Historic Resource Commission

Schenectady Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes April 4, 2024 I. Call to Order Commissioner Yager called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. II. Roll Call PRESENT: Patricia Yager Chair; Richard Unger, Shaun Andriano, Zakhar Berkovich, Michael Barron, Jack Connelly Planner, Sergy Dossous Assistant Planner, Peter Lomtevas Corporation Counsel EXCUSED: None III. Conflicts of Interest Mr. Mark Strzalkowski, applicant for 1280 Stratford Road, raised to the Historic District Commission that he does have a conflict of interest with Commissioner Berkovich. He stated that “We’ve had some interaction between my family and his husband, I believed. There were some feuds between property issues and some dispute where the, I think some police were involved. For some, I think his old dog attacked my mother while she was walking once, and I guess some other feud about a dead tree that fell on our property and a bunch of stuff”. The Commissioners then discussed amongst themselves and with the applicant whether this situation constituted a conflict of interest, as the conflict was not financial. Mr. Strzalkowski stated “I think it was more related to a potential bias conflict” and that is why this was brought up. The Commissioners decided to continue the meeting since Commissioner Berkovich was not yet present and would deal with it when it is time for the applicant to come forward with his application later during the meeting. IV. Adoption of Prior Meeting's Minutes A. February 22nd Commissioner Unger made a few friendly changes to the February 22nd meeting minutes, which Mr. Connelly said that he would change. Motion made by Commissioner Unger to approve the minutes of February 22nd with the friendly changes made. Seconded by Commissioner Andriano. Motion carried 4-0, Commissioner Berkovich was running late and was not present at this time.  V. Call for Members of Public to Speak on Agenda Items None. VI. Old Applications A. Consideration for approval submitted by William and Kayoko Lomanto to repair the chimney. The property is located in the Union Triangle at 1030 Gillespie Street. William and Kayoko Lomanto, the owners, have talked to a few contractors and visited one of their suppliers with one of them being Grandview Block and decided to use red matte brick which he brought a sample to show to the Historic Commission. The same supplier will also provide the mortar for the masonry, which is a Quikrete type S mortar. ABS Supply will provide the flashing, but neither the owner nor the Commissioners could figure out whether the flashing is made of aluminum or copper. The owner wanted to use aluminum since it will match perfectly with the surrounding materials. The Commission agreed that aluminum would be suitable for the flashing. RESOLUTION Commissioner Andriano made a motion to approve the application as submitted. Commissioner Barron seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  Chimney to be replaced as proposed  Any roof repair needed as a result of chimney may be completed  Quikrete type S mortar will be used  Flashing may be aluminum  All work to be completed within one year Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 2, 3, 5, 9, 10. Type II SEQR  VII. New Business B. Consideration for approval submitted by Peter and Jacqueline Weinstein to add a railing to the front stairs. The property is located in the GE Realty Plot at 1142 Avon Road. Mr. Perter Weinstein the owner, attended the meeting virtually via WebEx. He came before the Historic Commission because he wanted to add railing to two stairways for insurance purposes. One staircase is in the front of the house and the other one is in the side porch. Mr. Weinstein showed photos of the proposed railing, which he wanted to be made out of wood to match the existing railing on other stairways on the property. Commissioner Yager believed a simple iron railing would be most appropriate and would be more historically accurate for the property. The rest of the Commissioners agreed with the chair too after seeing the rendering of the railings. They said it will look too busy, and they suggested wrought iron, or metal railings. Commissioner Yager said that the railing should be as simple as possible. The Commission agreed that Mr. Weinstein could send a simple iron railing picture to Mr. Connelly, who could then approve the railing without having the applicant sent back to the Commission. RESOLUTION Commissioner Andriano made a motion to approve the application as submitted. Commissioner Berkovich seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  Wooden railings as proposed did not meet the fabric, or the character of the existing nature of the house and were not approved.  Railing to be wrought iron, simple in design and colored black.  Final railing design could be approved by Department of Development staff  All work to be completed within one year Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 3,9,10. Type II SEQR C. Consideration for approval submitted by Union College to reconstruct and paint destroyed railing. The property is located in the Union Street Corridor at 2 Nott Terrace. Mr. Danny Duque of Union College joined the meeting virtually via WebEx alongside his contractor Walter Schmidt. Mr. Duque discussed the need for a new railing was due to a motor vehicle accident on their property about two months ago, which destroyed their front stairs and the accessible ramp. They are planning on repairing everything back to their existing condition and look. Mr. Connelly mentioned that previous conversations with the applicant revealed that the College had ordered custom made spindles to match the original design of the railing. Mr. Connelly had pre-approved the paint color, as it was to match the original and Union College had catalogued paint samples for what was used in each location. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the application as submitted. Commissioner Andriano seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  To replace the railing and to repaint the property with identical colors.  All work to be completed within one year Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 3,5,9,10. Type II SEQR D. Consideration for approval submitted by Harline Andrus to repair the masonry front steps and paint the exterior surfaces. The property is located in the Union Street Corridor at 712 Union Street. Ms. Harline Andrus appeared before the Commission on behalf of the owners of 712 Union Street. Mr. Connelly discussed how the current painting of the house is two tone, while the applicant was planning on making the house one cohesive shade of yellow. The proposed house color was SW 2865 “Classical Yellow” while the trim was to be SW 7004 “Snowbound”. The porch would be repainted with a SW 6509 “Georgian Bay” which was similar to the existing, faded porch color. None of the Commissioners had objection to any of the paint color. Ms. Andrus said the stairs would be redone to mirror the existing color and material. Commissioner Andriano recommended coating the stairs with one uniform color so it will more closely match the original. Ms. Andrus said since they were already going through the trouble of fixing up the house, they might as well make it as beautiful as possible and was willing to go with Commissioner Andriano’s recommendation. The Commissioners were unsure if a second railing was needed by code. The determination was made that if the railing was deemed necessary then the applicant would not need to return as long as the new railing matched the aesthetic of the existing. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the application as submitted. Commissioner Unger seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  House color to be SW 2865 “Classical Yellow” with the trim being SW 7004 “Snowbound”  Porch would be repainted with SW 6509 “Georgian Bay”  Approved the masonry step to existing condition and look  Railing was approved if mandated by code  All work to be completed within one year Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 6,9,10. Type II SEQR E. Consideration for approval submitted by Chris LaFlamme to change the signage and extend the existing ramp. The property is located in the Union Street Corridor at 609 Union Street. Mr. Chris LaFlamme came as owner of the property to discuss his intent for this property. Although the property does not go to the Planning Commission for another 2 weeks, Mr. LaFlamme was planning on operating a massage therapist business in the location, as well as allocating part of the first floor for a single apartment. Mr. LaFlamme detailed the sign would be identical to the previous sign on the property in material, color and font. An official name had not been decided upon, however Mr. LaFlamme would try to make it as close as possible to “Schenectady Trading Company” so the size of each letter matched closely to the previous sign. The existing ramp was to be extended in order to allow handicap accessibility to the apartment. There would be a door added to the side of the building. Mr. Connelly and Mr. Dossous mentioned that they had visited the site and did not think the door would be visible, and therefore not necessary for review. Mr. LaFlamme was recommended by a contractor to use vinyl, however preferred to use pressure treated wood instead if that was feasible. The wood would be stained to match the front door as a deep maroon. Mr. LaFlamme did not think the decking of the ramp would be overly visible as it did not continue to slope up. Commissioner Yager appreciated the effort to extend the ramp for accessibility. Although Mr. LaFlamme was not seeking any approvals at this time, he expressed potential desire to open a coffee shop in the first floor at some point in the future, and wanted the Commission to be aware. The railing for the ramp would be made of metal and match the existing rails. Mr. LaFlamme told Commissioner Andriano that the transom would not remain as a result of the addition of the new door. Commissioner Andriano believed maintaining a header above the door was important to the character of the building. Mr. LaFlamme said that the door would be wood. RESOLUTION Commissioner Andriano made a motion to approve the application. Commissioner Unger seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  Signage approved as described in application  Typeface to match old Schenectady Trading Company sign  Ramp to be constructed with pressure treated wood  Handrail for ramp to match existing rail in material in color  New door to be wood with existing header to remain  Door to be painted white  If the ramp is to be stained, it can be stained a deep maroon to match front door  Ramp does not need to be stained  All work to be completed in one year Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 2, 9 and 10. Type II SEQR. F. Consideration for approval submitted by Jared Shortmeier to replace windows. The property is located in the Stockade at 48 Washington Avenue. Mr. Jared Shortmeier came to discuss the application as property owner. Mr. Shortmeier said he did not have much to add to the application outside of what he submitted but detailed that the 5 existing vinyl windows in the front of the house would be replaced with aluminum clad wooden windows. Commissioner Andriano said that although the Commission generally requires evidence to show that features need to be replaced rather than repaired, that would not be a factor for this application as the current vinyl windows are not in compliance with Historic standards. Mr. Shortmeier said that the current windows were in incredibly rough condition and needed to be replaced. Mr. Shortmeier said that the new windows would be the same size and the masonry would not be impacted by this change. Commissioner Andriano requested that cut sheets be submitted to Development staff after the purchase of the windows. Commissioner Andriano confirmed that true divided light would be necessary for the windows as opposed to simulated divided light. Mr. Shortmeier said that the shutters would remain in place. RESOLUTION Motion made by Commissioner Andriano to approve the application with the following conditions and findings of facts. Seconded by Commissioner Berkovich:  Current vinyl windows are not in compliance with Historic standards, and therefore replacement over repair is appropriate  Andersen E series windows approved as submitted  6 over 6 true divided light is approved  Existing shutters will remain in place  Windows to be white  All work to be completed within one year Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 2, 5, 9 and 10. Type II SEQR.  G. Consideration for approval submitted by Mark Strzalkowski to repair existing asphalt walkway. The property is located in the GE Realty Plot at 1280 Stratford Road. Mr. Mark Strzalkowski came forward to discuss the application. Commissioner Yager mentioned Mr. Strzalkowski’s concerns at the beginning of the meeting of a potential conflict of interest with Commissioner Berkovich. After some deliberation it was determined that there was no conflict of interest as it could set a precedent that applicants could come forward and request members not vote without concrete backing to their claims. Mr. Strzalkowski gave a brief background, detailing that he appeared before the Commission in July for the walkway and although the approvals given did not allow for asphalt, a discrepancy in the minutes led him to believe that asphalt was acceptable, and therefore asphalt was used for construction. Per the legal settlement that Mr. Strzalkowski entered into with the City as a result of this case, Mr. Strzalkowski was required to reappear before the Commission to find a suitable replacement material for the walkway. Mr. Strzalkowski displayed evidence that the walkway was asphalt prior to his purchase of the property and that asphalt was most historically appropriate for the property. Mr. Strzalkowski passed out examples from the GE Plot to show walkways that did not have concrete walkways, as was a part of his approval in July. Mr. Strzalkowski said that the depth necessary to dig to implant concrete was deep enough that it would disrupt the root system for the existing tree in the front yard. Mr. Connelly discussed the settlement, which stated that the applicant was to comply with the decision of the Commission who would determine the most historically appropriate material. The July decision letter was also mentioned. Although the minutes were incorrectly written to show that asphalt was allowable, the decision letter stated the Commission’s ruling that asphalt was not to be allowed. Mr. Connelly brought forward the book ‘An Enclave of Elegance’ which had original photos from the GE Plot. Every example of original walkways shown was noted in the book and while many different materials were found, with brick and concrete being the main examples, asphalt was not seen one time as a walkway material used in the original creation of the neighborhood. Mr. Strzalkowski showed a picture of the property from the 1970’s which showed the property having a brick walkway. Commissioner Unger did not see any conditions that have changed since July that would warrant a new decision that would allow asphalt for the walkway. Commissioners Barron and Unger said having a red brick to match the picture shown by Mr. Strzalkowski would be optimal. Mr. Strzalkowski agreed that red brick would be a material that he would like for the walkway and it would be constructed with a straight running bond pattern. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the application with modifications Commissioner Barron seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  Material of walkway would be red brick instead of asphalt  Walkway would be constructed in a running bond pattern  Work to be completed in one year This is in coordination with standards 2 and 5. Type II SEQR. Motion carried unanimously. H. Consideration for approval submitted by Chris Marney to restore the windows and perform masonry repairs. The property is a designated Historic site at 145 Barrett Street. Mr. Chris Marney came before the Commission as owner of the property. Mr. Marney detailed that many of the windows were boarded with plywood when the property was purchased, which is why he needs approval for restoration. Mr. Marney noted a discrepancy in his application, in which he stated two of the windows were 4 over 4 as opposed to the 1 over 1 like the rest of the windows. All windows are wood. Additionally, vents on the side of the building that are not being used are to be removed with the affected areas being bricked after the fact. Mr. Marney expressed a wish to have approvals for bricked in windows to be restored. Mr. Marney was unsure if he would be able to remove the bricks and replace with appropriate windows at this time, but wanted the flexibility to do so if possible. Mr. Marney described the water damage occurring on one side of the building, and wanted to use a lime based parging material to minimize future damage. Linseed oil paint products would be used which are most historically appropriate and also better for helping buildings with moisture than modern paints. The paint is a holcolmbe green color, which is the closest the applicant could find to the original paint. Some portions of the building will need to be repointed, with a lime based mortar proposed. Mr. Marney spoke to existing graffiti on the building which he has tried to get off. Although it has faded, Mr. Marney feared that he would not be able to fully remove it without harming the brick. RESOLUTION Commissioner Andriano made a motion to approve the application with one modification. Commissioner Berkovich seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  North facing façade windows will be replaced as 4 over 4  All work to be completed within one year This is in coordination with standards 2, 3, 5 and 6. Type II SEQR. Motion carried unanimously. I. Consideration for approval submitted by Chris Marney to request an extension on previous Historic Commission approvals for 205 Union Street, located in the Stockade. Mr. Chris Marney remained in front of the Commission, stating that due to other unforeseen and necessary projects occurring at the property his original approvals pertaining to the front of the house. No Commissioners had any objections, and Commissioner Berkovich recommended granting extensions through August of 2025. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the approval extensions for 205 Union Street through the end of August 2025 as presented in the application. Seconded by Commissioner Barron. Motion carried unanimously. VII. Miscellaneous VIII. A d j o u r n Motion to adjourn made by Commissioner Unger. Seconded by Commissioner Andriano. Meeting adjourned at 8:15 PM