Yeah, well, I don't want to.

Um so on tonight's agenda.

Uh we have uh any application for the uh for the field library of uh Joseph G.

Thomson Architect, PLLC, uh 108 North Division Street, suit one uh suite 100 uh and it is in regards to North Division Main LLC I believe we have the applicant here this evening.

Good evening, board Joseph Thompson representing the application for the field library to relocate from its current location.

Getting the finger you need to open up a public hearing.

Oh apologies.

Do I have a just formalities?

Yes.

I understand, yes.

Do we have a motion to open the public hearing?

I second that myself, the grid.

I.

I.

Sorry about that.

So my fault.

So again, to represent the field library from a proposed relocation from their current address at 4 Nelson to 41 North Division Street.

The 41 North Division Street uh should be familiar to I believe all board members.

Two years ago, uh board had approved a variance for unit sizes.

Uh we had toured the building.

There's an extensive rehabilitation plan for that building that includes um adaptively reusing the upper floors into 22 apartment units and activating the rooftop.

Uh at the time the the commercial space was just on speculative, had no um you know designated tenancy, and with discussions in the field library that uh that ensued, uh the space is actually a really great fit to be adapted into the new library location.

Uh and the plans that we'll present offer the library a number of amenities that they don't have in their current location and allow it to be adapted into a a space that'll be more suitable for 21st century library use and function.

So the library is proposing to take the entire ground floor on the screen is a rendering of the main first floor space that's proposed and also the mezzanine, which is the subject of the variants that'll come out in a moment.

The the reason we're here before the board is for uh to request relief from an FAR requirement that would be impacted by the proposed mezzanine, which is internal to the first floor, and also some rooftop enhancements.

But maybe I'll just propose present the plans overall and then um get a little bit more specific about the areas that that require it.

So again, the ground floor, these are some more renderings of the proposed library space.

Uh would predominantly be the stacks in the main area.

Uh the children's center would tuck underneath the proposed mezzanine.

The proposed mezzanine would host um numerous office functions, and then also have a community conference room as well as community uh study rooms.

And would also offer access to the library on the rooftop for public events, for library functions, uh children's circle time, gardening events.

So we're excited to see that the roof could have multiple uses.

The roof would be fully activated uh for the residents at all times with the exception of special events and have a dedicated area on the back one-third uh where the library would be able to utilize it, you know, during daytime hours.

There could also be scheduled events on the roof and potentially even public events.

Um so we've taken some measures to put in some delineations to allow for multiple uses on that rooftop and are proposing to enhance the rooftop also with bathrooms and with a small kitchenette that's part of the FAR, our variants being requested that would allow to and help facilitate these events by allowing for food service uh beverages and um also the ability to just provide restroom facilities for you know longer term of events such as the if the chamber wanted to host an event on the rooftop.

Uh these are some additional renderings of the rooftop space as we were envisioning it.

Um substantial areas of patio and garden with some pergolas to break up you know overhead plain and provide some shading.

Uh this is the site plan for the proposed uh project at 41 North Division Street.

It's a zero lot line building.

So similar to other buildings on the same block, it's three stories, uh which currently it's an FAR of 2.9 is a recess on the front floor where you're access it from North Division Street.

There's two main entrances, one east entrance on bank and one west entrance on North Division, which is very similar to a number of the other buildings on the block.

Uh most of those are three-story.

Uh many of the buildings in C2 are also three-story and essentially have a FAR of three.

This is the proposed floor plan for the first floor.

Again, the the main stack area is highlighted in blue.

That's the majority of the space.

You enter through a gallery, which is part of the original design.

It's a common lobby that we would plan to collaborate with local artists to have displays that that splits off into now the library and into a secured lobby for the residential tenants on the second and third floors.

The proposed mezzanine again is predominantly office function and support staff for the library, although we have a community conference room and several community study rooms as well.

That allows us to free up a lot of space on the ground floor to dedicate as much as we can to stacks and reading areas to the children's to the children's center, and then also to utilize the basement to its maximum capacity.

It's a basement that has 10-foot ceilings, so it's got some substantial height, and we've dedicated functions that we believe will be better fit down there, like a steam lab that has a demo kitchen.

Uh there's a movie room that's now planned with 32 seats, so a small theater, the archives are in the basement, as well as the teen center, which is a nice enhancement in that the teen center currently doesn't have a dedicated controlled space in the current library, uh, so that's a major improvement, you know, to be able to provide a dedicated area for teens to be able to utilize.

Uh the rooftop again was presented as part of the prior project, um, but just as adapted a bit.

So again, it's a mix of garden areas, green roof spaces, um, and patio areas uh that allow for seating and recreation.

And so on the the right-hand side or the the west side of the building, that one-third would always be available to the residents at all times.

And then selectively, the other two-thirds could be made available to the library and for public events, and there'd be access control both for the partition between the two and for the elevator as well that would allow people to ascend to the roof, uh, guided by library staff, not unescorted, but um, we'll have a security system and uh the ability to have access control on that elevator to limit stops at certain floors.

And so the the variance again, it's an FAR variants that we're requesting.

Um basically C2 zoning allows for a 2.5 FAR, which is essentially 2.5 times the property area.

The building as it stands is technically pre-existing, non-conforming at 2.9.

I would argue most of the buildings in that center core of the downtown, specifically on this blocker role, an FAR of three or close to three, um, which is pretty normal.