Update On Talaris And Hear More Tonight At Laurelhurst Community Club Board Meeting

The community is invited to attend the Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) Board Meeting at 7pm tonight to hear the latest from Talaris representative Nathan Rimmer, of Pistol Creek, and architect Susan Jones, of Atelier Jones, on the re-development plans for the property.

The Board meeting  will be held at the Laurelhurst Community Center in the Fireside Room.

.Here is what the Laurelhurst Community Club published in its latest newsletter:


Talaris Redevelopment Plans Emerge

LCC representatives met January 14 with Nathan Rimmer of Pistol Creek (operator of Bruce McCaw’s Talaris site). On January 21, Talaris architects presented three preliminary redevelopment plans, as required, to the Landmarks Preservation Board, LCC, and others. Option 3, a Planned Residential Development with 72 new residential units, is the option the owner may continue to explore as potentially economically feasible.

 

 

Option 1 would include 37 housing units with no removal of existing buildings. Option 2 would include 63 housing units and remove existing Building G. Option 3 would remove Building G and the lodge and would add 72 single-family homes and townhouses. The single-family homes would be along the perimeter of the site. Attached townhouses make up the bulk of the new homes and would be located in the site’s interior area. Options 2 and 3 would retain the existing buildings (except for the lodge and Building G) for the owner’s economic use, such as for short- or long-term leases. 

LCC looks forward to analyzing the redevelopment plans as they evolve. In the meantime, Friends of Battelle have commented on the adverse effects of the proposed “infill” and lost view corridors with the plan.  

LCC is encouraged that the owner, Friends of Battelle, the Landmarks Board, and LCC are engaged in a dialog to produce an acceptable compromise for development. LCC also is pleased to have an historic expert team comprising the original architect, Bill Bain, and Susan Jones of Atelier Jones to design the site and the character of the new residential units and their placement. 

The proposed plan retains as many exceptional trees as possible as well as the eagle’s nest area and the open space in the center of the property. The original architects envisioned a “porous” plan for the site with openness and allowing for informal use by the adjacent neighborhood. The Landmarks Board will decide if this type of development will be acceptable after an on-site tour with the owner and architects and further briefings on the proposal. The Landmarks Board will need to sign off on any redevelopment plan and building removal.