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Mr. Turnock presented images showcasing revisions to the Curtis Block that highlight the facade <br /> more and expand the size of the plaza. He showed additional images demonstrating various uses <br /> of the plaza. <br /> Councilmember Baker questioned Casto about the importance of the Curtis Block to the project. <br /> Mr. Sobczak stated that without the Curtis Block as part of the project site, Casto would not be <br /> interested in the site. <br /> It was noted that the revised renderings remove 6 apartments from above the Curtis Block. The <br /> development team expressed interest in finding another location on the site to add them. <br /> Discussion of the Parking Garage <br /> In response to questions asked at last week's meeting, Mr. Turnock reported that his team has <br /> further researched the feasibility of building apartments on top of the parking garage at a future <br /> date. He stated that the required change in construction materials would create additional costs <br /> and potentially decrease the number of parking spaces, but that it is possible. <br /> Councilmember Baker thanked the development team for running the numbers and figuring out <br /> what it would take to add residential density to the top of the parking garage. He and <br /> Councilmember Shachner advocated for this to be further explored as a way to maximize the <br /> impact of the site. <br /> Ms. Nichols provided context on a project in Cleveland which features apartments that were later <br /> added to a parking garage. She explained that this was not the original intent of the project, and <br /> she does not know of any garage project built with intention of adding apartments. <br /> Ms. Nichols discussed the regional attitudes and expectations about parking that make financing <br /> a parking garage particularly difficult in Northeast Ohio. She encouraged the city to envision the <br /> site and its success as the catalyst for the rest of the area and to move away from idea of adding <br /> apartments atop the parking garage. She spoke of the benefit of area-wide development to the <br /> residents of the city including expanding the tax base to support city services, schools, and grow <br /> the community. <br /> Councilmember Litten questioned the need for a large garage in an era in which walking, and <br /> biking are being embraced. Ms. Nichols stated the importance of the parking spaces to <br /> accommodate visitors who come to Lakewood from around the region. <br /> Other Priorities <br /> Councilmember Bullock thanked the development team for its responsiveness to feedback, asked <br /> clarifying questions, and identified topics for further study including the proposed TIF and <br /> running economic models to explore the impact of the development on the community. <br /> Councilmember Rader flagged that two areas on which he would like to focus are sustainability <br /> and affordability. He asked for time on April 28'to cover those topics. Councilmember Bullock <br /> asked for a meaningful investment into sustainability upfront. <br /> 5 <br />