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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-03-05-HDC-minPUBLIC MEETING NOTICE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Meeting broadcasted by LexMedia Minutes of Thursday, March 5, 2015 Selectmen's Meeting Room, Lexington Town Offices 1625 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 7:00 PM Commissioners present: Lynn Hopkins, Chairperson, Paul Ross, Robert Warshawer and Britta McCarthy Associate Commissioners, Marilyn Fenollosa and Nancy Shepard Department Clerk: Linda Rainville FORMAL HEARINGS 12 Waltham Street: Aaron Derderian, representing Lexington Wealth Management, presented drawings for a new blade sign. The blade sign will comply with zoning by -law requirements and clear the sidewalk by eight feet, be less than six square feet and clear the building wall by a minimum of six inches. The font will be a san serif font. The sign will be two sided, 28" x 26 5/8 ", sign foam with carved letters and raised logo, three inches thick. It will hang from a wrought iron bracket. Approved - All in favor. CONTINUED HEARINGS 21 Muzzey Street: Adam Shuck, Spacecraft Architecture, presented photos illustrating successful examples of clad windows already in the district, as well as examples of newer wood window installations the commission found less successful. Under most circumstances all wood windows are required in the district. However, this project is a commercial building, of all new construction and with some more modern materials already approved. Therefore the commission agreed that under these specific circumstances the use of aluminum -clad windows was an appropriate choice. The Commission was explicit that this decision would be granted for this particular building given very specific circumstances, and should not necessarily be seen as establishing a precedent. The Commission approved installation of aluminum clad Pella Windows. The window casing would will be detailed to conceal the window frame lip, providing a more traditional installation appearance. The sash will have a black or gray matte finish. Trim will be white. Mr. Shuck will return with the final color scheme. All in favor. 847 Massachusetts Avenue: John Abbott, the owner, came before the Commission to present some changes to the previously approved project. These project changes were discovered by the building inspector when he came to review modifications necessitated by inadequate existing structural conditions uncovered during renovation. Mr. Abbott said that restructuring the interior second floor had necessitated reframing the south side of the house, which meant that it was less practical to salvage the existing siding. Further, he said that he was required to use fire rated siding on a portion of the house because it came so close to the property line, although he did not have the code citation that outlined the specifics of this requirement and could not explain how much of the wall needed to meet this requirement. Mr. Abbott then admitted that he had begun to replace all of the siding on the house with Hardy plank, a concrete siding product that had not been reviewed or approved by the commission. Mr. Abbott also admitted that he had removed an existing chimney because the new HVAC system has a sidewal exhaust and the chimney was not longer required. He claimed there were safety concerns with the old chimney. The removal of the chimney had not previously been discussed with nor approved by the Commission. PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Meeting broadcasted by LexMedia While the Commission understands that compliance with life safety issues is of paramount importance, the HDC must be consulted should code requirements prompt revisions to previously issued approvals. It was also noted that the use of a material meant to address life safety concerns in a localized, less conspicuous location would not necessitate the use of that same material over the entire building. The commission was extremely disappointed that Mr. Abbott had made changes without consulting the commission. He was asked to return with the specific code requirements, adequate documentation showing where any siding changes had to occur as well as specifications and samples of the proposed siding replacement materials. The Commission was not convinced that the use of Hardy plank on the facade and other building elevations would be desirable or approved, even if installation of these materials had already begun. Mr. Abbott also requested approval to re -roof the house. He will change the shingle color from red to black. It will be a 30 year architectural shingle. The roof change was approved — All in favor. INFORMAL HEARINGS Massachusetts Avenue Roadway Improvements: David Cannon and Tom Laughlin presented information regarding infrastructure improvements along Massachusetts Avenue from the intersections at Marrett Road up to Pleasant Street. Impetus for these improvements came about after a 2008 pedestrian fatality. The changes will include road reconfigurations and new traffic lights at Marrett, Maple and Pleasant, plus improve the infrastructure for pedestrians, bikes and vehicles. The target date for these improvements is 2018. OTHER BUSINESS Marilyn Fenollosa asked the HDC Commission to support the endorsement of the First Parish Church Project to Town Meeting. Lynn Hopkins will sign a letter to the Town Meeting Members. Executive Discussion Minutes from February 5, 2015 were approved as written PRIOR TO THE MEETING IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH COMMISSIONER TO VIEW ALL PROPERTIES ON THE AGENDA.