Historic Resource Commission

Schenectady Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 27, 2020 I. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Yager called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Due to the closure of City Hall because of the Covid-19 Virus, the meeting was conducted online via WebEx. II. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Patricia Yager, Chair; Ben Wiles, Vice Chair; Shaun Andriano; Dr. Dean Bennett; Frank Gilmore; Christopher Marney; Matt Smith, Senior Planner; Jennifer Mills, Secretary III. CONFLICT OF INTEREST Commissioner Wiles recused himself from the application concerning his home, 1302 Stratford Road. IV. ADOPTION OF MEETING MINUTES Motion by Commissioner Wiles, seconded by Commissioner Marney, to approve the July 23, 2020 Meeting Minutes as submitted. Motion carried unanimously. V. APPLICATIONS A. Consideration for approval submitted by Ashraf Ghaly to replace a portion of the roof. The premises are located at 1001 Union Street in the Union Street Historic District. Ashraf Ghaly presented the application. Mr. Ghaly explained that since he appeared before the Commission at the July 2020 meeting he had submitted a statement from his roofer and photographic evidence in support of his claim that the slate roof is beyond repair. He agreed that the slates that are in the best condition will be saved for the turret and sides of the dormers. The Commissioners discussed whether the slate roof should be replaced with three- tab shingles to match the rest of the roof or if the whole roof should be replaced Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 27, 2020 –Page 1 of 7 with a composite shingle that closely matches the look of the slates. They agreed that architectural shingles would not be an acceptable option. Mr. Ghaly stated that from an economic and environmental standpoint he would prefer to replace only the slate at this time, as the other asphalt shingles have seven to ten years of use left, according to his roofing contractor. He explained that when it is time to replace the entire roof, he would not be averse to using the composite material as opposed to replacing the roof in kind. After some discussion as to the purview of the Commission regarding applications concerning this roof that may be made in the future it was decided that the Commission would allow the slate replacement with asphalt at this time but would state in their decision that because of the important contribution the roof makes to the overall historic character of the building in this case the Commission believes that in the future a composite slate product should be used and an in kind replacement strongly discouraged. The Commissioners discussed the color of the three-tab shingles and whether they should match the existing asphalt shingles or the slate that is being removed. It was decided that they should match the existing shingles in color and style as closely as possible. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Bennett, seconded by Commissioner Andriano, to approve as submitted the application to replace a portion of the roof, with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The slates that are removed will be replaced with three-tab shingles that match the existing three-tab shingles on the roof as closely as possible in color and style. The architectural shingles proposed in the application are not approved in this decision. 3. The turret roof and sides of the dormers will remain slate. The applicant will have any damaged slates on these areas replaced with the slates removed from the rest of the roof that are in the best repair. 4. When the time comes that any portion of the three-tab shingled roof must be replaced, the Commission recommends that an in-kind replacement is not the first choice but that faux slate composite shingles more closely resembling the original slate roof, as evidenced on the turret and dormer sides, are used. 5. The ridge flashing and decorative metalwork will be restored and will remain, and the rest of the flashing will be replaced in kind, to match the ridge flashing. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 27, 2020 –Page 2 of 7  And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The slate roof has been determined, by photographic evidence and by inspection by an experienced roofing contractor (whose statement was provided as an addendum to the application) to be at the end of its lifespan, with significant portions being beyond repair. 3. This structure is unique because a portion of the slate roof had already been replaced with three-tab shingles several years prior, without Historic District Commission approval, and the roof is a prominent and visible architectural feature of the building. 4. The roof was replaced without approval prior to Mr. Ghaly’s purchase of the property. He purchased the property as is and has been attempting to maintain and prolong the life of the slates for several years. Motion carried unanimously. B. Consideration for approval submitted by David Lowry to replace the roof. The premises are located at 29 N. Ferry Street in the Stockade Historic District. David Lowry presented the application. Mr. Lowry briefly reviewed the application. He explained that during periods of high wind portions of the shingles have been blowing off the roof, however they discovered that the roof has not leaked because there are several layers of old shingles under the top ones. Mr. Lowry stated that his roofing contractor will remove all of the layers of old shingles when replacing the roof. He noted that the roof is very difficult to see from the street and is only visible at all from across North Ferry Street. The Commissioners discussed the application and it was determined that because the roof is not very visible from the street and was previously covered with asphalt shingles several times, they had no objection to approving the application as submitted. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Andriano, to approve as submitted the application to replace the roof, with the following conditions: Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 27, 2020 –Page 3 of 7  1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The drip edge will be replaced in kind. 3. Ice and water shield will be applied to the roof as required by City Code. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. Although asphalt shingles were not the original covering for the roof, the Commission believes that the roof is not highly visible on this structure and that the visible portion is not a significant historical feature, therefore, the historic character of the property will be retained and preserved (Historic Preservation Standard #2) even with the use of the asphalt shingles. Motion carried unanimously. C. Consideration for approval submitted by Sharon and Ben Wiles to construct an addition, replace a window, and modify a handrail. The premises are located at 1302 Stratford Road in the GE Realty Plot Historic District. Sharon Wiles and Beth Mosall, architect for the project, presented the application. Mrs. Wiles briefly reviewed that application and explained that very little of the alterations to the house will be visible from the right of way. The Commissioners indicated that they had no objections to the application and did not feel that the proposed changes would have any impact on the historic character of the home. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Bennett, to approve as submitted the application to construct an addition, replace a window, and modify a handrail, with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The existing windows will be reused if possible or will be replaced with a similar wood window. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The addition is barely visible from the public right of way. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 27, 2020 –Page 4 of 7  Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioner Wiles recusing himself from the vote. D. Consideration for approval submitted by Xenolith Partners LLC to construct a new four-story building. The premises are located at 38-40 Washington Avenue in the Stockade Historic District. Andrew Brick, attorney for the applicants, Kim Siciliano, Executive Director of the YWCA, Terri Belkas-Mitchell of Xenolith Partners, John Montagne, landscape architect, and Brian Loughlin, architect, presented the application. Ms. Siciliano began the presentation by giving a brief history of the YWCA and the services that they offer. She stated that she began her role as Executive Director in 2016 and since that time the number of clients seeking the YWCA’s services has increased dramatically. She explained how this new addition to the campus will allow them to serve more clients in a more efficient and effective manner. Ms. Belkas-Mitchell introduced herself and explained that her firm is a women- owned affordable housing development company. She gave a brief overview of the goals and details of the design of the project, explaining that the new housing units will not be dormitory style, as the existing units are, so the units will have separate bathroom and kitchen facilities, giving the clients a greater sense of privacy and autonomy. John Montagne, Vice President and Head of Land Development at Greenman- Pedersen Inc, next briefly reviewed the site plan. He noted that the YWCA had originally sought to add 75 housing units, but the project was scaled back after discussions with the neighbors and the Stockade Neighborhood Association. Brian Loughlin, Director of Planning and Urban Design for Magnusson Architecture and Planning, reviewed the revised elevation drawings that had recently been submitted. He explained that the goal was to make the new building fit in with the context of the original YWCA building, while not attempting to appear historic or hide the fact that it is a contemporary addition. He stated that the placement of the addition on the site was heavily influenced by the floodplain and the existing archeologically significant areas of the site. He noted that at the request of the Planning Commission some changes had been made to the building façade to add more fenestration in the gables. He explained the use of different textures and treatments on the building which are intended to reference the historic character of the neighborhood while still contributing positively to what is clearly a contemporary design. The Commissioners indicated that they approved of the design and believe that it will have a positive impact on the site and not detract from the historic character of Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 27, 2020 –Page 5 of 7  the site and neighborhood in any way. The windows were discussed in some detail as Mr. Loughlin explained that they are a product with a very high energy efficiency rating, and they are made of a PVC material that does not look like vinyl but rather an aluminum-clad wood. He stated that they are an expensive product, but the priority of the developer is energy efficiency and they are willing to spend more to ensure that the building will have a responsible environmental footprint. Mr. Brick noted that the State Office of Historic Preservation (SHPO) has reviewed the project and has stated that they believe the design is appropriate new construction for the Stockade and they have no objection to the proposed materials. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Bennett, to approve as submitted the application to construct a new four-story building. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The Commission refers to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation in approving this project, specifically Standards #9 (New additions, exterior alterations or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment.) and #10 (New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.) Motion carried unanimously. VI. MISCELLANEOUS The Commissioners and staff discussed the removal of a concrete wall at the First Unitarian Church on Wendell Avenue and how a permit was issued for the work by the City without flagging the project for review by the Commission. Commissioner Yager stated that she has spoken with Corporation Counsel about the situation and that she and staff will continue to follow up. VII. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Gilmore, seconded by Commissioner Marney, to adjourn the meeting. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 27, 2020 –Page 6 of 7 Motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:21 p.m. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 27, 2020 –Page 7 of 7