Planners Urge City Ok Of Design Review Board

Ann Arbor's Planning 1 mission has recommended approval of an ordinance to create a Design Reviews Board here. The proposed ordinance will now go to City Council f or f ijnal action by that body. j As approved by the comS mission, the ordinance would establish a 12 member body Sto oversee all new develop'ments in the city regarding I the design of that f acility. The Design Review Board would be advisory to the Planning Commission and would have no actual regulatory powers. The board could not fqrce a developer to change his design. Membership on. the review board would consist of nine professionals and three other citizens. The professional members would be in the field of architecture. ' The intent of the ordinance is to 'prevent the erosión of beauty, the decay of amenity, and the dissipation of usefulness by: stimulating creative design for individual buildings, groups of buildings and structures, and other physical developments ; and integrating the functions appearance, and locations of buildings and improvements so as to best achieve a balance between private prerogatives and preferences and the public interest and welfare." Matters subject to inspection by the Design Review Board would be all new buildings e x c e p t single f amily structures, additions, extensions and exterior changes to existing buildings. Exempted, in addition to single family structures, would be signs (which are governed by the sign ordinance) and historical structures. The review board would be able to initiate its own review of projects, or the property owner, developer or any other citizen could ask the board to conduct this review. In other business, Planning Department Director Michael R. Prochaska presented commissioners with a copy of a letter he has sent to the State Boundary Commission regarding the request of Barton Hills to incorpórate. In his letter, Prochaska asked that no action be taken on this request until a cpmprehensive study of city growth - now under way - is completed. He said the study will "furnish valuable information to the Boundary Commission in its 1 tions." The commission a 1 s o : rejected the proposed site plan of Shell Oil Co. for a service station at Pauline and W. Stadium; approved an amendment io the zoning ordinance I to permit office use in residential classifications under certain circumstances and controls; and approved a rezoning from RÍA single family to AG agricultural for the six acre Racquet Club property on Huron River Drive at Huron Parkway.