Historic Preservation Commission

MADISON HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting – June 14, 2022 Meeting conducted remotely by Zoom Attending: Madison Historic Preservation (“HPC”) Chair Janet Foster, Vice Chair Jill Rhodes Members, John Forte, Max Hart, Mary Ellen Lenahan, David Luber Adrienne Novak and John Solu; and Recording Secretary Laurie Hagerich. Absent: Member Chris Kellogg and Council Liaison Maureen Byrne. The meeting was called to order by Ms. Foster at 7:30 pm. She announced the meeting was called in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act. A verbal roll call was taken by Ms. Hagerich. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the April 12, 2022, Public Meeting were considered and on motion made, seconded, and unanimously carried the minutes were approved as written. Sign & Façade Reviews: Ms. Foster asked that the order of the agenda be adjusted to hear the matter of the Sign and Façade application for 29 Main Street at 8 pm so the owner’s representative can be present. TCC Reviews: There were no new TCC Reviews. New Business: Central Avenue Redevelopment: It was learned that the owner of 3 Central Avenue will join in an application with owners of 5 Central Avenue which will be submitted in the Fall of 2022. To date, no plans have been submitted for the project, which is part of Madison Civic & Commercial Historic District. 20 Waverly Place façade repair: There was discussion of HPC’s concern about the length of time that scaffolding has been in place around the building. The owner has said the scaffolding is necessary while emergency repairs are being made, and after completion the building’s façade will not be changed. Mr. Solu has reached out to the property owner and assurances were made that the time delay is to make sure the replacement cast stone facing will match the existing as closely as possible. Old Business: HPC Awards for 2022: The awards were presented at the Council meeting on Monday, May 9. The owners of Madison Court Apartments and 11 Bardon Street were happy to have their preservation efforts recognized. Thanks to Ms. Lenahan and Ms. Novak for the excellent newspaper article, which was given a good review from Madison Eagle editor Alex Magyar. Ordinance Revision: Ms. Foster reported that Attorney Janine Bauer may be able to give legal assistance for the Ordinance Revision project. It was agreed the first step would be to fine-tune the processes and procedures so all parties understand their relative roles under the Ordinance. Ms. Bauer has worked on some revisions and should have a first draft ready very soon. Mapping/Inventory Project: A final draft is under review and a printed version will be sent for review very soon. Feedback from June 3 History and Preservation Conference: Madison HPC had good representation at the Conference and several sessions were discussed. One area that could be improved was having less overlap between the sessions and the tours. There were very good comments about the keynote speaker and the State House virtual tour. Documentation of home on corner of Park Avenue and Elm Street: The extension of the development at Park Avenue/Elm Street has undergone delays and the property that was subject to HPC review and documentation will be rented out in the interim. HPC will revisit the review of the Elm Street property to document and photograph once everything is back on track. 132 Ridgedale Avenue: Owner’s Attorney Rosemary Stone-Dougherty was present to explain revised plans for a proposed subdivision of 132 Ridgedale Avenue, which were reviewed and discussed. Plans include renovation of the existing 19th Century house and construction of a new house on the subdivided lot. HPC felt the revised plans are a great improvement over an earlier version for the architecturally mixed neighborhood, which is adjacent to but not officially part of the Bottle Hill Historic District. Comments included:  Renovation of the existing home with an addition in the rear is preferable to demolition and better preserves the streetscape.  Preservation of the existing home is environmentally sound.  New house has similar setback to existing homes and fits well into the streetscape.  HPC noted location of the new home’s garage in the rear of the property is consistent with the recently adopted Design Guidelines. Ms. Foster will send a Memo to the Owner’s Attorney and the Planning Board indicating HPC’s approval of the plans as being pro-active in preserving the streetscape and character of the neighborhood. She thanked Attorney Stone-Dougherty and Architect Seth Leeb for their careful and thoughtful sensitivity to the historic area in preparing the revised plans. Mr. Solu spoke of past efforts in the Bottle Hill Historic District where residents worked together to preserve streetscapes, trees, slate sidewalks and other historic aspects of the neighborhood and cited this application as an example of what can be done in the future to pro-actively preserve neighborhoods for future generations. Sign and Façade application for 29 Main Street: Note: The owner or representatives of the new business at this location did not appear at the HPC meeting as they indicated they would. The HPC, by ordinance, may review applications for changes within the Historic Districts whether or not an owner or representative is present. This 1910-11 building, presently occupied by Madison Wine Cellar, is a contributing building in the Madison Civic and Commercial Historic District and located in adjacent to the James Building, giving it a prominent place in the downtown streetscape. A previous application for a sign and façade restoration was reviewed in 2020 and façade repairs were made with restoration of a decorative cornice above the storefront. The existing business is being taken over by a new tenant who submitted a new sign and façade application for review. The present application was submitted on May 27, and reviewed by a sub-committee (to meet the time period for turn-around by a June 7 due date to the DDC). The new design consists of LED letters mounted on a large backboard that completely covers the new restoration work on the decorative cornice. A letter was sent by the HPC Subcommittee disapproving the new sign proposal. Mr. Solu, who owns the adjacent James Building, offered to speak directly with the business owner to ask that he consider a design more appropriate for the historic district, after which he will report back to HPC and the Sign & Façade Committee. Ms. Foster will summarize HPC’s comments in a Memo to the DDC Sign & Façade Committee. Liaison Reports: Planning and Zoning Boards: See above pending application for 132 Ridgedale Avenue. No relevant report for Zoning. Open Spaces: Dr. Rhodes reported there is discussion about finding a location for pickle ball courts in Madison. Historical Society: All programs for the spring are finished and plans are underway to find a location for the Historical Society’s offices during the Library renovation. Public Comment: There were no comments from the public. Future Meetings, Adjournment: The next meeting of the Commission will be on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, hopefully on Zoom. There being no further business, on motion made, seconded, and unanimously carried, the meeting was adjourned at 9:03 p.m. Laurie Hagerich, Recording Secretary