Architectural Board of Review

VILLAGE OF CHAGRIN FALLS ARCHITECTURAL BOARD OF REVIEW JUNE 4, 2024 Meeting Called to Order 8:30 A.M. Members Present: Bill Childs, George Clemens, Steve King, Phil Koepf, Wendy Naylor Also Present: Dominic Cribari, Joan Andersen APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Naylor, seconded by Childs to approve the minutes of the May 21, 2024, meeting. Roll Call: Naylor-yea, Childs-yea, King-abstain. Motion passed. 1. DWBH LLC 146 East Washington Exterior Alteration-Preliminary Rick Siegfried (Architect) and Jeff Halpern (Owner) presented these plans. Rick said that they took the recommendations of the Board and added corner details, extended the roof eaves and brought the frame out in front. They also brought the drawings of the streetscape that the Board had requested. He said that they are using rusticated dark composite wood vertical siding. King said that he liked the windows on the east elevation better than the front elevation and asked why they couldn’t be the same. Jeff said that they don’t like that. Clemens said that when you look at the surrounding buildings it’s a slight departure but not jarring. He said that it is a commercial building dressing up a utilitarian building. Rick said the east side of the building is more staccato but has the same language as the rest of the windows. King thought it was too contemporary. Naylor read the Village Historical Preservation Regulations: 1146.04 STANDARDS OF REVIEW. 1146.c.4 (4) Contemporary design. All structures shall be recognized as products of their own time. Alterations, additions and new development which have no historical basis, and which seek to create an earlier appearance shall not be required. Conversely, compatible contemporary design shall not be prohibited or discouraged except where such design would clearly detract from the architectural unity of an ensemble or group of Historically Significant Properties. She said that there is a variety of buildings surrounding this building and she thinks this blends with the new condo’s, auto dealership, post office and new construction across the street. She thinks this is compatible with everything that is already going on in the immediate neighborhood. Clemens thinks that it fits the neighborhood. Jeff said that they made some changes based on the recommendations of the Board. He said that they want the building to be unique, compatible, and interesting. Summation-motion by Naylor, seconded by Childs for preliminary approval of plans as presented. Roll Call: King-nay, Childs-yea, Naylor-yea. Motion passed. 2. Benedetti 52 South Main New Dwelling-Preliminary Rick Siegfried (Architect), Brad Composo (Premier Builders), Diane DeCamillo and Mark Benedetti (Homeowners) presented these plans. Rick said that the Board has seen this before. He said that they are looking to get approval for this today and that they felt a tandem garage is unsafe and that the Village code says they must have a minimum size of 19’ x 21’. Rick said that to build a tandem garage they would have to build up the hill and that would be very expensive. He said that a detached garage does not work on this property. He said that they are carrying the porch across the front of the house. He said they are changing the look on the two garage doors; one will look like an element of the house and the other one will look like a garage door. Naylor said that the house is small and that the garages take up over 50% of the façade. She asked if they could make it a single or detached garage on this property. Clemens said that he doesn’t think a two-car garage works and that they should research an alternative plan. Naylor said that she can’t support a two-car garage and she wants this project to succeed but they need to find another alternative. Diane and Mark said they did not want to build a two-story house and are trying to respect and fit the lot the best they could. Rick said they are trying to do something that fits the lot the best way they could. Clemens said to make the garage a secondary element. Rick said that the Board of Zoning Appeals doesn’t like to talk about design aspects, but he feels that they have a technical hardship here by suggesting that they need a tandem garage. Naylor said she didn’t feel that they were saying that they needed a tandem garage but that this garage takes up 50-60% of the front façade which is not compatible with the historic design of Chagrin Falls. Summation-motion by King, seconded by Naylor for preliminary approval of plans as presented. Roll Call: King-nay, Childs-nay, Naylor-nay for the following reasons. A two-car garage composes approximately 50-60% of the front façade and is not historically compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Other alternatives presented by the board are a one-car garage, tandem garage, detached rear garage or an attached two-car garage in the rear of house. Motion failed. Meeting Adjourned at 9:14 A.M. 6-18-24 __________________________________________ Steve King (Chairman) Date