Historic Resource Commission

Schenectady Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 26, 2021 I. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Yager called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. II. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Patricia Yager, Chair; Dr. Dean Bennett; Frank Gilmore; Christopher Marney; Richard Unger; Matt Smith, Senior Planner; Jennifer Mills, Secretary ABSENT: Shaun Andriano III. CONFLICT OF INTEREST Commissioner Marney recused himself from the consideration of Application, the application submitted by Christopher Marney for 205 Union Street. IV. ADOPTION OF MEETING MINUTES Motion by Commissioner Gilmore, seconded by Commissioner Unger, to approve the Minutes of the July 22, 2012 meeting with the following modification:  The motion to approve the application by Christopher Marney for 205 Union Street (Application E) was made by Commissioner Unger, and not Commissioner Marney as was stated in the Minutes. Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioner Bennett absent from the vote. V. CALL FOR MEMBERS OF PUBLIC TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS None. VI. APPLICATIONS A. Consideration for approval submitted by Bob Stern to replace the front exterior door. The premises are located at 5 North Street in the Stockade Historic District. Bob Stern presented the application. The applicant explained since the July meeting he had decided on a hardware style and an alternate style, as well as two possible stain colors for the door. He noted that he would prefer the Egg Key in Knob and the Saratoga deadbolt styles in the Antique French finish, as included in the application. The Commissioners indicated that they had no objection to the hardware style, or either of the stain Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 26, 2021 –Page 1 of 8  samples submitted. Mr. Stern stated that after last month’s discussion he had decided to go with a single pane of glass in the door, which he agreed would be more historically appropriate than a divided light window. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Gilmore, to approve as submitted the application to replace the exterior door, with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The applicant may choose either shade B or G from the Minwax® samples provided in the application. Both shades are approved by the Commissioners as appropriate. 3. The Egg Key In Knob and the Saratoga Deadbolt are the approved hardware for the door. The hardware will be in the Antique French finish. 4. The glass pane in the door will be a single pane with no light dividers. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The Commissioners cited Preservation Standards #2, #5 and #6 as the guidelines for their decision. Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioner Bennett absent from the vote. B. Consideration for approval submitted by James Commodore to paint the building. The premises are located at 216 Union Street in the Stockade Historic District. James Commodore presented the application. The applicant briefly reviewed the application and the paint colors. Commissioner Gilmore warned him against using a stark white color for the trim as it could look harsh and appear dirty quickly. Mr. Commodore agreed and stated that the trim will be exactly matched to the soft white color that is existing. The Commissioners indicated that they had no objection to the proposed colors. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Unger, to approve as submitted the application to paint the building, with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The body of the house will be painted either Benjamin Moor Stonington (HC170) or Wickham (HC171) or the Sherwin Williams equivalent. The shutters and foundation will be painted either Benjamin Moore Hale Navy Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 26, 2021 –Page 2 of 8  (HC154) or the Sherwin Williams equivalent. The white trim will be color matched to the existing. And with the following finding of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The Commissioners cited Preservation Standards #2, #5, and #6 as the guidelines for their decision. Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioner Bennet absent from the vote. C. Consideration for approval submitted by Spring Line Design Architecture + Engineering to rehabilitate the porch. The premises are located at 1212 Union Street in the Union Street Historic District. Niyatti Shetty presented the application. Ms. Shetty briefly reviewed the application and explained that the applicants had taken into consideration the reccomendations made by the Commission at the prior presentation of the application and had modified the materials and design details accordingly. She noted that they had submitted photos showing the areas that cannot be restored and require replacement, specifically the porch balusters, which will be replaced in kind. She stated that the wrought iron railing will be replaced to match the existing. The Commissioners indicated that they had no objection to the revised application and that the proposed repairs and alternate materials are much more historically appropriate than what was originally proposed. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Unger, to approve as submitted the application to rehabilitate the porch, with the following condition: 1. The project will be completed within one year. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The Commissioners cited Preservation Standards #2, #5, and #6 as the guidelines for their decision. Motion carried unanimously. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 26, 2021 –Page 3 of 8 D. Consideration for approval submitted by Ken and Shirley DeBono to paint the property and replace the roof. The premises are located at 1168 Lowell Road in the GE Realty Plot Historic District. Shirley DeBono presented the application. The applicant explained that the house has had the same roof for the 24 years that she and her husband had lived there and it is clearly nearing the end of its lifespan. She noted that it is not the original roof. She stated that they recently had a room on the third floor finished and there unfortunately has already notable water damage to the ceiling due to moisture coming through the roof. Ms. DeBono noted that they would like to repaint at the same time they are having the roof installed, as the paint also needs refreshing. The Commissioners indicated that they had no objection to the proposed shingles or paint colors. Commissioner Yager noted that there have in the past been some quality control issues with GAF shingles, and urged the applicant to further investigate whether or not the problems related to this particular style of shingle. Ms. DeBono stated that she would do so. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Unger, to approve as submitted the application to paint the house and replace the roof, with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The body of the house will be painted in Valspar Lavender Gray (4005-4A) and the trim will be painted in Sherwin Williams Glacial Stream (HGSW 1477). 3. The approved shingles are the GAF Timberline® shingles in Fox Hollow Gray. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The Commissioners cited Preservation Standards #2, #5 and #6 as the guidelines for their decision. Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioner Bennett absent from the vote. E. Consideration for approval submitted by Deonarine Nandlall to construct a rear porch roof. The premises are located at 1024 Wendell Avenue in the Union Triangle Historic District. Deonarine Nandlall presented the application. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 26, 2021 –Page 4 of 8  The applicant briefly reviewed the application and explained that he would like to cover his back porch deck so that it may be used more often. Commissioner Marney noted that although the porch is at the rear of the house a portion of the roof will be visible from the right of way. Commissioner Gilmore stated that the porch columns should be on the same plane as the porch railing. After some discussion it was decided that the applicant should submit a drawing of the design details for the porch roof, as it was unclear how the roof would relate to the existing structures. Commissioner Gilmore suggested that Mr. Nandlall look at some other porches within the historic districts to get an idea of what an appropriate design would look like. Because of the need for further information regarding the proposal the Commissioners decided that it would be appropriate to table the application as incomplete pending the submittal of a detailed drawing of the porch and specifics as to what materials are proposed. MOTION TO TABLE Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Unger, to table the application as incomplete pending the submittal of further information showing the details of the proposed porch design, including the roof, columns, and railings, as well as the specifics of the proposed materials. Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioner Bennett absent from the vote. F. Consideration for approval submitted by Jasmine Virgile to rehabilitate the porch. The premises are located at 862 Union Street in the Union Street Historic District. Jasmine Virgile presented the application. The applicant explained that when she purchased the property the porch stairs were in disrepair and that when she was away her boyfriend repaired the stairs, unbeknownst to her, because he believed they were a safety hazard. She stated that she was not aware that they needed HDC approval prior to doing the work. The Commissioners discussed the stairs and concluded that they did not appear to be code compliant. Mr. Smith stated that he had not received any information from the building department except that the work had been done without HDC approval, but that regardless the stairs will still have to pass inspection. The Commissioners explained to Ms. Virgile that she could easily purchase premade stringers at local home improvement stores and that the stringers are code complaint. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 26, 2021 –Page 5 of 8  Commissioner Marney noted that the diagonal vinyl lattice on the porch is not historically appropriate. He noted that on one of the photos submitted there is evidence of the previous wood orthogonal slats that should be used. The Commissioners agreed. Commissioner Gilmore explained that the porch columns should appear to extend down through the lattice to the ground, even if just by using a wood piece that is purely for appearances, as it will ground the porch and make it look more historically appropriate. The Commissioners also noted that the railing on the stairs must match the porch railing. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Gilmore, to approve as submitted the application to rehabilitate the porch, with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The existing diagonal lattice will be replaced with a wood orthogonal lattice that matches the previous treatment, as shown in the photo discussed at the meeting. The line of the columns will be extended down through the lattice to the ground, as explained at the meeting and sketched in a drawing submitted for the record. 3. The railing on the stairs will be replaced to match the railing on the porch. 4. The stringers will be corrected so that they are constructed in compliance with the building code. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The Commissioners cited Preservation Standards #2, #5, #6, and #9 as the guidelines for their decision. Motion carried, with Commissioner Bennett abstaining. G. Consideration for approval submitted by Anna Kupriyeva to replace the siding and windows. The premises are located at 111 North College Street in the Stockade Historic District. Anna Kupriyeva presented the application. Mr. Plowman briefly reviewed the application. He explained that the existing windows are not original and are in very poor condition and beyond repair. Commissioner Marney noted that he had information confirming that the existing windows were replacements. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 26, 2021 –Page 6 of 8  The Commissioners and applicant referenced a photo of the building taken in the 1960s and discussed the painting scheme shown on it. It was determined that this paint scheme would be the most suitable for the new painting. The Commissioners indicated that enough evidence had been provided to prove that the current windows are beyond repair and were not original to the building, therefore they would not object to replacing them. MOTION TO TABLE Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Gilmore, to table the application as incomplete pending the submittal of further information including photos of the materials existing behind the asphalt siding, evidence of the current condition of the windows, and details of the proposed replacement materials for the siding and windows if replacement is determined to be necessary. Motion carried unanimously. H. Consideration for approval submitted by C. Bullcow Enetrprises to paint the building. The premises are located at 1005 Union Street in the Union Street Historic District. Christopher Marney presented the application. The applicant briefly reviewed the application. He explained that he had removed a portion of the existing clapboard siding to see what was underneath and discovered that the original siding was there and in good condition. The Commissioners discussed the siding and the possibility that it is not all in such good condition. Commissioner Marney stated that if there are problems with enough of the siding that they cannot preserve it on the portions of the house that are visible from the right of way they will return with a new application. The Commissioners agreed that the original siding would be the most historically appropriate and indicated that they support removing the existing clapboards. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Gilmore, to approve as submitted the application to paint the building as submitted, with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The body of the building will be painted Sherwin Williams Rainstorm (SW- 6230) and the trim will be painted Dustblu (SW-9161). The paint finish may be matte or satin. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 26, 2021 –Page 7 of 8  And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The Commissioners cited Preservation Standards #2, #5, and #6 as guidelines for their decision. Motion carried unanimously. I. Consideration for approval submitted by Christopher Marney to paint the property. The premises are located at 205 Union Street in the Stockade Historic District. Christopher Marney presented the application. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Unger, seconded by Commissioner Gilmore, to approve as submitted the application to paint the building, with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The color scheme approved is the submitted option showing the gray house body with white trim, black shutters, and the red door. And with the following findings of fact: 3. This is a Type II SEQRA. 4. The Commissioners cited Preservation Standards #2, #5, and #6 as guidelines for their decision. Motion carried unanimously, with Commissioner Marney recusing himself from the vote. VII. MISCELLANEOUS None. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Bennett, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:31 p.m. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 26, 2021 –Page 8 of 8