ARB approves lime-wash options for Crosse Fastmart exterior to preserve brick character

The Albemarle County Architecture Review Board on June 8 approved a revised exterior finish for the Crosse Fastmart, endorsing lime-wash options that retain the underlying brick texture rather than an opaque coating.

Staff reminded the board that an earlier October proposal to paint the red brick black had been found inconsistent with entrance-corridor guidelines and that the ARB directed the applicant to return with alternatives. The applicant tested lime-wash samples and provided renderings showing a "distressed" (stronger brick show-through), a "medium," and full coverage white. Staff recommended a light lime-wash that preserves the brick’s texture and pattern (samples 1, 4, or 5 in the mockup) as more appropriate than a solid, opaque finish.

Eric Warner, representing the applicant, presented renderings and mockups and said his executive team preferred the less-distressed option but offered both medium and distressed options for board consideration. Board members praised the on-site samples and agreed that the medium and distressed finishes better preserved historic character than the original black proposal. The board moved to approve either the "distressed" or "medium" option (as presented in the on-site mockups) with updates to the drawing set: eliminate NIH panels, add standard mechanical-equipment notes, and confirm no proposed changes to existing fuel-pump canopy light fixtures. The motion carried unanimously.

What happens next: The applicant will update design drawings consistent with the approved mockup(s) and staff conditions; those drawings will form the permit record.

Attribution: Staff recommendations and applicant renderings were presented during the meeting; quotes and color/sample references are from that presentation.