The Aiken Design Review Board got its first look Thursday at the design and concept plan for a 36,000-square-foot mixed-use building planned for downtown.
Architects Richard Fletcher and Cam Scott presented the design and concept plan at a worksession and public comment session held in the city council chambers of the Municipal Building.
Fletcher and Scott are principals of Cheatham Fletcher Scott, the architectural firm hired to design the building and concept plan.
The city of Aiken plans to construct the building at 133 and 141 Newberry St. N.W. Or, more colloquially, between Buzz Rich's law office and eight townhomes, on a currently vacant lot.
Construction of the building — and the recently completed purchase of the lot — will be funded using $20 million from the state's settlement with the Department of Energy over plutonium stored at the Savannah River Site, City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh said March 11.
The design shows a three-story brick building.
The most prominent nearby brick buildings are St. John's United Methodist Church across Newberry Street and the Meybohm building located on the opposite side of the block facing Laurens Street.
Fletcher said the firm wants to use bricks with some variety in shades of red to provide a more visually appealing structure.
The first floor of the building will be conference space.
USC Aiken's Ruth Patrick Science Education Center could be given space on this floor, too, Fletcher said.
The Savannah River National Lab could lease the top two floors for office space.
The national lab could use the space as a workforce development center, Vahid Majidi, Savannah River National Laboratory director, said in January 2023.
The concept plan shows a roughly L-shaped building located near Rich's law office. A service entrance would be located next to Rich's law office for use by caterers and trash collectors.
A parking lot would be constructed next to the townhomes.
Fletcher said the firm is working to construct a vegetative barrier between the townhomes and the parking lot to prevent light and noise intrusion into the townhomes.
A green space would be located between the backside of the building and the parking lot.
Design Review Board Chairwoman Faith Hawks said she had two major concerns with the design.
First, the concept plan did not show a vegetative buffer to conceal the parking lot which is required by the city's zoning ordinance.
And second, the concept plan did not leave a lot of space between the Newberry Street sidewalk and the building.
Scott said the firm was limited by the shape of the lot to that design.
There will be Chinese elms between the building and the sidewalk, Fletcher said.
Deborah Robbins, a resident of the townhomes, said she was concerned about light and noise pollution.
She previously asked for the firm to consider a design that placed the building next to the townhomes and the parking lot and green space near Rich's law office.
This isn't practical, Fletcher said.
If the green space were located between the building and Rich's law office, the plants would be blocked from the sun and couldn't grow properly.
Board member Pat Corey said she was concerned about the prominence of the air conditioning units on top of the building.
Fletcher said in order to see the air conditioning units from Newberry Street, a person would have to be over 270 feet away which would put them in the middle of the St. John's sanctuary.
Board member Barbara Morgan said she was concerned that security requirements wouldn't allow for a planned outdoor space on the third floor.
The Design Review Board could continue its discussion of the design and concept plan at a worksession before Tuesday meeting. The worksession will be held at 5:30 p.m. in room 315 of the Municipal Building.
The Municipal Building is located at 111 Chesterfield St. S.W.
