Historic Resource Commission

Schenectady Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes October 22, 2020 I. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Yager called the meeting to order at 7:05 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; Christopher Marney; Matt Smith, Senior Planner; Jennifer Mills, Secretary EXCUSED: Dr. Dean Bennett; Frank Gilmore III. CONFLICT OF INTEREST None. IV. ADOPTION OF MEETING MINUTES Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Wiles, to approve the October 22, 2020 Meeting Minutes as submitted. Motion carried unanimously. V. APPLICATIONS A. Consideration for approval submitted by Michael and Terese Howard to install hand railings. The premises are located at 1135 Avon Road in the GE Realty Plot Historic District. Michael and Therese Howard presented the application. The applicants explained that they have lived in the home for approximately five years and there has never been a railing on the front porch stairs. They stated that due to safety concerns they would like to add hand railings at this time and have consulted with a blacksmith to design a period-appropriate railing as submitted in their application. The Commissioners discussed the proposed railing design and concluded that a single wrought-iron rail, rather than the double proposed, and a slightly larger size Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 –Page 1 of 5  overall might be more in scale to the rest of the structure. The applicants indicated that they would have no objection to this modification. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Andriano, to approve as submitted the application to install hand railings on the front porch steps with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The railing will have a single iron rail instead of the double bar proposed in the application. 3. The railings may be bigger in size if the blacksmith determines that they can be enlarged and still maintain their structural integrity. And with the following finding of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. Motion carried unanimously. B. Consideration for approval submitted by Nancy B. Delain to replace a roof. The premises are located at 107 N. College Street in the Stockade Historic District. Nancy B. Delain presented the application. Ms. Delain explained that her neighbors were recently having some repairs done and their contractor alerted her to the poor condition of her asphalt shingle roof. She stated that when she consulted her own roofing contractor, he let her know that the roof needed immediate replacement. The Commissioners indicated that they had no objection to the proposed shingles and confirmed that the drip edge would be installed to match. 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: 1. The project will be completed within one year. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 –Page 2 of 5  2. The replacement shingles approved are Owens Corning TruDefinition® Duration® in Onyx Black as submitted. The drip edge will match the shingles. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The current roof is asphalt shingle and is not the original roof. It is not a significant feature of the house and is difficult to see from the street. Motion carried unanimously. VI. MISCELLANEOUS A. Advisory discussion with Abraham Ward, owner of 11 S. Church Street, regarding modifying the chimneys and parapet on the south facing elevation. Mr. Ward explained that he would welcome some feedback from the Commissioners regarding how best to deal with the deteriorating chimneys and crumbling parapet on the south-facing elevation of his building. He stated that he was considering lowering the height of the chimneys if it was not objectionable to the Commission. After some discussion it was decided that because the tall chimneys and parapet are both important architectural elements of the Romanesque Revival period and also a prominent feature of this building they should be preserved if at all possible. Also discussed was the repointing of the masonry of the building. The Commission suggested Mr. Ward consider the National Park Services Preservation Brief #2, which explains best practices for replacing mortar joints in historic structures. B. Provide comment on Trileaf Corporation proposed communication pole installation. The Commissioners discussed the proposal and concluded that they would prefer to see the pole located in a less prominent place if possible, such as within a corner of Riverside Park or to the rear of residential properties, rather than directly in front of them. PUBLIC COMMENTS Gloria Kishton, Chair of the Schenectady Heritage Foundation and Stockade resident spoke in opposition to the proposal. She stated that many Stockade residents had expressed to her their objections to this placement of the pole. She suggested that a less prominent location, such as Front Street Park, would be a more appropriate site. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 –Page 3 of 5 C. Discussion/motion to approve sending a formal request for a written advisory opinion/interpretation to the Building Inspector/Zoning Officer regarding: a. Alleged “exemption” of amenity zones, sidewalks, and landscaping from HDC approval; b. Erroneously issued permits and the Department’s plan or opinion regarding correction; c. Request for historic district and registry status to be added to city permits; d. Determination of compliance and/or action on the properties listed on the spreadsheet. Because the Corporation Counsel Andrew Koldin was unable to attend the meeting, Senior Planner Matt Smith briefly reviewed Mr. Koldin’s written responses to the above-mentioned concerns, as well as recent information obtained by Mr. Smith regarding these issues. The Commissioners discussed requesting a meeting with Mr. Koldin to discuss the issues further. Commissioner Marney volunteered to request a meeting with Mr. Koldin. Mr. Smith stated that he would distribute to the Commissioners the spreadsheet of historic properties that have possible or confirmed violations that need to be addressed. The Commissioners and staff discussed the protocols of enforcement and issueing violations. Mr. Smith stated that the former Zoning Officer, Avi Epstein, has been formally given permission to cite properties for violations as part of his new role as Neighborhood Stabilization Coordinator since the Zoning Officer position remains vacant. PUBLIC COMMENTS Gloria Kishton, Chair of the Schenectady Heritage Foundation and Stockade resident expressed her concerns regarding property owners not seeking approval from the Commission for changes made to their properties within the historic districts. She cited several examples of properties in the Stockade where inappropriate doors have been installed without permits and mentioned other properties that have more serious violations. Ms. Kishton also noted the historic district signs that were allowed to be installed in the East Front Street neighborhood even though it is not an historic district. D. Discussion/motion to create a subcommittee authorized to work on: a. Guidelines and procurement of funding (CLG grant deadline is January 2021); b. Code revision recommendations for presentation to City Council; c. Enforcement matters. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 –Page 4 of 5  The Commissioner discussed a timeline for moving forward with the grant process and securing a consultant to assist in formalizing guidelines for the Commission. It was decided that there should be two subcommittees appointed to work on this issue and the enforcement issue separately. Staff noted that each subcommittee may consist of a maximum of three Commissioners. MOTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Andriano, to establish a subcommittee of a maximum of three Commissioners who will work toward the development of Historic District Guidelines. Motion carried unanimously. It was decided that Commissioners Marney and Andriano will serve on the subcommittee, with a third Commissioner added should one wish to volunteer. VII. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Wiles, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:49 p.m. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 –Page 5 of 5