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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-04-02 Historic District Commission MinutesOWN P R��i Town of Reading Meeting Minutes ���e:1NCORp�a�� Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Historic District Commission Date: 2015 -04 -02 Building: School - Parker Address: 45 Temple Street Purpose: Public Hearing Attendees: Members - Present: Time: 7:00 PM IRECEIVED TOWN CLERK .-READING. MASS. s'U I I A ICS 514! Location: Performing Arts Center Session: General Session Everett Blodgett, Chairman; Virginia Adams, Ilene Bornstein, Greg Maganzini Members - Not Present: Priscilla Poehler Others Present: Virginia Blodgett Theresa & Russell Jeffrey, 181 Summer Avenue Gina Snyder, 11 Jadem Terrace Joe Lupi, 167 Summer Avenue Barry Berman, 54 Longview Road Cynda Rohmer, 176 Summer Avenue Bob Drake, 176 Summer Avenue Robert Corwin, 199 Summer Avenue Anne Godwin, 189 Summer Avenue Sally Monagle, 7 King Street Kathy & David Greenfield, 192 Woburn Street Jerry & Nancy Lamb, 194 Summer Avenue Mary Ellen O'Neill, 125 Summer Avenue Frank Coccolutto, 195 Summer Avenue Nancy Ziemlak, 15 Orchard Park Drive Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Virginia Blodgett Topics of Discussion: Mr. Blodgett opened the continued hearing at 7:15 pm, and introduced Mr. Magolin. Mr. Margolin stated the following: • Criterion Child Enrichment would like to be accepted • They have a right to be there • They received a strong message at the previous night of the public hearing about the size and bulk of the project • Their architect has been working to address those concerns • The new design in 24% fewer square feet • They have shortened the addition by 13' 2" • The appearance is more dramatic Page 1 1 • They believe the new plans fit into the Historic District • They have aerial photos • The house next door (176 Summer) is 132' long Mr. Maxwell gave a PowerPoint presentation of the new plans for the addition. He stated /showed the following: • Aerial photos from three different perspectives • In the previous plan the length of the house plus the addition was 131', in the new plan the length is 118' • The end of the addition will now be 28' from the barn • The floor area ration vs lot coverage moves the project from 13th to 6th in comparison with other properties in the district • We have given 2 reports by the structural engineers about the barn — one for stabilization and the other for use of the first floor • The new site plan showed the following: • The connector is shortened from 11' to 10' • The connector is now the main entrance to both the historic house and the addition • The classrooms are squeezed and part of the hall has been removed • Using the full basement • The distance from the barn has increased from 15' to 28' 1" • The ramp on the historic house has been eliminated • The elevation of the land allows the entrance through the connector and it will not need a railing • The stairs to the historic house would be moved to the center of the side porch • The square footage of the old was 5620, the new is 4274 • A gable has been added to the north side • The two gables on the south side have been narrowed and shortened • On the back side (east) more windows have been added as there is now a staircase and classrooms at the end • 2 options for detailing: ■ Shouldered architraves, brackets, to mimic historic house ■ Plain windows as shown in previous plans • Another possible plan was shown with a flat roof for the addition For purposes of discussion Plan A has window treatment as shown in previous plan. Plan B is with architraves and brackets. Plan C is with the flat roof. Mr. Blodgett opened the meeting to the public. Ms. Bornstein asked if the addition had been moved on the site. Mr. Maxwell stated that it has been moved only a few inches. Ms. Bornstein asked if the ginko trees would be male and female. Mr. Maxwell responded that the variety of ginko chosen bears no fruit. Ms. Rohmer stated that the new plan was an improvement; that she did not like the flat roof (C); would prefer not fenestration (A); appreciates that the ramp to the historic house is gone; and appreciates that trees can now be seen between the addition and the barn Page 1 2 Ms. Ziemlak stated that the new plan is a big improvement; would choose to make it look more like the house (B) Ms. Adams stated that the new plan reduces the mass /bulk which is what we were looking for. She asked for a description of the corner boards. Mr. Maxwell replied that the materials was the same as for the addition, that they are not pilasters, just corner boards. Ms. Adams asked about any precautions necessary when using man -made materials. Mr. Maxwell replied that dust masks are needed and that there are strict manufacturer's recommendations for using the materials. Ms. Lamb stated that from her view (next door) she would prefer w/o fenestration (A). Mr. Corwin asked if any thought was given to making the addition narrower vs. shorter. Mr. Maxwell responded that the more we squeeze the addition (N /S), the longer it gets (E /W). The classrooms can accommodate 10 children and their parents and they can't squeeze the handicapped bathroom. Mr. Corwin added that he liked fenestration (B). Ms. Godwin said she was pleased that the house is pulled away from the barn; that she likes the unadorned windows (A); is pleased that the ramp has been taken away, but is still marinating on the project. Ms. Snyder commended them for their hard work and wanted to know if they would consider storm water collection and landscaping. Mr. Blodgett closed the meeting to the public. Mr. Blodgett asked Mr. Maxwell to review the square footage of the plan. Mr. Maxwell said that addition in the original plan was 5620 sq. ft. and that the addition in the new plan is 4274 sq. ft. (2137 sq. ft /floor) and that the length from the front of the historic house to the end of the addition is 118'. Ms. Adams said she wanted to publicly thank Criterion for updating the plan. She said that the HDC had received copies of correspondence between Mr. Miyares and Mr. Margolin, dated March 25 and April 1 regarding agreements on how to proceed with this process; whether time is needed for consideration; time for the architect to make adjustment, etc. She said her concerns about the bulk and massing have been more allayed and that it fits into the neighborhood with less impact. She knows that use of the building cannot be considered. Mr. Blodgett said he was impressed with the movement that had been made. But there is still the question of how big an addition should be allowed. The Bylaw does not have jurisdiction over additions to buildings that are less than 70 years old unless the addition is more than 25% of the size of the house. He questioned whether homes that are more than 70 years old should be more restrictive. Homes in the West Street HD have had additions, but the largest was 32% and it has very low visibility from the street. This property will have high visibility. Mr. Margolin stated that nothing stays the same. If they could have used just the existing house, they would have. And that they have a right to be there. Page 1 3 Mr. Blodgett stated that he is not questioning their right to be there. But it is the Commission's responsibility to administer the Bylaw. Mr. Margolin responded that the Bylaw is open -ended and does not specify the size of an addition. Mr. Blodgett stated further that the Bylaw is not locked in and the HDC is responsible to make a judgement. He said that the Dept. of the Interior says there must be a determination as to whether it fits. Mr. Margolin responded that other houses and the church must be taken into account. Mr. Miyares said that the Dover Amendment applies to zoning and that the ADA is not being considered at this time. Ms. Adams reminded everyone that the HDC can only discuss the issues when in session. Ms. Bornstein mentioned several items listed in the Design Guidelines including approving the footprint of an addition, importance to streetscape and that the proposal must not destroy the historic nature of the district. Ms. Adams made several statements: • The historic structure and the barn will be preserved "in situ" • She has general concern about the Bylaw regarding design, proportion, detailing, mass, etc. • She felt that the comparison to the Parker Middle School was inappropriate • FAR helps • As far as the demolition of the breezeway and extension, she felt that the general consensus of the Commission was to approve • That the Commission needs to be assured that there will be support of historic house when demolition begins and that she would like that included as a statement in the agreement and that no heavy machinery should be near the building. No "whoops ". Mr. Miyares said that the Commission should give a general list of requirements /conditions. He said he would draft of a possible agreement. Ms. Adams noted that if the Commission denies an Application, they need to list the reasons for denial Mr. Blodgett said he needed time to digest the new proposal and the numbers. The Commission asked to see the materials that Mr. Maxwell had brought. Mr. Maxwell showed the following: • Shingles to be used on the roof of the addition • Slate for the historic house • Red cedar clapboards for the historic house to replace damaged ones • Hardiplank for the addition, that the exposure of 4% to 5" would be used to match the house Page 1 4 • Both the red cedar clapboards and the hardiplank would be painted (the hardiplank comes primed) — and special paint is not required • The trim boards that need to be replaced on the house will be natural materials — poplar • The trim on the addition is either fiber /cement or a 3% " sawdust /resin board —there was discussion that the house has 9" boards and that it would be better to have those on the addition smaller • He stated that the railing on the porch of the house is vinyl and that it will be replaced with wood • The connector material — dove gray which has the least reflection • Aluminum flashing on both house (currently has that) and addition • Windows — vinyl with simulated divided light — 6 over 6 — with 5% " trim — no storms — good match to the existing windows Ms. Adams stated that it was better not to have the grain show in the hardiplank. Mr. Blodgett agreed. Ms. Bornstein stated that no artificial materials on the historic house and barn. She also asked about a likely time frame if approval is given. Mr. Maxwell replied that once there is approval, that they will need to revisit CPDC (minor site review) and get a building permit. But they would expect less than a year for the construction. Mr. Lupi stated that the reduced size of the plan is good, but that in the rendering the trim on the addition appears to be too big. Mr. Maxwell explained that it will be smaller than it appears. Mr. Blodgett agrees with the simpler design (A). He noted that acceptance of man -made materials is a move on the part of the Commission. Ms. Bornstein questioned whether they feel they will encounter unexpected problems and if they may reach a decision that they will not continue. Mr. Maxwell said that he was certain that problems will come up, but that because Criterion has greater resources than most homeowners, they will be able to handle them. He said that anticipated problems with the windows and the granite blocks in the foundation. Mr. Blodgett stated that if they run into substantial problems that require adjustment of the plan, they must come back to the Commission. Ms. Adams commented that because they usually deals with smaller residential projects, this has put much greater pressure on the Commission. Mr. Lamb noted that the renderings do not accurately represent the amount of pavement vs. green space. He also asked how much movement there was regarding signage (handicapped parking and no parking) on the property. Ms. Godwin asked if the size of the signs could be reduced. Mr. Maxwell said that size of the handicapped signs is mandated by state law, but he would check about the no parking signs. Dr. Littleton said that they would be happy to change them if they can. Page 1 5 Ms. Godwin noted that the signs are not showing on the renderings either. There was discussion as to a date for the continuation of the hearing. April 27 is Town Meeting. So it was agreed that the continuation will be on April 29 @ 7 PM at Town Hall in the Conference Room. Mr. Miyares said that a proposal should be submitted and should include: • An inventory of materials • Specific reference to the latest plans by date • Should include a statement that the materials being used are only appropriate because of the circumstances of this project and do not represent a change on the part of the Commission to accept such material in the future • There may need to be further discussion and readjustment of proposal • He suggested that reasons should be included in an approval as well as a denial Ms. Adams stated that the address of the U. U. Church was incorrect it should be 239 Woburn. Mr. Miyares asked about the visibility from Parker Middle School. R. Maxwell responded that they had provided the elevations at back of addition (E side). Mr. Blodgett said that once some of the trees are taken down for the parking, the house and addition will be even more visible. Discussion followed as to whether the driveway and parking lot at Parker are a "public way ". If it is, then the visibility from there needs to be considered. Ms. Adams discussed several points that she disputes from the proposed Decision Findings: • #9 is "in kind" determined by the applicant or the Commission • #11— stabilization — protect and stabilize • #12 —this section is unacceptable Ms. Adams also reaffirmed that the use of man -made materials is non - precedent setting Mr. Blodgett said that the agreement should have a clear statement that changes previously made through CPDC and the Historical Commission will be incorporated. Mr. Miyares stated that there is no vote yet, but the consensus around the table is that version A of the new plans is favored by the Commission. Motion was made by Ms. Adams to continue the Public Hearing to April 29, 2015. Seconded by Ms. Bornstein. Voted 4 -0 -0. A motion was made by Ms. Adams to adjourn at 10:15 PM. Ms. Poehler seconded. Vote was 4 -0 -0. Page 1 6