Design Commission Approves Final Design for Heritage Square South Project

The Design Commission approved the final design for the Heritage Square South project, a mixed-use development which would provide 70 affordable housing units for seniors to be built at 710-738 N. Fair Oaks Ave. and 19-25 E. Orange Grove Blvd.

The project involves the demolition of Church’s Chicken located at the site and the construction of a new 71,600 square foot, three-story building with 2,200 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. A total of 37 surface parking spaces are proposed at the north end of the project site.

Eight commissioners — Timothy Sales, Stephen Lipira, Christopher Hawthorne, Julianna Delgado, Philip Chiao, Robert Carpenter and Yolanda Sepulveda and Srinivas Rao — voted in the affirmative on the motion to approve the application for final design review for the project during the meeting. Commissioner Joel Noel Toro recused himself from the vote.

The final design review is the final step in the design review process.

BRIDGE Housing was praised by Councilmember John Kennedy last year for its commitment to local participation on the project.

During the commission meeting, the project applicant BRIDGE Housing Inc. presented design revisions in response to the 12 conditions of approval from the Concept Design Review phase.

Some of the changes which have been made by the applicant to comply with the conditions in the approved concept design review include the revision of the massing, the updating of the landscape plan and the redesigning of the northerly building to be consistent with the materials, colors and geometric form of the north half of the building, among others.

“This is such a much improved design concept. The language is clearer,” Carpenter said.

The approval of the proposed project’s final design was subject to 22 conditions listed in the staff report. According to the report, responses to each condition indicating how and where they are addressed, shall be included in the plans submitted for building permit plan check.

“The improvements that were made can be seen. It’s for the better.” Certainly I commend the architects for a job well done,” said Rao.

Anna Slaby of BRIDGE Housing Inc. said the construction for the Heritage Square South project will start in May 2022.