Commissioners remand revised West John Street office project to planning board

The Matthews Board of Commissioners voted unanimously April 13 to send petition 2025811 (Oaks Builders, 49 West John) to the planning board after the applicant presented a substantially revised design.

Steve Singleton of Urban Design Partners, representing owner Chris Duncan, summarized changes made since an earlier review: the building footprint was reduced to about 4,500 square feet, the roofline was lowered (to roughly 34 feet), and the structure was reoriented to front West John Street to better match the corridor's pedestrian character. Singleton said the team revised massing, introduced a hip roofline and pulled the building farther back from the Boston house to reduce visual impact.

Commissioner John Irving praised the revisions, saying the reorientation and adjustments to massing addressed earlier concerns and made the project more compatible with downtown-adjacent design principles. Irving said the additional time and community review produced a better result.

The board's motion to send the petition to the planning board for additional review and a future recommendation passed unanimously.

What happens next: With the board's vote, staff will forward the petition to the planning board, which will continue design review and recommend any conditions or changes before a later public hearing.