Historic Resource Commission

Schenectady Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes September 23, 2021 I. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Yager called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. II. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Patricia Yager, Chair; Dr. Dean Bennett; Frank Gilmore; Christopher Marney; Richard Unger; Matt Smith, Senior Planner; 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 Marney, seconded by Commissioner Gilmore, to approve the Minutes of the August 26, 2021 meeting with the following modification:  The application for Item H was not presented by Christopher Marney. Motion carried unanimously. V. CALL FOR MEMBERS OF PUBLIC TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS None. VI. APPLICATIONS A. Consideration for approval submitted by Deonarine Nandlall to construct a rear porch roof. The premises is located at 1024 Wendell Ave. in the Union Triangle Historic District. Deonarine Nandlall presented the application. The applicant presented a revised drawing for the construction of the porch roof and support system. Commissioner Gilmore stated that the beam should be expressed to define the horizontal line and the post would support the horizontal structure that in turn supports the roof rafters. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes September 23, 2021 –Page 1 of 7  Commissioner Marney stated that while very little of the structure is visible from the public right-of-way, the components should be comprised of wood and painted to match the house RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Gilmore, seconded by Commissioner Unger, to approve as submitted the application to construct a rear porch roof, with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The columns shall be positioned so they are an integral part of the balustrade and should support a beam that is visible from beneath. 3. The supporting columns shall be 6x6. 4. The beams shall be double 2x6 or 2x8 depending upon the span. 5. The components shall be comprised of wood and painted to match the house. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. Motion carried unanimously. B. Consideration submitted by Anna Kupriyeva to replace the siding and windows. The premises is located at 111 N. College St. in the Stockade Historic District. Anna Kupriyeva presented the application. The applicant briefly reviewed the application and presented the proposed paint colors, consisting of Behr Dark Crimson for the body and Behr Polar Bear for the trim. She explained that she removed portions of the asphalt siding and revealed the underlying wood clapboard that is in good condition and intends to restore it. The applicant asked for suggestions for insulation because her contractor stated that he would have to drill holes throughout the exterior to blow in insulation. Commissioner Marney stated that many historic homes are uninsulated and historic preservation standards recommend only insulating with materials that can be removed in the future, and not for example spray foam which is irreversible. Commissioner Yager stated that it looked like a portion of the trim board looks curved and asked if it looks like that on the entire structure. Ms. Kupriyeva stated that she is unsure. Commissioner Marney stated that it is not a difficult thing to reproduce and it may even be readily available at a lumber store. Commissioner Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes September 23, 2021 –Page 2 of 7  Bennett stated that the wood purchased today would not be as high quality and would need to be painted more frequently to maintain its integrity. Ms. Kupriyeva stated that the contractor asked, once the siding is removed that it will allow moisture to infiltrate around the windows and if it is acceptable to wrap portions in aluminum to protect. Commissioner Marney stated that he would probably not wrap them and would just seal and paint the wood since aluminum wrapping could serve to trap moisture and contribute to rotting. Commissioner Marney stated that he doesn’t believe that there is enough photographic evidence to support replacement of any of the windows. Ms. Kupriyeva stated that she will try to restore them. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Gilmore, to approve as submitted the application to restore the siding and windows, with the following conditions: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The original façade that was found underneath the asphalt cladding will be preserved and restored. 3. Any material that is rotten or beyond restoration will be replaced in-kind 4. The paint colors are Behr Dark Crimson for the body and Behr Polar Bear for the trim. 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. C. Consideration submitted by Darrin & Jennifer Jahnel to paint the property. The premises is located at 1181 Avon Rd. in the GE Realty Plot Historic District. Jennifer Jahnel presented the application. Ms. Jahnel stated that the goal is to brighten the paint scheme slightly. The trim will remain dark brown and the shingle body would be more of an off-white. She stated that the stucco has been patched in places and overall has lost most of its luster. She explained that she plans on pressure washing the stucco to clean it, but if that doesn’t work, she asked if she could get approval to paint it to match. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes September 23, 2021 –Page 3 of 7  Commissioner Yager asked if the stucco is concrete. Ms. Jahnel stated that she believes it is. Commissioner Gilmore stated it is likely concrete or high lime cement. Commissioner Yager stated that it should be cleaned using low pressure or it can damage the structure and lead to water infiltration. Commissioner Gilmore stated there are a number of products that are now used besides water, such as walnut shells, baking powder, and another substance he can’t recall that is used by Legere Restorations and is approved by SHPO. Commissioner Yager handed the applicant a copy of Preservation Brief #22 which has guidance on the preservation and repair of historic stucco. Commissioner Gilmore stated that if the stucco were to be painted it would need to be done with a masonry paint, not latex. Commissioner Marney asked if she could put a pin in the request to paint the stucco for a later meeting if her attempt at cleaning doesn’t work. Ms. Jahnel stated that would be fine. She asked if painting it at all would be something acceptable to the commission. Commissioner Gilmore stated it would be. Commissioner Marney suggested she do a lot of research on it prior to committing to it. He also stated that she could have the stucco tested to determine the best way to paint it. 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. D. Consideration submitted by Ulysses Chen & Krisanna Scheiter to install gutters and fencing. The premises is located at 1336 Lowell Rd. in the GE Realty Plot Historic District. Ulysses Chen & Krisanna Scheiter presented the application. The applicant explained that the basement is experiencing flooding issues and they are planning to regrade the soil in front of the basement to help with, but also think that gutters would help mitigate the problem. Ms. Scheiter stated that they would Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes September 23, 2021 –Page 4 of 7  also like to install a fence to keep her dog in the yard. The fence would mostly be hidden by the tall hedges in front and the only portions that would really be visible would be the gate on the front walkway and the length along the driveway. Commissioner Marney asked what material the gutters would be comprised of. The applicant stated that they would be white aluminum. RESOLUTION Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Bennett, to approve as submitted the application to install gutters and a fence, with the following clarifications: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The gutters will be white aluminum. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The Commissioners cited Preservation Standard #9 as the guidelines for their decision. Motion carried unanimously. E. Consideration submitted by Bleu Group Ent LLC to replace the roof. The premises is located at 609 Union St. in the Union Street Historic District. Chris LaFlamme presented the application. The applicant stated that a windstorm over the summer tore off some shingles and the building is now experiencing some water damage. He explained that he received some estimates and looked at different shingle options. He stated that a designer shingle option with shadow lines was outside of his budget. He explained that he spoke with his friend and colleague Dave D’Arpino who serves on the Niskayuna Architectural Review Board to ask his opinion about replacing the roof. Mr. LaFlamme stated that Mr. D’Arpino thought an aged bronze snow slide to replace the existing silver aluminum and a similar color architectural shingle to replace the existing roofing would be most appropriate. Commissioner Yager asked about the applicant’s proposal to modify the pergola roof. The applicant stated that the two bay windows are damaged due to the clear plastic pergola roofing not being sloped enough to shed water away from the property. He explained that he believes that the porch was never intended to have roofing on it, but now that it does, he would like to raise the roof up four inches at the building to solve the water damage issue. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes September 23, 2021 –Page 5 of 7  Commissioner Marney asked if the roof was ever approved. Mr. Smith explained that the pergola porch was approved in 2015 but there is no mention of the plastic roofing material. He stated that it may have just been added because it’s not visible from the right-of-way. Commissioner Marney stated that his concern is that it will now be visible from the street if the back portion is elevated and it’s not something the commission would have approved if this was the initial proposal. Mr. LaFlamme stated that he agrees that the roofing likely wasn’t originally installed, but that it does served to preserve the porch windows and the original oak door. Commissioner Bennett stated that the commission has approved modifications in the past that serve to prevent damage to buildings, and that the roofing material is something that could be removed in the future and is not integral to the structure. MOTION TO TABLE Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Gilmore, to approve as submitted the application to replace the main roof and modify the porch roof with the following modifications: 1. The project will be completed within one year. 2. The approved shingle is by Owens Corning in Estate Gray. 3. Aged Bronze is the approved color for the snow slide and drip edge. 4. The current plastic or acrylic porch roof will be inclined no more than five inches so as to not be visible from the street. And with the following findings of fact: 1. This is a Type II SEQRA. 2. The Commissioners cited Preservation Standard #2, #5, and #6 as the guidelines for their decision. Motion carried unanimously. VII. MISCELLANEOUS A. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair for the Historic District Commission The commissioners discussed the re-election of Pat Yager as Chair and the election of Chris Marney as Vice-Chair. All members of the commission voted in the affirmative to approve the ballot as presented with Pat Yager to serve as Chair and Chris Marney to serve as Vice-Chair for a term ending on December 31, 2022. B. East Front Street Historic District Street Signs Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes September 23, 2021 –Page 6 of 7  Commissioner Marney stated that street signage was installed in the East Front Street neighborhood that indicates it is a historic district. He explained that the signage was supposed to come down but it has not, and it has been two years since they’ve been installed. Mr. Smith suggested drafting a letter to the Mayor citing the commission’s concerns. Commissioner Marney stated that the commission has the authority to recommend to city council that a new district be created. He explained that he has no preference either way, whether the signs are replaced, or if the neighborhood is designated. Commissioner Unger agreed. Commissioner Gilmore explained that it’s a lot of work to designate the neighborhood as historic, and the neighborhood would have to do the work. He stated that the commission would be willing to help them get designated if that is their preference. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Marney, seconded by Commissioner Gilmore, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes September 23, 2021 –Page 7 of 7