Historic Preservation Commission

MADISON HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting – January 9, 2018 Attending: Co-Chairman Janet Foster and Co-Chairman Mary Ellen Lenahan; Members, Karen Jeisi, Chris Kellogg, David Luber, Jill Rhodes, John Solu and Carmine Toto; Recording Secretary Laurie Hagerich; and Council Liaison Carmela Vitale. Member John Forte was absent. Several members of the public were present, as well as Jeff Gertler, architect for Saxum Development Company. The meeting was called to order as an open public meeting at 7:30 p.m. in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act. The December 12, 2017, minutes were considered and by unanimous consent the minutes were approved as written. For Action: TCC Applications: There were no new TCC applications. Sign & Façade Applications update: There were no new Sign and Façade Applications. New Business/For Discussion: Dates for 2018 meetings: Monthly meetings of the Historic Preservation Commission will be held on the second Tuesday of each month in 2018 on January 9, February 13, March 13, April 10, May 8, June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11, October 9, November 13, December 11. The Borough Clerk will be asked to publish notice of the meetings in a timely manner. Selection of Commission Chair and Secretary for 2018: Janet Foster and Mary Ellen Lenahan have agreed to continue as Co-Chairpersons, and Karen Jeisi is willing to serve as Secretary in 2018. There being no other nominations, the aforesaid officers were unanimously approved. Review of plans for 366 Woodland Road: Owners Mira and Mark Paloka presented preliminary plans for renovations to their home at 366 Woodland Road, which is located in the “Orchard” neighborhood, not in an historic district. Plans include kitchen expansion/renovation and raising the second floor roof by about five feet. No other façade changes are proposed, but a variance is required for setback along Orchard Street, as the old house does not conform to current zoning. MHPC’s recommendations included increasing the pitch of the front entry portico roof to match the pitch of the new roof of the house. A letter will be written to be included in the owner’s Zoning application, with MHPC approving the proposed plans with the aforementioned comment. Presentation of Concept Plans for Madison Theater Project at 14 Lincoln Place: Architect Jeff Gertler and Anthony Rinaldo, one of the principals of Saxum Development, owner of the property at 14 Lincoln Place, presented revised plans for a new building proposed for that site. The amended design takes into account comments at the December 19 joint meeting of Planning Board, MHPC and the public. Mr. Gertler noted that this informal presentation is intended to give all parties a better understanding of the project. Feedback, questions and open discussion were invited. The presentation included photos of commercial buildings in the Downtown Historic District which were studied in an attempt to design a replacement building compatible with existing architecture of the Madison Civic and Commercial Historic District. The revised plans included reduced window size, additional multi-color brick on the façade and separation of canopies to suggest different buildings. Comments by MHPC, included: • A reddish-toned brick is preferred with subtle variations in color; • Encourage use of the original theater logo on the façade of the building facing Lincoln Place, as well as creation of a plaque with history of the building to be mounted on the lower façade. • Concern about how the building would relate to new light fixtures recently installed in Downtown Historic District. • Mr. Kellogg expressed strong concern that this building is not uniquely appropriate for this site. He questioned why it is necessary to take down the only movie theater in the Borough and whether another more appropriate site could be found for the new building. The HPC Ordinance charges the Commission to retain buildings with a unique use, such as the movie theater. Mr. Gertler expressed his feeling that the new building would attract younger residents who would bring increased revenue to the downtown. He noted the Ordinance encourages finding a balance between historic preservation and future needs of the town. Ms. Foster explained the two-step process in cases of demolition in an historic district. Once a formal application is submitted the process will begin and further discussion will take place. The meeting was then opened for comments by the public, which included comments supporting preservation of the theater by Sebastian Esposito, Sandy Kolakowski, David Hannah and Nick Rambusch. Ms. Kolakowski noted that several hundred people had signed the petition supporting preservation of the theater and hoped their concerns would be taken into account. Jill Rhodes, a resident of Ridgedale Avenue in the Bottle Hill Historic District, was welcomed as newly appointed Commission member. The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Laurie Hagerich, Recording Secretary