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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-12-19 Historic District Commission Town of Reading z Meeting Minutes 'i A. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Rk- Historic District Commission =-`7 Jii;i 16 AM 11 49 Date: 2019-12-19 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Conference Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Purpose: Meeting Version: Attendees: Members - Present: Everett Blodgett, Chairman; Virginia Adams, Priscilla Poehler, Amelia Freedman and Pino D'Orazio - Alternate Members Members - Not Present: Greg Maganzini, Ilene Bornstein, Carl Mittnight Others Present: David Godwin, Josh Latham, Robert Biggio, Patrick Cloney Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Kim Saunders Topics of Discussion: Mr. Blodgett opened the public hearing at 7:02 PM. 116 West Street Mr. Blodgett explained the Reading Chronicle previously printed the public hearing notice wrong, which resulted in a new hearing date and the public hearing to be re-advertised with correct information. Mr. Latham, representing Mr. Biggio, presented Assignment of Application that showed the property was sold to West Street Realty Trust and Darrell MacLean on October 22, 2019. Mr. Blodgett said he read in the local newspaper the property was sold and he pointed out an error on the application. Ms. Adams read the public hearing notice into the record. Mr. Blodgett pointed out the public hearing notice noted the wrong room; a note was posted on the Berger Room to make the public aware the meeting is in the Town Hall Conference Room. Ms. Adams asked if the sale of the property included the existing historic house as well as Lot 1. Mr. Biggio confirmed the sale is for the entire property. Mr. D'Orazio asked why at the last meeting the Commission was not informed the property was sold? Mr. Latham replied he was not aware and Mr. Biggio apologized for the mistake. Mr. Cloney confirmed he is part of the Trustee that bought the property. Mr. Blodgett pointed out the application has the wrong year for the completion date. Mr. Latham confirmed the completion date should be 2020 and the application should reflect the correction. Mr. Blodgett asked if the foundation work has commenced? Mr. Biggio responded there has been no permit issued, there is a slight change in the application. The garage style changed Page 1 1 and the foundation is one-foot larger than the original plan. Mr. Blodgett replied the change in the foundation was brought to his attention by Town staff. Mr. Biggio added he would like the project to begin by the end of March. Mr. Latham provided a brief overview of the Town approval process. He reminded the Commission the approval is for the one new Lot and there is no request at this time for alterations on the existing historic house. Mr. Biggio presented the following; • The one large white garage door was changed to accommodate two doors; • The wood tone garage door is less intrusive from the street; • Lot 1 coverage was reviewed and compared to surrounding properties and is appropriate for the size of the Lot; • The new Lot has less coverage but is double in size of the adjacent properties with the exception of the historic house; • The proposed dwelling is 124' from West Street; • The existing house is 35' from West Street; • The proposal is for vinyl siding and asphalt shingles for roof; and • The only change to the plans is the garage doors Mr. Biggio confirmed the material is Azek wood grain along with clapboard for siding. Mr. Blodgett said the Commission has already reviewed the plans at a previous meeting and asked if there were any questions or concerns. Mr. Biggio said the footprint of the house is roughly 2200sf. Mr. Blodgett opened the meeting to the public and closed with no public comment. Ms. Adams expressed her disappointment on how the whole process unfolded. Mr. Biggio responded he had no devious intent during the process. He moved to be closer to his sons during the construction and is unsure if he will return to the property. He still intends to fix the historic house. Ms. Freedman expressed frustration the Commission was not told the property was sold at the last meeting. Mr. Biggio said he has been involved with the whole process and explained it was most logical for him to sell the property. Mr. Blodgett said the Commission approval of the low-impact subdivision helped prevent a larger subdivision with a greater amount of pavement. He questioned the decision by the Conservation Commission that there were no wetlands on the property. Mr. Cloney replied the Community Planning and Development Commission (CPDC) heard the concerns from the neighbors about the Flooding in the area and the owners took a proactive approach and hired a professional to survey multiple locations. Chuck Tirone, the Conservation Administrator and the professional agreed together there were no wetlands present on the property. Mr. Cloney added boring test pits were conducted on the property by the professional. Mr. Biggio agreed the abutters do get water in their basement but they pump it onto their own property. Mr. Blodgett commented there is so little land available in town to build, everything is getting over built. Mr. Biggio said he decided to subdivide the property when the property became overwhelming to maintain. Ms. Adams asked Mr. Biggio if he had an agreement with the present owner to move back into the property. Mr. Biggio replied there is a verbal agreement. Mr. Biggio provided the site plan and said the right-of-way will be maintained by both properties. He pointed out the snow storage area and described the Cultec recharge system that will be installed to help with the drainage. Mr. Blodgett asked the Commission if they had any concerns with the aesthetics of the new dwelling and how it appears on the Lot. Ms. Adams said it is important the new dwelling is set far back from the street so it doesn't interfere with the streetscape. Page 1 2 Mr. Blodgett brought forward an article from the Globe on November 10, 2019 discussing the recent concern about chemicals that are going into buildings. Mr. Biggio replied he is well aware about chemicals and will keep it in mind. Ms. Adams asked if Mr. Biggio will occupy the new dwelling? Mr. Biggio replied the new dwelling is too large, he would most likely move back into the historic property. Mr. Blodgett appointed Mr. D'Orazio and Ms. Freedman as voting members. On a motion made by Mr. D'Orazio, seconded by Ms. Poehler, the HDC close the public hearing for 116 West Street Lot 1. Vote 5-0-0 On a motion made by Mr. D'Orazio, seconded by Ms. Poehler, the HDC approve to grant the Certificate of Appropriateness for 116 West Street Lot 1 including the Assignment of Application. Vote 5-0-0 189 Summer Avenue Mr. Blodgett said the Public Services Department received the application for a Certificate of Appropriateness on December 17, 2019. The owner attended a previous HDC meeting to discuss the proposal for an addition, renovations to the kitchen and modifications on the outside. Mr. David Godwin, the owner of the property, provided the following: • The plot plan with the proposed change; • The proposal is relatively far back from the street; • The pictures will show the windows are not original to the house, not sure when changed; • The new windows will match the existing; • The foundation is fieldstone and brick; • The original house went further back on the property; • The proposal will bring it back to the original footprint; • The proposal is for a 10' 2-story addition, the lower portion will extend further than the upper story; • Proposing railings to help the front of the house get some balance; • The original chimney was removed; • A shed dormer will be added, the one existing is original to the house; and • The proposal will be consistent with the original architecture Mr. Godwin said he and his wife have waited a bit on renovating the kitchen to make sure it is consistent with the architect of the house and will be functional moving forward. He chose an architecture and interior designer who have history on designing an old house. Mr. D'Orazio asked what can be viewed from the street on the new windows. Mr. Godwin presented the plot plan to show how far back the house sits from the street and said there are mature maple trees on the property that blocks the view. Mr. Blodgett said there could be concerns with the height of the railings. Mr. Godwin said there is not an egress where the railings are located. He wanted to match the existing front porch, and will make sure everything is to code. Ms. Adams said there is lee-way for historic homes that allow flexibility with historic structures. Mr. Godwin replied there is underpinning required that is why the porch needs to be removed and rebuilt. Ms. Adams commented the front porch is not part of this application. The Commission complimented the appearance and upkeep of the property. The Commission went through the list to see if the proposal qualifies for a Certificate of Appropriateness. Page 1 3 After a discussion, the Commission agreed a public hearing should be required and proposed January 23r° as a potential date. On a motion made by Ms. Adams, seconded by Ms. Freedman, the HDC requires a public hearing for 189 Summer Avenue for the Certificate of Appropriateness. Vote 5-0-0 Mr. Blodgett distributed the Globe article on chemicals being used on building projects. Mr. Blodgett said he is having difficulty using the Town group email. The HDC email has Andrew Friedman, the Select Board liaison, but the emails that he sends do not pertain to Mr. Friedman. Ms. Saunders, the Recording Secretary, will talk with Amanda Beatrice to remove Mr. Friedman from the group email and have her include him when necessary. It was recommended that Mr. Blodgett have Ms. Beatrice respond to the Applicants to make sure the Applicant does not use Mr. Blodgett's personal email. 186 Summer Avenue The Commission briefly talked about the joint meeting with the Reading Historical Commission that was held on December 11, 2019 where 186 Summer Avenue was discussed. The Commission agreed at the joint meeting to write a letter to the Assessing Department and the owners of the property. Mr. Blodgett requested the Commission to bring ideas to the next meeting on what to put in the draft letters. Mr. D'Orazio will take the lead and draft the letters. Other The Commission discussed the Memo from the Reading Bylaw Committee on the subject of: Revision to Residency Requirement for Appointed Boards, Committees and Commissions dated October 28 2019. After the discussion, Mr. Blodgett agreed to draft a letter disapproving non-residency people to be a member of a Board, Committee or Commission. Mr. Blodgett brought forward the email from Miryam Becker that was sent to the Commission on November 22, 2019. The Landscape Architect has requested time to attend a meeting to discuss a deck on a property in the District. He informed the Commission the Landscape Architect will be at the January 13`h meeting. Mr. Blodgett informed the Commission the owners of 167 Summer Avenue is proposing to close in a 3-season porch. The application is scheduled to be heard at the January 13`h meeting. Minutes January 14, 2019 On a motion made by Mr. Blodgett seconded by Mr. D'Orazio, the HDC approves the January 14, 2019 minutes as amended. Vote 5-0-0 July 8. 2019 On a motion made by Ms. Adams, seconded by Ms. Poehler, the HDC approves the July 8, 2019 minutes as amended. Vote 5-0-0 September 9. 2019 On a motion made by Ms. Adams, seconded by Ms. Poehler, the HDC approves the September 9, 2019 minutes as amended. Vote 5-0-0 September 26, 2019 Gage 1 4 On a motion made by Ms. Adams, seconded by Ms. Poehler, the HDC approves the September 26, 2019 minutes as amended. Vote 5-0-0 November 4, 2019 On a motion made by Ms. Adams, seconded by Ms. Poehler, the HDC approves the November 4, 2019 minutes as amended. Vote 5-0-0 November 26. 2019 On a motion made by Mr. Blodgett, seconded by Ms. Freedman, the HDC approves the November 26, 2019 minutes as amended. Vote 5-0-0 December 11. 2019 On a motion made by Mr. Blodgett, seconded by Ms. Poehler, the NDC approves the December 11, 2019 minutes as amended. Vote 5-0-0 On a motion made by Ms. Poehler, seconded by Mr. Blodgett the HDC to adjourn at 9:15 PM Vote 5-0-0 Page 1 5