Members of the local community have expressed sincere appreciation since Kevin McFeely, CEO of The Kenney promised the historic Seaview building would be preserved in a $150 million remodel and expansion of the retirement community

At the third Early Design Guidance meeting on May 14, Gene Guszkowski, AG Architecture, explained their plan to move the Seaview 180 feet east so that it would have a more prominent location and serve as the front door for the campus.

While it currently contains residential units, the building has been repurposed for community rooms and office spaces.

But preserving the historic landmark could have consequences on the rest of the campus. The Kenney’s new design proposal has less green space. It also brings up density issues across the site and concerns over a service entrance that board members worry is too close to the campus’s main entry.

In a previous design review meeting on Jan. 8, the board voiced some concern over the perimeter in campus, which designs showed would be lined with building walls. In the latest design, streets are lined with green space and multiple courtyards.

As a result the campus’ central courtyard is much smaller, and the community has lost recreational space. Residents at the meeting on May 14 asked if the small courtyards could be connected to create one continuous walkway. Meanwhile, board members recommended rooftop pea patches to make up for the lost green space.

Both the public and board members have expressed concern over the size of the project’s largest building on the northwest corner of the campus. Referring to the building’s massive, circular shape as “a doughnut,” board members questioned whether room sizes were larger than necessary.

“Either the density has to come down or the square-footage per residence has to come down,” said board member Robin Murphy. “Fifty feet tall seems a bit high.”

However, Guszkowski argued that units must be large enough so that the retirement community remains competitive for years to come.
The board has asked that AG Architecture consider modifying the density of the building and complete shadow studies before the next design review meeting.

There was also lots of concern over a service entry which was taken off the small Southwest Othello Street, and moved to Fauntleroy.
Now, it is located directly next to the community’s main entrance.

But despite these concerns, many members of the community expressed their appreciation for architects preserving the Seaview building.

“I see this as the start of a process toward a resolution,” said board member Vlad Oustimovitch. “(This design) is the play dough and it still needs to be tailored but there’s the start of something here that could work.”

The Southwest Design Review Board has recommended that the project move forward to a full design review, and requested that AG Architecture present more detailed information, including materials used, landscaping and lighting and shadow studies, at the next meeting.

“I think they have responded well to public comment,” said board member Christie Coxley. “Whether (the design is) there yet or not is what we need to talk about next.”