Historic Resource Commission

Schenectady Historic Resource Commission Meeting Minutes October 24, 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, Zakhar Berkovich, Michael Barron, Meridith Runkel, Pablo Sepulveda, Sergy Dossous Assistant Planner, Sean O’Brian Assistant Counsel  ABSENT: None  EXCUSED: None III. Conflicts of Interest None IV. Adoption of Prior Meeting's Minutes Motion made by Commissioner Unger to approve the minutes of September 26th. Motion seconded by Commissioner Barron. Chair called for a vote on the motion. Motion carried unanimously. V. Old Applications or None None VI. New Business Note: Unless otherwise specifically modified by the HRC, all applications approved by the HRC are subject to the following minimum conditions of approval:  Prior to any work beginning, all necessary permits shall be secured; and  All work shall be completed within one year. A. Consideration for approval submitted by John and Rachel Roll to repair and replace wood sidings and window frames. The property is located in the Stockade Historic District at 114 Front Street. John and Rachel Roll came before the Historic Commission to present their application to repair and replace wood sidings and window frames. They explained that there were no modifications to their application since its submittal. Page 1 of 9   Commissioner Berkovich asked if most of the damages were in the back of the property. The applicant responded that they were on the sides of the property. RESOLUTION Commissioner Unger made a motion to approve the application as submitted, with the following conditions of approval:  To repair or replace wood siding and wood frame.  Repair wood with epoxy infill if required.  Replacement of wood frames and siding will be done in kind with like material.  Repair or replace window frames.  All reparations will be painted to match the existing color. Finding that:  The application is a Type II SEQR,  With the motion’s conditions of approval, the application will be consistent with the applicable Secretary of the Interior Standards for Historic Building Rehabilitation numbers 2,4,5,6, and 9. The application will comply with City Code Article X, Section 264-76c. Commissioner Barron seconded the motion. There was no discussion on the motion, so the Chair called for a vote. Motion carried unanimously. B. Consideration for approval submitted by Denesh Soodhoo to install fencing in her yard. The property is located in the Union Triangle Historic District at 1060 Wendell Ave. Denesh Soodhoo came before the Historic Commission to present her application to install. She explained that there were no modifications to her application since its submittal.  Commissioner Yager stated that the application was incomplete. The pictures were not labeled. There was no picture of what the fence will look like, and a site plan showing where exactly on the property they are planning on adding the fence. RESOLUTION Commissioner Unger made a motion to table the application as submitted.  Not enough information  The application was incomplete. Commissioner Berkovich seconded the motion. There was no discussion on the motion, so the Chair called for a vote. Motion carried unanimously. C. Consideration for approval submitted by Janet and Mohan Gooman to repair and replace the windows. The property is located in the Stockade Historic District at 9 N College Street. Page 2 of 9  Mr. and Mrs. Gooman came before the Historic Commission to repair and replace the windows and the siding of the house. They explained that there were no modifications to his application since its submittal. The Commissioners briefly explained to the applicants that vinyl windows and sidings were not allowed in Historic Districts. The Commissioners also told them that the windows were not labeled and that in the future the brand, dimension, and design of the windows would be needed. The type of wood sidings, the dimensions, and the overlap would be needed. The Commissioners recommended that the applicant work with the development staff for a more complete application. They also recommended that the applicant reach out to the Schenectady Heritage Foundation for help with grants and tax credits. RESOLUTION Commissioner Unger made a motion to table the application as submitted:  Due to insufficient details on the materials. Commissioner Berkovich seconded the motion. There was no discussion on the motion, so the Chair called for a vote. Motion carried unanimously. D. Consideration for approval submitted by Maryanne Malecki to replace the cedar shakes and paint the house. The property is located in the GE Plot Historic District at 1183 Stratford Road. Mrs. Malecki came before the Historic Commission to present her application to repair and replace cedar shakes and paint the house. She explained that there were no modifications to her application since its submittal. RESOLUTION Commissioner Barron made a motion to approve the application as submitted, with the following conditions of approval:  To repair or replace the cedar shakes that are damaged from the east and the south side of the house.  Replacement and reparation will be done in kind.  To paint the house using the following colors: Winery red for the shutters (HGSW3411), the house will be painted with Sherwin Williams Thorn Tree (HGSW3284), and the accent will be Vibration Gold.  All reparations will be painted to match the existing color. Finding that:  The application is a Type II SEQR,  With the motion’s conditions of approval, the application will be consistent with the applicable Secretary of the Interior Standards for Historic Building Rehabilitation numbers 2,4,5,6, and 9. Commissioner Unger seconded the motion. There was no discussion on the motion, so the Chair called for a vote. Page 3 of 9 Motion carried unanimously. E. Consideration for approval submitted by Ashraf Ghaly to repair and replace the roof. The property is located in the Union Corridor Historic District at 1001 Union Street. Mr. Ghaly came before the Historic Commission to present her application to repair and replace the roof of the house. He explained that there were no modifications to his application since its submittal, but he did bring the material samples to show to the commissioners. Commissioner Unger asked him if the application was only for the turret, and the applicant confirmed that it was. Commissioner Yager asked if the slate on the wall of the turret was remaining, and the applicant said yes. The applicant explained that the wall of the turret is easy to get to and fix, but because of the shape, the location, and the geometry of the turret it is harder to get to and fix. He added this is the main reason why he wanted to replace the slate with a different material, and he proposed shingles. The commissioners discussed previous decisions that were made about that property, and they wanted to respect them since nothing significant had happened to the property. They also agreed that based on the City Code and the Secretary of Interiors standards, the turret is a very significant feature of the building when driving on Union Street and changing the slate to shingle will greatly affect the appearance of the building. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to table the application as submitted:  To allow the applicant to seek alternative materials as an appropriate replacement for the slate. Commissioner Unger seconded the motion. There was no discussion on the motion, so the Chair called for a vote. Motion carried unanimously. F. Consideration for approval submitted by Robert and Diane Bartynski for new additions to their property. The property is located in the GE Plot Historic District at 1132 Adams Road. Mrs. and Mr. Bartynski came before the Historic Commission to present their application to add a new addition to their property. They explained that there were no modifications to their application since its submittal. Commissioner Unger expressed how the application met the Secretary of the Interior Standards, the addition on the back will not be very visible from the public right of way, and that the application was very detailed and complete. Commissioner Berkovich asked the applicant why she was adding the addition, and the applicant explained that she needed more space since the current space was too small. Page 4 of 9  Commissioner Barron gave a quick history of the house and expressed how he was not in favor of any additions to historic property. After a few discussions, it was determined that the new addition met the Secretary of the Interior Standards. They also agreed that the use of a property changes over time and this change would not impact any of the historic characteristics of the property. RESOLUTION Commissioner Unger made a motion to approve the application as submitted, with the following conditions of approval:  The two-story addition will be constructed in the rear of the property.  The new addition will be designed to be very unintrusive to the existing property.  The addition will be painted to match the existing property.  The new windows will match the original windows of the existing property.  The paint brands, colors, and codes will be submitted to the Planning Department.  The new roof will match the roof on the existing property.  And a new porch can be constructed in the rear of the property and can be made of Trex type materials. Finding that:  The application is a Type I SEQR,  The application will comply with City Code Article X, Section 264-76c  With the motion’s conditions of approval, the application will be consistent with the applicable Secretary of the Interior Standards for Historic Building Rehabilitation numbers 2,4,5,6, 9, and 10. Commissioner Sepulveda seconded the motion. Commissioner Barron expressed his sentiments toward adding addition to Historic properties. Motion carried 5 to 1 with Commissioner Barron opposing. G. Consideration for approval submitted by the YWCA Northeastern NY to redevelop the campus. The property is located in the Stockade Historic District at 38-40 Washington Avenue. The YWCA Northeastern NY came before the Historic Commission to present their application to redevelop their campus. They explained that there were no modifications to their application since its submittal. The applicants gave a quick presentation about the YWCA and its mission. They also explained why they were building the new addition. In the presentation, they also talked about the scope of the project, they will renovate the existing structures and build a new addition in the rear. They explained how they are planning on repairing and replacing the windows which is about 215 windows. They explained that some were boarded up, some had been closed off, and they are still doing analysis to determine which windows will be repaired or replaced. For the exterior wall of the new construction, a fiber cement siding will Page 5 of 9  be used in a brick pattern with the patterns being a little larger than the original. They have not chosen a color yet for the siding. Commissioner Berkovich expressed how the application and their presentation looked good. His only concern was that he did not believe that the commissioners could approve windows without knowing which ones were being restored or replaced. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the application as submitted, with the following conditions of approval:  To paint the building.  To repair or replace the roof.  To do the landscaping.  Demolitions and construction of the new addition Commissioner Berkovich tabled the following due to insufficient information:  The windows.  The exterior wall materials for the new construction. Finding that:  The application is a Type I SEQR.  With the motion’s conditions of approval, the application will be consistent with the applicable Secretary of the Interior Standards for Historic Building Rehabilitation numbers 2,4,5,6, 9, and 10. Commissioner Unger seconded the motion. There was no discussion on the motion, so the Chair called for a vote. Motion carried unanimously. H. Consideration for approval submitted by Terry Aldrich to repair and replace the roof. The property is located in the Union Corridor Historic District at 417 Union Street. Terry Aldrich came before the Historic Commission to present his application to repair and replace the roof on his property. He explained that there were no modifications to his application since its submittal. The applicant stated that the building was already approved for the work currently being done and now he was coming back to the Historic Resource Commission for the roof. The applicant stated that the existing roof was slate and wanted to change it to shingles. A member of the public spoke about that property. She said that she was very happy that the building was finally being fixed. She said that the building has been in a state of disrepair for many years. RESOLUTION Page 6 of 9 Commissioner Unger made a motion to table the application as submitted:  The commissioners want the applicant to explore alternative materials like synthetic slate for the replacement. Commissioner Barron seconded the motion. There was no discussion on the motion, so the Chair called for a vote. Motion carried unanimously. I. Consideration for approval submitted by Terry Aldrich to renovate the property. The property is located in the Union Corridor Historic District at 421 Union Street. Terry Aldrich came before the Historic Commission to present his application to renovate his property. He explained that there were no modifications to his application since its submittal. Commissioner Unger had a question about the signage, he asked if the sign would only say “JoJo’s” and nothing else. The applicant confirmed that it would only say “JoJo’s” and nothing else. Commissioner Yager raised a concern about the existing building and the new addition that is planned. Her concern was, according to the standards when adding a new addition to an existing building there should be a way to distinguish it from the original. Looking at the plan, it looks like the existing and the new building would look the same. The commissioners had a few discussions about what could be done to show the difference between the existing structure and the new addition. Commissioner Sepulveda suggested that they could add a distinguishable “reveal” between the two structures. The commissioners agreed that a “reveal” would be a way of showing the difference between the two structures. RESOLUTION Commissioner Unger made a motion to approve the application as submitted, with the following conditions of approval:  To renovate the property.  Any sign changes will be reviewed by the Historic Resource Commission.  Only building signs are permitted, and there should be no ground or mounted signs. Commissioner Sepulveda added:  A “reveal” shall be introduced to differentiate the existing and the new addition  A minimum width of 6 inches for the reveal Finding that:  The application is a Type I SEQR.  With the motion’s conditions of approval, the application will be consistent with the applicable Secretary of the Interior Standards for Historic Building Rehabilitation numbers 2,4,5,6, 9, and 10. Commissioner Berkovich seconded the motion. There was no discussion on the motion, so the Chair called for a vote. Page 7 of 9 Motion carried unanimously. J. Consideration for approval submitted by Patricia Grainer to install HVAC units. The property is located in the Union Corridor Historic District at 1300 Union Street. Mark Grainer came before the Historic Commission to present his application to install HVAC units. He explained that there were no modifications to his application since its submittal. The applicant had a discussion with the commissioners about the placement of the unit. He also stated that he had been looking at different types and sizes of units and would like an approval with a variability on the sizes. Following the discussion, the applicant agreed to moved forward with the application as submitted. RESOLUTION Commissioner Unger made a motion to approve the application as submitted, with the following conditions of approval:  To install HVAC mini split units on the roof of the porch.  The unit box will be painted to match the color of the surrounding structure Finding that:  The application is a Type II SEQR.  With the motion’s conditions of approval, the application will be consistent with the applicable Secretary of the Interior Standards for Historic Building Rehabilitation numbers 2,4,5,6, 9, and 10. Commissioner Barron seconded the motion. There was no discussion on the motion, so the Chair called for a vote. Motion carried 5 to 1 with Commissioner Berkovich abstaining. K. Consideration for approval submitted by Ariff Sayad to replace the roof on his property. The property is located in the Union Corridor Historic District at 1349 Union Street. Ariff Sayad came before the Historic Commission to present his application to replace the roof on his property. He explained that there were no modifications to his application since its submittal. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the application as submitted, with the following conditions of approval: Page 8 of 9   To repair and replace the roof. Finding that:  The application is a Type I SEQR.  With the motion’s conditions of approval, the application will be consistent with the applicable Secretary of the Interior Standards for Historic Building Rehabilitation numbers 2,4,5,6. Commissioner Barron seconded the motion. There was no discussion on the motion, so the Chair called for a vote. Motion carried unanimously. I. Miscellaneous  The Commissioners discussed the updated Zoning Ordinance, Section 264-73 through 78, with Planning Staffs and City Counsel.  The commissioners discussed the Design Guidelines for the City of Schenectady, they didn’t vote on the adaptation because the new commissioners have not reviewed it yet.  The Commissioners discussed their annual report certification. II. Adjourn Motion to adjourn made by Commissioner Unger. Seconded by Commissioner Berkovich. Motion carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 9:40 PM. Page 9 of 9