City of Burlington Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes: September 4, 2013

Transcription

1 City of Burlington Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes: September 4, 2013 The City of Burlington Historic Preservation Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 7:00 PM in the City Hall Complex, 525 High Street, Burlington, NJ. 1. Introduction: The meeting was called to order at 7:05. Chairman Van Sciver opened the meeting with an introduction to the procedures of the Historic Preservation Commission. He then led the Pledge of Allegiance; HPC Secretary Diane Burns conducted the Roll Call. 2. Roll call vote: Present: Chairman Chancellor Van Sciver, Vice Chairman Kevin Rijs, Elizabeth Baird, William Buehrig, Emma Jean Morgan, and Brian White. Commissioners Doris Johnston and Ivan Pawlenko were absent. Also present: Commission Secretary Diane Burns and Historic Preservation Consultant, John Hatch, AIA. 3. Consideration of Minutes: The minutes for August, 2013 were reviewed. Mr. Buehrig made a motion to accept the meeting minutes as presented; Ms. Baird seconded. The vote was 6-0 in favor of accepting the minutes. 4. Applications: HPC Application : Retroactive approval for the installation of three vinyl windows on the first floor, front and side, of 14 West Union Street. Owner/ Applicant: William and Claire Daly Site: 14 West Union Street (Block 13, Lot 14) Designation: Contributing (Located in the High Street State and National Historic District). a. Documents Submitted: A completed application with a description of the proposed work, photographs, and cut sheets of the installed windows were provided on August 19, b. Scope of work proposed by applicant: This is a three story, side-gabled, brick rowhouse, constructed between 1859 and The first floor has three bays (the left bay is the front door, which has a single light transom); the upper floors also have three bays each. There is a masonry front stoop with a decorative steel handrail. The windows all have stone lintels and sills. 1

2 The windows all appear to have been replaced with six over six vinyl double hung windows. The side of the house is visible from West Union Street. The first bay closest to the front corner of the house has a double hung window on the first floor, with a projecting bay above, and a small third floor window. It appears that all of these windows have been replaced with new vinyl windows at some point. The rear section of the house is of wood frame construction with aluminum siding. There are several additions and enclosed porches. c. Discussion/ Public Comment: Mr. Daly was sworn in and stated that he had replaced three wood windows on the ground floor because they were in disgusting condition, and because he was not aware that he needed to appear before the HPC for this kind of work. After prompting from Chairman Van Sciver, he stated that the other windows on the building had been replaced some years ago with vinyl, and the three windows now in question were being replaced to match. He confirmed that he replaced six over six wood windows with new vinyl windows that also had a six over six configuration, although the new muntin grids were not on the exterior (they are between the panes of insulated glass). Mr. Hatch, the HPC Historic Preservation Consultant, explained that this house is located in the High Street Historic District, one of the two State and National Historic Districts that are called out for special attention in the City s Historic Preservation Ordinance. He quoted from the ordinance, stating that wood windows should be used on the visible sides of structures in these parts of the City s Historic District. Commissioners White and Rijs questioned whether the vinyl windows really looked much different from the wood windows. Mr. Rijs asked Mr. Hatch whether it was in the Commissions power to approve alternative materials for the window replacements. Mr. Hatch agreed, but stated that he believes that in this case the vinyl windows look quite different from the wood and that they are visible, since the house is directly on the sidewalk with no setback. Mr. Rijs asked if there were any possible mitigations that could improve the appearance of the vinyl windows. Mr. Hatch stated that adding wood trim, putting the grid on the exterior of the glass and painting the vinyl windows might be possible mitigations. Mr. Daly stated that it might be easier to replace the windows than do all of this suggested work. Mr. Rijs stated that there are three options, depending on the decision of the HPC: Follow the HPC s recommendations; seek to come to an agreement with the HPC s consultant about possible ways to improve the appearance of the windows; or, if the applicant disagrees with the HPC s decision, appeal to the Land Use Board. There was no comment from the public. 2

3 d. The Historic Preservation Commission recommends the following as conditions of any approval: NA e. Commission Decision Commissioner White made a motion to approve the application as presented. Commissioner Rijs seconded. The Commission voted 4 to 2 to deny the application. Mr. White and Mr. Rijs voted in favor of the motion, while Ms. Baird, Mr. Buehrig, Ms. Morgan and Mr. Van Sciver voted against. The application to install three new windows on the ground floor of 14 West Union Street was denied. HPC Application : Install a new dimensional shingle roof. Owner: Applicant: Mary Marinella Dave Miller (Exterior Image) Site: 29 East Union Street; Block 118, Lot 40 Designation: Contributing a. Documents Submitted: A completed application with a description of the proposed work and photographs were provided on August 16, b. Scope of work proposed by applicant: This is one half of a pair of semi-detached frame houses built on a raised foundation in the mid to late 19th century. The house is 2 ½ stories tall, with a side gable roof and a central intersecting gable (shared with the neighboring house). This house has a flat, more modern porch that spans the first floor. This porch is supported on decorative steel columns; the floor and steps are painted concrete. The first floor has a left hand door, and a later, large central window with twelve lights. The second floor has two bays of aluminum windows; the top floor has a single window paired with the neighbor s window. The first floor has been covered with brickface. The upper floors are sheathed with asbestos siding. The applicant is requesting approval to replace the existing standing seam metal roof with a new, dimensional shingle roof, fox hollow grey color. c. Discussion/ Public Comment Mr. Christopher Miller, representing the contractor (Exterior Image) was sworn in and described the proposed work. He stated that the existing standing seam metal roof is in poor condition (part is covered by a blue tarp) and that the roof needs to be replaced. They propose a grey asphalt shingle roof, similar to what s on the adjacent roof. 3

4 Mr. Hatch stated that the roof, because of its configuration, is not particularly visible from East Union Street and the house is set back from the public parking lot at the rear. There was no comment from the public. d. The Historic Preservation Commission recommends the following as conditions of any approval: NA. e. Commission Decision: Commissioner Buehrig made a motion to approve the application to replace the existing roof at 29 East Union Street as presented. Commissioner Baird seconded. The Commission voted 6 to 0 in favor of the motion. 5. Old Business: a. Historic District Subcommittee: Ms. Morgan provided a report from the Historic District Boundary Subcommittee, members of which are Ms. Morgan, Ms. Baird and Mr. Pawlenko. She stated that the committee had met again, and the she had met with Mr. Hatch to discuss possible ways to proceed. She said that the subcommittee will be making a presentation at the next HPC meeting. Ms. Baird noted that she had been able to find copies of the State and National Register nominations for the two designated Districts on-line. Diane Burns will print one copy. b. Conditions Report on the City-owned historic properties: Mr. Hatch noted that he has completed a rough draft of the Conditions Assessment of the five city-owned historic properties. He provided several copies to members of the Commission for review and comment. c. The McNeal Mansion: Ms. Baird stated that the McNeal Mansion is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. There was then some discussion about the history of the development and deterioration of the site and how the City ultimately approved demolition. There was the desire on the part of some Commission members to seek ways to preserve the building. Chairman Van Sciver then noted that the building is not actually listed by the City of Burlington, and that advocacy for the preservation of the building would be better coming from the Burlington City Historical Society. 6. New Business: a. District Boundaries: Commissioner Morgan reiterated that she is concerned that many in the City don t know that they are located in the Historic District. One of the applicants at this evening s meeting had brought this up during his presentation. Chairman Van Sciver stated that, coincidentally, he had been contacted by a Barbara Fegley of ERI who is updating the Zoning Map and coordinating the Historic District maps with the Master Plan (Commissioner Rijs stated that this work is being funded by a grant from the DVRPC). Mr. Van Sciver has invited Ms. Fegley to attend next month s meeting. He also 4

5 7. Public Comment: a. NA noted that everyone who purchases a property in the Historic District is notified that there are special reviews; purchasers should know that they are located in the District. 8. Adjournment: a. Ms. Baird made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Mr. Buehrig seconded. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:45 PM. Respectfully submitted on September 12, 2013 by John Hatch, AIA, consultant to the Burlington City Historic Preservation Commission. 5