Historic Preservation & Architectural Review Board Agendas and Minutes

MINUTES OF THE COHOES HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD HELD VIRTUALLY VIA THE ZOOM APPLICATION ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020 AT 6:30 PM MEMBERS PRESENT: Daniele Cherniak, Chairperson Herb Hyde Thomas Rifenberg MEMBERS ABSENT: Barbara Hildreth, Vice Chairperson ALSO PRESENT: Joseph Seman-Graves, City Planner Sharon Butler, Administrative Assistant Chairperson Cherniak called the meeting to order at 6:31 PM. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES FROM THE JULY 8, 2020 MEETING Chairperson Cherniak: Our first item on the agenda is the consideration of the July 9th meeting minutes. Do any members have any questions on the minutes? Chairperson Cherniak: Are there any other comments on the minutes? Herb Hyde: I will make a motion to accept the minutes. Thomas Rifenberg seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. YES NO ABSTAIN Daniele Cherniak X Herb Hyde X Barbara Hildreth ABSENT Thomas Rifenberg X CONSIDERATION OF WINDOW REPLACEMENT AND FAÇADE TREATMENTS AT 144 REMSEN STREET: Chairperson Cherniak: The next item on the agenda is 144 Remsen Street, is the applicant on the line? Ms. Karina Hojra was on for the meeting. Chairperson Cherniak: Could you tell us please what you are doing? Ms. Hojra; we are doing exactly what was presented with our application. There is damage to the bay window, it will be the same we are just looking to repair the rotted wood and paint the same color. We are also looking to paint other parts of the façade that has paint chipping and peeling. Chairperson Cherniak: So, you aren’t looking to paint any other surfaces? Ms. Hojra; No, just where paint is peeling off. Chairperson Cherniak; Do any of the Board members have any questions? Herb Hyde: No, I don’t have any questions. Thomas Rifenberg: No I don’t have any questions. Chairperson Cherniak; do we have a motion to approve this application? Thomas Rifenberg; I’ll make the motion Herby Hyde; 2nd the motion and it passed unanimously YES NO ABSTAIN Daniele Cherniak X Herb Hyde X Barbara Hildreth ABSENT Thomas Rifenberg X CONSIDERATION OF A NEW SIGN AT 159 REMSEN STREET: Chairperson Cherniak: Next on the agenda is 159 Remsen Street, is the applicant on the line? Ms. Kelsey Knutsen; yes I am here Chairperson Cherniak: Could you tell us about the sign you are looking to install? Ms. Knutsen: I’m looking to install a sign for my new business, The Local which is on Remsen and White Street. The sign would be a hanging sign off the building by the front door. Chairperson Cherniak; what is the height of the sign? Ms. Knutsen; 25 inches Chairperson Cherniak; will it be a hanging sign? Ms. Knutsen; yes above the front door, it will have black metal brackets. Herb Hyde; will it have the pink color I’m seeing on the drawing? Ms. Knutsen; yes, it is a double sided image with the colors you see. Herb Hyde; is the colors on the historic palette? Joe Seman-Graves; yes those colors are on the historic color chart. Chairperson Cherniak; will the sign be lighted? Ms. Knutsen; no, it won’t be lit. Chairperson Cherniak; are there any other questions from the board? Herb Hyde; no other questions Thomas Rifenberg; no questions Chairperson Cherniak; do we have a motion to approve this application: Herb Hyde; I’ll make a motion to approve this application Thomas Rifenberg; 2nd the motion and it passed unanimously YES NO ABSTAIN Daniele Cherniak X Herb Hyde X Barbara Hildreth ABSENT Thomas Rifenberg X CONSIDERATION OF A NEW SIGN AT 159B REMSEN STREET: Chairperson Cherniak: Next on the agenda is a new sign at 159B Remsen Street, is the applicant on the line? Ms. Jaimie Babaiczy: I am here, hi. Chairperson Cherniak: Can you tell us a little bit about what you plan to do? Ms. Babaiczy; we are looking to install a new sign for our business above the door. Chairperson Cherniak; what is the location of the sign? Ms. Babaiczy; it will be above the door between the lights. Herb Hyde; what are the colors of the sign? Ms. Babaiczy; brushed aluminum with black lettering. Herb Hyde; are there brackets? Ms. Babaiczy; no there’s no brackets, Herb Hyde; will it be a lit sign? Ms. Babaiczy; no, there’s no lighting. Chairperson Cherniak; are there any other questions regarding this application? Herb Hyde; no other questions. Thomas Rifenberg; no questions/ Chairperson Cherniak; do I have a motion to approve this application? Thomas Rifenberg; I’ll make a motion to approve. Herby Hyde; I’ll 2nd the motion, motion passed unanimously YES NO ABSTAIN Daniele Cherniak X Herb Hyde X Barbara Hildreth ABSENT Thomas Rifenberg X CONSIDERATION OF EXTERIOR PAINTING AND LANDSCAPING AT 22-40 REMSEN STREET Chairperson Cherniak; next on the agenda is the application for exterior painting and landscaping at 22-40 Remsen Street. Is the applicant on? Joe Seman-Graves; no the applicant couldn’t join the meeting. I can answer any questions, if there are any I can’t answer we can have the applicant come next month. They were already approved for painting, they just want to put new planters out front. Herb Hyde; it doesn’t look like major landscaping to me. Chairperson Cherniak; I don’t see anything objectionable on here. Are there any other questions from the board on this application? Herb Hyde; no Thomas Rifenberg; no questions Chairperson Cherniak; do I have a motion to approve this application? Herb Hyde; I’ll make a motion to approve Thomas Rifenberg; I’ll 2nd the motion, the motion passed unanimously. YES NO ABSTAIN Daniele Cherniak X Herb Hyde X Barbara Hildreth ABSENT Thomas Rifenberg X CONSIDERATION OF PORCH REPLACEMENT AND FAÇADE TREATMENTS AT 128 MOHAWK STREET Chairperson Cherniak next on the agenda is an application for porch replacement and façade treatments at 128 Mohawk Street. Is the applicant on? Ms. Caitlin Abrams was present. Also on the phone was her contractor Dan Razzano Chairperson Cherniak; can you give us detail on what you are looking to do? Mr. Razzano; we are looking to remove the existing front porch and replace with similar materials as the existing. Herb Hyde; what is the replacement size? Mr. Razzano; the current porch is 20x8 which will be removed and 8x8 new porch installed. Herb Hyde; will the columns stay untouched? Mr. Razzano; we will be removing the columns, stairs, footings. Chairperson Cherniak; will the columns be similar to what is there now? Herb Hyde; what will the material be? Mr. Razzano; PVC material for maintenance free, but if we have to use wood we can do that. Herb Hyde; we would like to keep everything similar to what is there. Chairperson Cherniak; it is preferable to keep it similar, but I don’t think that porch is original to the building. Ms. Abrams; no the porch was built in the 20’s or 30’s and the columns are not the original. The columns are not wood and they are wrapped in metal. Herb Hyde; do you have the original drawings of the building? Ms. Abrams; no we don’t have those. Chairperson Cherniak; it’s definitely not original. I don’t have a problem with the materials, if it was original then we would look at it differently. Herb Hyde; are the new columns going to be wood: Mr. Razzano; no, PVC for all detail and composite decking for the porch. Chairperson Cherniak; are there any other questions from the board: Herb Hyde; no Thomas Rifenberg; no Chairperson Cherniak; do we have a motion to approve this application? Herb Hyde; I’ll make the motion Thomas Rifenberg; I’ll 2nd the motion, motion passed unanimously. YES NO ABSTAIN Daniele Cherniak X Herb Hyde X Barbara Hildreth ABSENT Thomas Rifenberg X CONSIDERATION OF WINDOW REPLACEMENTS, PAINTING AND FAÇADE TREATMENTS AT 109 REMSEN STREET Chairperson Cherniak; next on the agenda is an application for window replacement, painting and façade treatments at 109 Remsen Street. Is the applicant present? Mr. Luk LaDue; yes, I’m here. Chairperson Cherniak; could you explain what you are doing? Mr. LaDue; we are looking to update the façade paint, do some up lighting, repoint brick in the back, where it is damaged. Eventually replace front door to apartments and remove the awning. Herb Hyde; is that the reddish color awning? Mr. LaDue; yes, we won’t be putting a new awning up, just removing that one. Herb Hyde; what doors are being replaced? Mr. LaDue; the left side doorway will be eliminated, and we will have tenants use the middle door. Chairperson Cherniak; what surfaces are you painting, are they just the current painted surfaces? Mr. LaDue; yes Chairperson Cherniak; are you looking to have the doors approved now? Mr. LaDue, yes, the doors will be the same as on 95 Remsen Street. Chairperson Cherniak; I have a concern about the window, ½ moon shape. Mr. LaDue; the tenants can’t clean the windows that are there now, we are looking to install windows that open in so tenants can clean them easily. Chairperson Cherniak; they aren’t the same shape Mr. LaDue; they are the same shape, they just don’t have the dividing line. The windows that are there now, aren’t made any longer. I have called several vendors and no one makes them like that anymore. Herb Hyde; no one makes these windows? Mr. LaDue; no I have checked with several vendors and no one makes windows like that any longer. Herb Hyde; are they vinyl? Mr. LaDue; bronze and we will be painting around them Herb Hyde; you are pointing the bricks, not painting them? Mr. LaDue; no painting of the bricks only repointing ones in the back that are damaged and any in front that might need work. We are keeping the bricks. Chairperson Cherniak; the painting you are doing, is it historic colors? Mr. LaDue; yes, store front, cornice, and other painted surfaces will be repainted. Chairperson Cherniak; just the previously painted surfaces? Mr. LaDue; yes only the painted surfaces to be repainted. Chairperson Cherniak; are there any other questions on this application? Herb Hyde; no Thomas Rifenberg; no Chairperson Cherniak; do we have a motion to approve this application? Herb Hyde; I’ll make a motion to approve Thomas Rifenberg; 2nd the motion and it passed unanimously. YES NO ABSTAIN Daniele Cherniak X Herb Hyde X Barbara Hildreth ABSENT Thomas Rifenberg X CONSIDERATION OF NEW SIGNS AT 50 MOHAWK STREET Chairperson Cherniak; next on the agenda is an application for new signs at 50 Mohawk Street. Is the applicant present? Mr. Rod Dion; yes I’m here Chairperson Cherniak; I have a concern about the light box sign in the Historic District. Herb Hyde; is the light box, with internal lighting? Mr. Dion; yes it is LED lighting Herb Hyde; with that particular sign, could it be made without the interior lighting and put up with external lighting pointing at the sign? Mr. Dion; the wiring is there, we would just reconnect it, same at St. Peter’s building and Key Bank. Chairperson Cherniak; we didn’t approve St. Peter’s or Key Bank signs. They didn’t come in front of the board. We are trying to encourage people to come before the board prior to doing things. Mr. Dion; I’m bringing in jobs, opening a building bringing business to Cohoes. So me doing the right thing I’m going to penalized? Herb Hyde; you have the option to keep the sign without the internal lighting. Thomas Rifenberg; we do not approve lighted signs. Mr. Dion; if you turn me down, I can still put up the sign, I’m making massive investment in Cohoes. Herb Hyde; you have options; put the sign up without the lighting or appeal to the Common Council. Mr. Dion; sorry I didn’t expect this, I have to reevaluate what I’m doing. Thomas Rifenberg; we have rules, we don’t approve lighted signs in the historic district. Chairperson Cherniak; we have standards about lights in signs, we can approve the other signs, I would recommend not approving the lighted box sign. Mr. Dion wants us to approve the sign on the front of the building. Herb Hyde; looks like flat and will be attached to the building Mr. Dion; the precedent is already set all around us. Chairperson Cherniak; the precedent is not from this board. Herb Hyde; we are volunteer board, just trying to do the right thing for the historic district. You have options, and one option is to bring this to the council to appeal. We are not code enforcement, we are just trying to do the right thing. Chairperson Cherniak; are there any other questions from the board? Herb Hyde; no Thomas Rifenberg; no Chairperson Cherniak, do I have a motion to approve the 2 signs, one on the front of the building and the number 50 sign, not approving the 3rd sign which is the box lighted sign? Thomas Rifenberg; I’ll make a motion to approve as stated Herb Hyde; 2nd the motion, and it passed unanimously. YES NO ABSTAIN Daniele Cherniak X Herb Hyde X Barbara Hildreth ABSENT Thomas Rifenberg X Herb Hyde; we have gone through this before. Chairperson Cherniak; the long standing standard is we don’t approve lighted box signs. KeyBank, Pioneer Bank and St. Peter’s didn’t come to the board for approvals. Joe Seman-Graves; I’ll reach out to Rod tomorrow and see what he wants to do, he already has up lighting maybe he can point that towards the sign. I’ll have a conversation with him tomorrow. Chairperson Cherniak; that concludes our business, do we have a motion to close the meeting? Herb Hyde; I’ll make the motion to close the meeting at 7:22PM Thomas Rifenberg; 2nd and the motion carried unanimously. YES NO ABSTAIN Daniele Cherniak X Herb Hyde X Barbara Hildreth ABSENT Thomas Rifenberg X