-Based Code and board members indicated they want that corrected.

Lansing Companies’ Valley Park Apartments is planned for a 2.87-acre parcel on 16th Street that is within the form-based code area. It is the first project to be submitted since adoption of the form-based code last July.

Casey Malone from Lansing Companies was originally told by the design review board that the Ramona Community Plan’s 7.3 units per acre would supersede the county’s general plan designation of 24 units per acre.

Rob Lewallen, chair of the Ramona Village Design Group that worked with the county and a consultant on the zoning code, said no one in the group was aware that once the code was adopted, density would revert back to 24 units.

“This project brought it to the forefront,” he said at Thursday’s meeting.

Lewallen, who is also a design review member, said the density cannot be decreased for the apartment complex, but he hopes to get the density changed back to 7.3 for future projects.

Resident Joe Minervini expressed his concerns at the meeting about increased density for future projects.

“Can we close the barn door?” he asked.

“I assure you we’re trying to do that,” responded Lewallen.

Design Review chair Greg Roberson, who also served on the village design group, noted that the applicant and architect are adhering to the architectural and design standards in the form-based code. Those are the elements that fall under design review’s purview.

Last month when Malone and Architect Phillip Pekarek presented their building plans to the board, they were told their 12-unit building fronting 16th Street looked too long and had a flat facade. The code calls for breaking up a building front by making it undulating to give the appearance of different buildings.

“This adheres to the form-based code a little bit better based on the last meeting,” Malone said when submitting the new design.

Malone and Pekarek also submitted their earthtone color palette with browns and beiges and dark green.

Board members complimented them on the redesigned 12-unit building with staggered apartment units, as well as the color palette.

“This will liven up 16th Street,” said member Dan Vengler.

The architecture will reflect a Monterey style, said Pekarek. The complex will include smaller buildings with units, a pool and a barbecue area.

The code calls for one parking space per unit, but Lansing Companies is planning 1.5 spaces per unit.

In other business:

• The board approved the design of a metal sculpture to be created by Ramonan Leslie Souza and displayed in front of Ramona Library. Souza, the artist who developed the Welcome to Ramona monument sign, said Friends of Ramona Library wanted her to design a metal piece that represented Ramona Grasslands. Once the piece is completed, it will be located by boulders to blend in with the landscaping, she said.

• A couple planning to open a restaurant at 865 Main St. received board approval for ADA (American with Disabilities Act) modifications. Jessica Tan said their front entrance will change as they were 2 inches away from ADA compliance.

The couple had hoped to open Marmalade on Main by February, but Travis Tan said they had 23 pages of revisions from the county.

“It’s been a process. Definitely a learning curve,” said Jessica Tan.

They said they hope to open in June or July.