Representatives for the building and property currently known as Café Wilgress were before Huntsville’s Planning Council on February 14 asking for planning approvals to facilitate a 200m² addition to the existing structure on the lot.
The addition would comprise a 70m² tunnel and 130m² attached garage. According to a report provided to the Planning Council by staff, a green roof is proposed for the tunnel and parts of the garage.
The tunnel will include a 14m² above-grade stairway, which will provide access to the second-storey dwelling unit and rooftop patio for residential use.
“The Class 3 Community Planning Permit is required to permit a 200m² expansion to the footprint of an existing legal non-complying structure [because it has an encroachment over the northwest property line] that consists of a 14m² covered stairway, 70m² tunnel, and 130m² attached garage and reduce the number of required loading spaces from 1 to 0 spaces,” according to the report.
Madalene Albano, Senior Planner, told councillors that in 2016 “a portion of the abutting property at 30 High Street was added to the subject lands. The area added was formally the sloped gravel parking area which is now proposed to hold the attached tunnel, service corridor, and garage. This portion of the property will also contain the outdoor patio for the restaurant use. The proposal will only provide parking spaces for the second storey dwelling unit and no parking or loading spaces are being proposed for the restaurant.”
She said on November 17, 2023, the applicants received a Community Planning Permit for site alteration on the lands. “The permit allowed for preparatory site alteration and grading to commence on the portions of the privately owned property outside of the Town-owned Road Allowance. On November 29, 2023, Council approved an Original Road Allowance closure application to permit the owners to purchase a 232m² portion of River Street in front of the lands to facilitate the proposed development.”
The property has an area of 555m² with approximately 30m of frontage on River Street. “The property is currently developed with a legal non-complying two-storey mixed use building known as Café Wilgress.” Albano also told councillors that although the cultural and historic nature of the property is recognized, it is not an officially designated heritage property. “The main floor of the building has served several commercial uses throughout the years, operating as a bookstore and café most recently. The second storey of the building contains a dwelling unit. The original structure is believed to have been constructed in 1897,” noted Albano in her report.
She said following the release of the planning agenda several concerns were brought to staff’s attention and consequently, among the conditions for approval, staff were recommending the owner enter into a development agreement with the Town to be registered on the title of the land including provisions for financial securities to confirm that development will occur in accordance with the Community Planning Permit and the final approved plans and drawings and that the applicant address the building encroachment on Town-owned lands to the satisfaction of the municipality, among other conditions.
She added that the stairwell will not exceed the height of the current structure and is being proposed to include privacy screening for the second-floor apartment. “Due to the property having frontage on Main Street, setbacks to the property line are not required,” added Albano. She also said the central part of the land will be used as a landscaped patio for the restaurant, which will include an accessible ramp.
“The garage, tunnel and stairway addition allow the residential use to be separately contained from the restaurant use on the site and parking on the site has been strictly contained within the garage and has been proposed to only service the residential unit.”
Included in the conditions of approval, the applicant will have to pay the municipality $37,500 for Cash-in-Lieu of parking – sums which the municipality will hold in reserve until it is able to create more parking in the downtown. A privacy fence will also be included on the rear property line as part of the conditions for approval.
Albano also noted that if River Street were ever to be closed in future waterfront parkland plans, access would need to be given to the private properties on the road. She said the addition being proposed at 93 Main Street East would not affect that.
In the end, Planning Council approved the planning application with several conditions.
You can find the full planning report, HERE.
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