Historic Preservation Commission

MADISON HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting – October 11, 2022 Meeting conducted remotely by Zoom Attending: Madison Historic Preservation (“HPC”) Chair Janet Foster, Vice Chair Jill Rhodes, Members, Max Hart, Chris Kellogg, Mary Ellen Lenahan, David Luber, Adrienne Novak and John Solu; and Recording Secretary Laurie Hagerich. Absent: Member John Forte and Council Liaison Maureen Byrne. One Member of the public was present. 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. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the September 13, 2022, Public Meeting were considered. On motion made, seconded, and unanimously carried the September 13, 2022, minutes were approved as written. Sign & Façade Reviews: There were no new Sign & Façade Reviews. TCC Reviews: 25 Green Village Road: This application is for a change to permit use of the building as a medical office. The property is not in a historic district and HPC has no objection to the change. New Business: Review of Cell Tower Modification at 26 Main Street: An application for modification of the Telecom Facility at 26 Main Street was reviewed. The site is within the National Register and Madison’s Civic and Commercial Historic District, and the proposal is to replace a small rooftop antenna with a taller, larger cell tower, placed in the rear part of the roof. Photos of several street views were shown, and discussion followed, including public comment from Hannah Arnstein about negative impact of visibility of the new tower from the rear of the building and from trains passing on the elevated tracks. HPC concluded that since the new installation is reversible and does not harm the historic fabric of the building, it does not harm the aesthetic quality of the historic district. Oral vote was taken, and all HPC members present were in favor of approval. Mr. Solu recused himself, as owner of property within 200 feet of the site. Written confirmation of the approval will be sent to Dennis Harrington in the Borough Engineer’s Office, as well as other Borough officials. A copy of the approval confirmation will also be sent to the NJ Historic Preservation Office, which has an interest in the application under the National Historic Preservation Act. Old Business: Review of Ordinance and Flow Chart: Ms. Foster explained that since the goal of moving a new Ordinance forward this year will not be possible, she proposed that HPC instead recommend to the Planning Board and the Council that the present updated site map prepared by Morris County Cultural Resources be included in the Master Plan, along with the Flow Chart. Ms. Foster will work with Borough Planner Susan Blickstein on the map and with HPC Attorney Janine Bauer to clarify language in the Flow Chart. Mr. Luber made a motion, seconded by Dr. Rhodes, that the existing site map prepared by Morris County Cultural Resources be updated and thereafter incorporated into the Master Plan along with the Flow Chart, with the assumption there will be minor corrections, clarifications and additions. The motion was voted upon and unanimously carried. Updates from Liaisons: Zoning Board: Ms. Lenahan reported the Zoning Board will meet this week on the Angelica property at 64 and 66 Park Avenue and a new business at 21 Cook Avenue, neither property being in a historic district. HPC’s request to have access to the Park Avenue property for photographs and documentation before demolition should be a condition of the demolition approval. Open Spaces: Dr. Rhodes reported funding for the dual Pickleball/Basketball courts was approved and the site recommended was near the present tennis courts at Madison High School. Historical Society: Mr. Luber reported the next program via Zoom will be a lecture “When Millionaires Came to Morristown” on Tuesday, October 18 at 7 pm. Mr. Luber also spoke of the upcoming rehabilitation project at the Madison Public Library which will begin soon. Access to the main library building will be limited after construction begins in the April 2023 time frame. Operations will be managed out of the Chase Room during construction. It is expected that the project will take about nine months to complete. Planning Board: Ms. Foster mentioned that the Central Avenue Redevelopment Project is on the PB agenda for October 18 and she plans to attend the meeting. HPC’s reports on the project have been submitted. Public Comment: There were no comments from the public, other than that made by Hannah Arnstein previously about the cell tower’s visibility from the train tracks being a major objection. Other Business: Mr. Solu said he was approached by Jerry Bruno, a local architect and strong supporter of historic preservation, about recent façade restoration at the Madison Wine Cellar building on Main Street, which were made following some of the recommendations made when the permit application was reviewed. Mr. Bruno is seeking recognition for the preservation work he is doing on this building and in the downtown area. After discussion HPC agreed the façade restoration and Mr. Bruno’s contributions could be recognized in the Commission’s Annual Report for 2022. There was discussion initiated by Ms. Novak of giving recognition to Hannah Arnstein for her artwork on HPC’s letterhead and in the Historic Walking Tour booklet. It was agreed that updating and digitalizing the Walking Tour booklet might be a future project, at which time the artist’s work could be recognized. Future Meetings, Adjournment: The next meeting of the Commission will be on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, on Zoom. There being no further business, on motion made, seconded, and unanimously carried, the meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m. Laurie Hagerich, Recording Secretary