Fred
Rainaldi, Jr. presented residents and community leaders with plans for a second
phase of development at the Culver Road Armory site at a neighborhood meeting
last night. The plans, which call for building a 40,000-square-foot commercial
building and a five-story, 10-unit residential complex, would fully develop the
10.4-acre site.
For the
commercial building, Rainaldi plans to create a mix of professional office and
retail space by adding a 30,000-square-foot, two-story addition an existing
10,000-square-foot structure southwest of the main building. That building
building was originally used as a barn.
The design
uses a mix of cedar and glass for the exterior to complement the brick, cedar,
and glass exterior of the main armory building.
In the condominium
building, each unit would be about 2,300 square feet, with four spaces of parking:
two underground and two spaces above-ground. City officials said the units will
be priced at about $375,000 to $425,000, though Rainaldi declined to confirm
pricing at the meeting.
The
building’s design is a modular mix of natural stone and glass. Rainaldi said
his father, a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, wanted the building to
blend in with its natural surroundings. Half of the units would face north and
half south, and each unit would have balconies.
The entrance
to the condominium building would be on Belmont Street, separate from the rest
of the site.
Most of the
residents who attended the meeting last night seemed impressed with Rainaldi’s presentation, but some did have concerns. For
example, one resident was concerned with the height of the condominiums.
Rainaldi
said the condominiums would be 72 feet tall. The tallest part of the main
armory building, in comparison, is about 50 feet. The new office and retail
space would reach 32 feet in height.
And another
resident asked whether the noise from I-490 would hinder the condo sales. But
Rainaldi said he was confident in the site and the noise from the expressway
would not be an issue.
“I’m very
passionate about the location being right at the artery of the 490,” he said.
“I’m not afraid of it.”
The site
will require rezoning to a Planned Development District to permit a combination
of mixed-commercial use and the residential complex, he said. He said he wants
to have the project completed by early next year.
Fred Rainaldi
Sr. purchased the World War I-era armory at 145 Culver Road across from Cobbs Hill Park in 2009 for about $1.5 million. The 100,000
square foot structure underwent a massive multi-million dollar renovation that
combined modern design elements with the armory’s historic character.
The main building,
which was redesigned for a mix of professional office space and specialty
retailers, houses Alex and Ani, a fine jeweler, and
the restaurant Trata. Rainaldi said more of the
armory’s space will be occupied by the summer, including the addition of a
café.
This article appears in Feb 20-26, 2013.
