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Real Briefings

Design Review Board

BEL-DRB-2025-10-07 October 07, 2025 Design Review Committee City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham Design Review Board met to provide early design guidance for a proposed four-story mixed-use building at 2801 Meridian Street in the Fountain District Urban Village. The project, developed by Mike Schott and designed by architect Sergio Ruiz with AVT Consulting, would include 25 residential units, one live-work space, and one commercial space on the ground floor, with 20 parking spaces accessed from the alley. The board provided critical feedback on three key issues requested by city staff: the appropriateness of the live-work unit at the prominent corner location, strategies for creating privacy separation for a ground-floor residential unit, and roof design approaches. The board strongly opposed the proposed live-work unit as designed, calling it essentially a residential unit masquerading as commercial space. They recommended denial of the departure request unless significantly redesigned as true commercial space or genuine live-work with separate floors. The board emphasized that the corner of Meridian and West Maryland Streets should be treated as the building's centerpiece, requiring stronger commercial presence and architectural emphasis extending to the roofline. They suggested raising the small residential unit two feet above street level to create required privacy separation. Concerns were also raised about the proposed use of fiber cement lap siding on a building of this scale, with board members suggesting it might be inappropriate for a four-story structure.

The Design Review Board provided guidance rather than formal votes, as this was an early design guidance meeting. The primary recommendations were: **Live-Work Unit Denial:** The board recommended denial of the requested departure for the live-work unit as currently proposed. Board members characterized the 540-square-foot single-floor unit as essentially residential rather than genuine live-work space. **Corner Treatment:** The board strongly recommended emphasizing the Meridian/West Maryland corn…

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**Live-Work vs. Commercial Space:** The central policy discussion focused on what constitutes legitimate live-work space versus residential use. Board member Ryan Van Straten argued that at only 540 square feet on a single floor, with just four feet deeper than required commercial space, the proposed unit was "just pretending to be live-work" and would likely function as a residential unit where "the front part is probably going to be used as a living room." Robert Wright supported this position, suggesting genuine live-work would require connection to upper floors. **Urban Village Design Intent:** The discussion revealed tension between developer flexibility and urban design goals. The live-work proposal was positioned by the applicant as providing flexibility if commercial tenancy proved difficult, but the board e…
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**Applicant Team (Jack Bloss, AVT Consulting):** Advocated for live-work designation as providing "flexibility for the use of that space so that it's also not just an empty space for many years if it can't be filled as a strictly commercial space." Emphasized that West Maryland Street doesn't require ground-floor commercial, making the corner location logical for the live-work unit. **Project Architect (Sergio Ruiz):** Described design approach emphasizing modulation through "articulation, windows, materials, recessed decks" rather than height variation. Acknowledged the neighborhood's design diversity allows flexibility. Expressed openness to suggested modifications inclu…
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**Ryan Van Straten, on the live-work unit:** "To me, the even bigger issue is that this is just pretending to be live work. This is just a residential unit. I mean, it's 4 feet deeper than what a standard commercial use is, so if the first 20 feet are commercial use, then leaves 4 for residential. Like, come on guys, like, at 4 or 540 feet, this is... It's not a live work, this is just a residential unit that front part is probably going to be used as a living room." **Robert Wright, on corner…
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The applicant team will need to address the board's guidance before submitting a formal design review application. Key next steps include: - Redesigning the corner space as genuine commercial use or substantially modified live-work with upper-floor connection - Developing corner emphasis treatment extending from ground floor to roofl…

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The meeting significantly altered the project's trajectory in several ways: **Corner Use Rejected:** The proposed live-work unit at the prominent corner was effectively rejected, requiring redesign as commercial space or substantially different live-work configuration. **Design Emphasis Shifted:** The corner must now be treated as the building's centerpiece with coordinated ground-floor and roofline treatment, rather than the previous uniform approach. **Privacy…
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## Meeting Overview The City of Bellingham Design Review Board convened on October 7, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. to conduct an Early Design Guidance meeting for a proposed mixed-use development at 2801 Meridian Street. Board members Ryan Van Straten (Chair), Coby Jones, and Robert Wright attended, along with Planning staff Sarah Ullman and administrative staff Fiona Starr. The meeting featured presentations from the development team including Jack Bloss of AVT Consulting, property owner Mike Schott, and project architect Sergio Ruiz. The session focused on a four-story mixed-use building proposal in the Fountain District Urban Village Commercial Core, featuring 25 residential units, one live-work space, and commercial space along Meridian Street. The project required design review due to its location in an Urban Village Design Review District, with particular attention needed on three key issues: the appropriateness of a live-work unit at the prominent corner location, privacy measures for ground-floor residential uses, and roof design approaches to meet design intent statements. ## The Live-Work Corner Controversy The central debate of the meeting revolved around the proposed live-work unit at the corner of Meridian Street and West Maryland Street. Jack Bloss explained the applicant's rationale: "Part of the reason we proposed it at the corner was because it does have some frontage along Maryland, which doesn't require commercial on the ground floor. But the way that this building's designed, from the outside, it's gonna appear commercial all the way along the Meridian frontage." However, board members immediately expressed skepticism. Ryan Van Straten questioned the fundamental premise, asking what differentiated the 540-square-foot unit fr…
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### Meeting Overview The City of Bellingham Design Review Board met on October 7, 2025, to conduct an Early Design Guidance meeting for a proposed four-story mixed-use building at 2801 Meridian Street in the Fountain District Urban Village. The board reviewed plans for 25 residential units, commercial space, and a controversial live-work unit at the prominent corner location. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Early Design Guidance (EDG):** The preliminary design review process where the Design Review Board provides guidance to applicants before they submit final design plans, helping ensure projects meet design intent statements. **Live-Work Unit:** A space intended to combine residential living with commercial work activities, typically featuring a business area toward the street and residential quarters in back. **Design Intent Statements:** Specific criteria in the Urban Village Design Guidelines that projects must meet, covering site design, public realm, and building design categories. **Fountain District Urban Village:** A designated mixed-use development area in Bellingham with specific design standards requiring commercial uses on ground floors along Meridian Street. **Design Departure:** A formal request to deviate from established design standards, requiring justification that the proposal still meets the intent of the regulations. **Modulation:** Architectural technique using variations in building facade depth, materials, or design elements to create visual interest and break up long, flat surfaces. **Zero Lot Line:** Building placement directly on the property boundary with no setback, common in urban developments to maximize land use. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Ryan Van Straten | Design Review Board Chair | | Coby Jones | Design Review Board Member | | Robert Wright | Design Review Board Member | | Sarah Ullman | City Planner | | Fiona Starr | Administrative Staff | | Jack Bloss | AVT Consulting (Applicant Representative) | | Sergio Ruiz | Project Architect | | Mike Schot…
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Land Use & Planning Housing Government Operations Avt Consulting City Of Bellingham Design Review Board Grinstad Wagner Architects Wta Coby Jones Fiona Starr Jack Bloss Jeff Jewell Michael Moeri Mike Schott Robert Wright Ryan Van Straten Sarah Ullman Sergio Ruiz Architectural Character Building Materials Corner Commercial Craftsman Architecture Design Standards Land Use Policy Live Work Housing Middle Housing Mixed Use Development Neighborhood Compatibility Parking Policy Pedestrian Environment Privacy Policy Urban Village Design Zoning