There were a lot of babies in attendance at the January 9 Board of Supervisors meeting. Not the figurative babies who sometimes show up to whine and throw temper tantrums. No, these were real babies, the offspring of parents there to support the Pantops Montesorri Community School’s appeal of an Architectural Review Board (ARB) decision.
 This design will get another look by the ARB, but the single slope roof was basically O.K.ed by county supervisors. |
In some respects, that decision pitted “green” design against traditional architectural aesthetics. Specifically, the major issues were the landscaping and the roof form. Designed to meet “green” Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and serve educational purposes for the K-8 students, the proposed building has a single slope roof to collect rainwater. The new structure is part of a master plan to expand the school, currently operated out of an old manor house and temporary trailers on one of Pantops’ highest points. But the ARB didn’t think the proposed building fit in with the existing house, and also thought the “meadow-mix” landscaping would look unkept and unattractive most of the year.
The Montessori school had dozens of supporters in attendance, including several rows of its students, as well as interested adults. “I struggled this morning to think of any historic property on Pantops Mountain,” said Amy Gardner, a member of the city’s Board of Architectural Review who could only come up with Peter Jefferson’s house. “Whether the ARB likes it or not, they have a postmodern sprawl condition. A well designed piece of modern architecture on Pantops Mountain would be welcome. I cannot begin to think how a shed roof can begin to be a problem within the context that has been created.”
Even ARB Chair Paul Wright said that Carmax, a recent addition to Pantops, was one the ARB would “like to have back,” though he used it as an example of how something on paper can look better than the final product. Several Board members backed the ARB, and County Manager Bob Tucker noted that Albemarle County would have a giant giraffe in front of Toys R Us had it not been for the review board.
However, some of the conflict seemed to be more personal than philosophical. “The applicant has talked about their time and money being lost, and their time and money is being lost because their support system, their professionals did not follow through when we gave them specific comments to respond to,” said ARB member Candace Smith, calling their submittal incomplete. She disputed claims that the LEED certification isn’t necessarily lessened by a different roof design, though members of the Montessori design team, lead by Neal Deputy, challenged her view.
Reluctant to weigh in on who was right about LEED, the supervisors expressed their hope that everyone could just get along.
“My observation is that each of these groups some time ago drew a line in the sand,” said supes Chair Ken Boyd. “I think there have been some communication problems between the two.” He, like most of the other supervisors, encouraged the ARB to consider the “green” merits of a project and take another look.
But when pushed by staff and Wright to make a decision on the roof, county leaders replied that the ARB should allow the roof basically as presented if the rainwater harvesting would be impaired otherwise. The Montessori school opted to defer its request, and the ARB will look at it again “as expeditiously as possible.”
C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.
