ARB tables 14 Wilshire Terrace plans, asks for resubmittal to reduce garage projection and reconcile FAR

Chair Bob Buckman and members of the Webster Groves Architectural Review Board on Thursday tabled the application for 14 Wilshire Terrace and asked the applicant to return with clarified and revised plans.

The board said the project’s massing remains substantially similar to a prior submission that previously showed an FAR (floor-area ratio) around 41.2% — higher than the board can permit — and that the current paperwork is inconsistent: city calculations list the FAR as 38.6 while the applicant’s paperwork shows 34. Members also flagged that the site plan’s proposed footprint is unlabeled and that the elevations and rendering do not match the plan set.

Board members were especially concerned about a proposed four-car garage that appears to project roughly five feet ahead of the adjacent façade. Under the Webster zoning code cited by the board (section 53.203), a garage projecting four feet or more typically must be blended with an integrated porch; several members recommended pushing the garage back to avoid the porch requirement and to reduce the perceived massing at the street.

Carolyn Dunkey, a board member, said the neighborhood is “already very, very tight” and urged the applicant to use strategies that reduce the home’s street-facing bulk. The board also noted the applicant described an in‑law suite on the second floor that appears to be accessible only through the master bedroom; members asked the applicant to re-examine internal circulation so the space functions as intended.

The board requested the applicant return with a new FAR calculation that reflects the revised roofline and attic area, material callouts added to the drawings, reconciled roof plans and renderings, and, if feasible, moving the garage back so it projects three feet or less. The board indicated that if the projection is kept at four feet or more, the applicant should show an integrated porch design to meet the zoning practice discussed in the hearing.

The board concluded the discussion by tabling the item and instructing the applicant to resubmit updated drawings and a corrected FAR figure before the board will vote on the project.

Next steps: the applicant is to provide a resubmittal with updated FAR, clarified material callouts on the drawings, reconciled plan/elevation/rendering inconsistencies, and an explicit design solution for the garage projection issue. The board did not vote on the substantive design or grant any variances during the meeting.