City of Burlington Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes: May 7, 2014

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1 City of Burlington Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes: May 7, 2014 The City of Burlington Historic Preservation Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the City Hall Complex, 525 High Street, Burlington, NJ. 1. Introduction: The meeting was called to order at 7:00. Chairman Van Sciver opened the meeting with an introduction to the procedures of the Historic Preservation Commission. He then led the Pledge of Allegiance; HPC Secretary Cindy Crivaro conducted the Roll Call. 2. Roll Call vote: Present: Chairman Chancellor Van Sciver, Vice Chairman William Buehrig, Commissioners Doris Johnston, Emma Jean Morgan, Heather Nesbit, William Stewart and Brian White. Commissioners Elizabeth Baird and Ivan Pawlenko were absent. Also present: Commission Secretary Cindy Crivaro and Historic Preservation Consultant John Hatch, FAIA. 3. Consideration of Minutes: The approval of the minutes for March and April, 2014 were tabled by Chairman Van Sciver. These will be reviewed and approved at the June meeting. 4. Applications: HPC Application : Proposal to replace a window at the rear southwest corner of the house. Owner/ Applicant: William and Patricia Buehrig Site: 320 Wood Street; Block 14, Lot Designation: Contributing a. Description of the Property: The main part of this Federal style house dates from the first half of the 19 th century and is a 2 ½ story, three bay, side hall main block with an asphalt shingle roof and a stucco exterior. An attractively detailed wood porch spans the front of the house. At the rear, there is a two story, two bay extension, which is not as wide as the main block of the house. The left side also has a one story enclosed porch. b. Documents Submitted: A completed application with a detailed description of the proposed work, photographs and cut sheets of the proposed windows, etc., were received around April 22,

2 c. Scope of work proposed by applicant: The applicant is requesting approval to replace the laundry room window at the rear, southwest corner of the house. The existing window opening is 48 wide by 66 high with a pair of double-hung, one-over-one wood windows that are deteriorated. The lower part of the window opening is obscured by an adjacent air conditioning unit. The applicant intends to raise the sill height of the window opening to match the height of the air conditioning unit, and then install new Andersen casement windows with exterior grids that match the existing width and the new height (48 wide by 52 high). The infilled area below the window will be stuccoed and painted to match the adjacent surfaces. d. Discussion/ Public Comment Mr. Buehrig, Vice-Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, recused himself from discussion and voting as he is the applicant. Mr. Buehrig was sworn in and gave an introduction to the project. He explained that he and his wife no longer intend to build the kitchen addition that had been previously approved. Instead, they are looking to make more modest changes that will improve the efficiency and functionality of their kitchen/ laundry room area. The rear wing of the house is a later addition that is only partly visible from a public way. There is a window on this wing whose sill is inconveniently low. He would like to raise the sill, infill with stucco to match and install a new, clad wood casement window by Andersen. Each window will have eight lights with interior and exterior grids. The color of the cladding will be sand-tone, a close match to the existing exterior color. The new stucco will be finished and painted to match the existing stucco on the house. Mr. Hatch confirmed that the window in question is barely visible from any public way and that the installation would not have a negative impact on the character of the house or the District. e. The Historic Preservation Commission recommends the following as conditions of any approval: NA. f. Commission Decision Commissioner White made a motion to approve the application with the conditions described above. Commissioner Nesbit seconded. The Commission voted 6 to 0 in favor of the motion, with Vice-Chairman Buehrig recusing himself. HPC Application : Proposal to install a four foot privacy fence on both sides of the back yard, to cover the side wall of the house with new masonry paint and to replace the front and side windows with new wood windows. Owner/ Applicant: Property Holding, LLC; Jason Arnold 2

3 Site: 26 West Pearl Street; Block 12, Lot 51 Designation: Contributing, Municipal Historic District a. Description of the Property: Likely constructed in the 1860 s, this early Victorian, simple brick rowhouse is attached to an identical house on the left. The right side is open to a walkway that belongs to the adjacent lot. The main block of the house is three stories with a shallow side gable; there is a rear, two story wing with a side porch. The exterior of the house is brick; the front uses molded brick with very fine mortar joints. This front, hard brick is in good condition; any cleaning of this brick should use gentle methods and low pressure water. The softer brick on the side was covered with brick-face which has subsequently faded. The first floor of the front of the house is three bays, with the door on the left. The upper two floors, and the basement, have two bays each. The windows are one- overone aluminum windows. The simple wood lintels and sills have been covered with aluminum. b. Documents Submitted: A completed application with a description of the proposed work, photographs, cut sheets of the proposed windows, masonry paint and fencing, as well as a site survey, were received around April 16, 2014 (with later updates). c. Scope of work proposed by applicant: The applicant intends to install a four foot high wood stockade privacy fence along both sides of the rear yard (replacing damaged chain link fencing), to paint the side brick-face, and to install new wood windows on the front and visible side of the house. d. Discussion/ Public Comment Mr. Cook was sworn in and gave a brief description of the proposed work, stating that the owner was doing a complete interior renovation along with the proposed exterior work so that the renovated house could be sold. As explained in the application, he intends to replace the windows on the front and visible side of the house with clad wood windows, to paint the brick-face stucco on the side with a masonry paint and to install a 4 high privacy fencing at the side of the property. Mr. Cook clarified that he intends to install white clad windows to match the existing exterior color. Commissioner Morgan asked Mr. Cook to clarify the configuration and location of the proposed fence. Mr. Cook stated that it would be located along the side property lines, starting at the rear of the house and running to the back property line. He is proposing a wood stockade configuration that would be painted white. Mr. Hatch stated that a board fence would be more appropriate. Mr. Cook expressed concern about the cost of the board fence; Mr. Hatch agreed that the location of the fence was not very visible from West Pearl Street and was therefore less of a concern. 3

4 Mr. Hatch asked that the masonry paint not be used on any of the existing exposed brick, only on the stucco. Mr. Cook agreed. Commissioner Nesbit asked what would happen to the side porch. Mr. Cook stated that it would be repaired, in-kind. e. The Historic Preservation Commission recommends the following as conditions of any approval: Mr. Cook will provide Mr. Hatch with the final window configuration for approval (two over two, if possible). No masonry paint will be used on the existing brick; only on the stucco. In addition, any cleaning of the brick will use the gentlest means possible. f. Commission Decision Commissioner Nesbit made a motion to approve the application with the proposed fence configuration, with the conditions stated above and asking Mr. Cook to confirm the final window configuration with Mr. Hatch. Commissioner Morgan seconded. The Commission voted 7 to 0 in favor of the motion. HPC Application : Proposal to replace existing wood siding, to replace the existing roofs, to replace existing trim and fascia and to replace the existing gutters and downspouts. Owner/ Applicant: Quaker Landing Condominium Association, Gary Hrynko, President Site: 333 East Pearl Street; Block 121, Lot 3 Designation: Non-Contributing, Municipal Historic District a. Description of the Property: Constructed in the mid-1980 s, Quaker Landing is a condominium complex with a mix of 2 ½, 3 ½ and one story, side gabled structures, with primarily brick exteriors. The setbacks between units are currently painted clapboard siding; the windows are aluminum; the front doors are wood and there is some wood trim at the doors, windows and at the eaves and fascia; the shutters appear to be vinyl. The existing gutters and downspouts are white aluminum, K profile. b. Documents Submitted: A completed application with a description of the proposed work, photographs, and cut sheets of the proposed siding and roofing were received on April 29, I visited the site on April 28, c. Scope of work proposed by applicant: The applicant intends to replace the roofing with new roofing that closely matches the existing. Part of the rationale for this replacement is that the underlying roof sheathing has started to deteriorate. The applicant would also like to replace the existing wood clapboard siding with new vinyl siding of a similar color. In the same vein, he is also looking to replace trim, fascia and rake boards with new wood that is 4

5 covered with aluminum. Finally, the applicant intends to replace the existing gutters and downspouts with new ones of similar configuration and material. d. Discussion/ Public Comment Mr. Hrynko and Mr. Scattergood were sworn in. Mr. Scattergood gave an overview of the project. He described deteriorating roof sheathing that necessitates the replacement of the roof, the damaged exterior trim and the damaged exterior clapboard siding, particular at the roof level. Mr. Hrynko concurred, explained that he works for ABC Building Supply Company and that replacing the exiting wood trim with a composite material is much more expensive than replacing it with wood covered with aluminum. He provided a sample of aluminum to give a sense of the appearance. He also stated that the existing wood clapboard s condition is too poor to repair. He provided a color sample of the proposed vinyl siding (a dark red color that approximates the existing with a relatively smooth texture and 4 exposure). Mr. Hatch noted that the roof replacement and gutter/ downspout replacement do not require HPC approval as they are in-kind. Commissioner Nesbit concurred with Mr. Hatch s concern that wood trim covered with aluminum would create a long-term maintenance issue. Mr. Hrynko stated that they would completely cover the front and top and bottom edges of the trim, thus minimizing issues. e. The Historic Preservation Commission recommends the following as conditions of any approval: NA f. Commission Decision Commissioner Nesbit made a motion to approve the application as presented. Commissioner Stewart seconded. The Commission voted 7 to 0 in favor of the motion. 5. Old Business: a. Doane Academy: Ms. Crivaro noted that the HPC had received a letter from the NJ Historic Preservation Office regarding required archeology at the site of the new classroom building. b. Adjustment of the Historic District Borders: At the May 13, 2104 City Council meeting, there will be a vote on some adjustments to the City s Zoning Ordinance and how it relates to the Master Plan. Commissioner Morgan noted that she is still interested in adjusting the Historic District s boundaries, but is still waiting for coordinated, accurate maps from the City s consultant. c. CLG Grant Application: Mr. Hatch will follow up with the NJ HPO to see if grant awards have been made. 6. New Business: 5

6 a. CLG Presentation: Commissioner Nesbit asked that Mr. Hatch come up with some ideas for a presentation that would satisfy the HPC s continuing education requirement for the Certified Local Government program. He will bring ideas to the June meeting. b. Commissioner Morgan thanks Ms. Crivaro for taking on the job of Commission Secretary and for mailing all of the background information for the meeting. 7. Public Comment: a. There was no public comment. 8. Adjournment: a. Commissioner Morgan made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Commissioner Johnston seconded. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:50 PM. Respectfully submitted on May 21, 2014 by John Hatch, FAIA, consultant to the Burlington City Historic Preservation Commission. 6