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Public testimony at a previous planning board meeting has prompted owners of Taka restaurant to rethink the facade renovations at their new Cookman Avenue location.

Rather than the cultured stone facade planning board members granted preliminary approvals on [shown below], owners will attempt to restore the existing brick facade currently hidden by a stucco finish left behind by the building’s previous owner, according to Constantine Bardis, an attorney who presented the updated application at a recent planning board meeting.

Pieces of the brick will jut out to present a textured finish on the top of the building facade [shown at top].

If the existing brick cannot be restored, owners will take more “draconian measures” and replace it with a new layer of brick, he said.

The design changes come in the “spirit of furthering their relationship” with members of the community, he said.

The planning board gave preliminary approval for the stone facade originally proposed last month. During the public comment portion of the meeting, city resident Werner Baumgartner expressed his dismay in having such a stark contrast in design from other buildings in the downtown business district, saying a “beautiful, brick building” existed underneath the current facade.

The application was carried over to the June 23 planning board meeting.

Members of city council have already approved an airspace easement for the building’s awnings.

Once the renovations are complete, the restaurant will relocate from their location at 632 Mattison Avenue to the new location at the corner of Cookman Avenue and Bond Street.

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Latest project rendering at top of article by architect Matthew Berman of workshop/apd

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