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Home My WebLink About2020-11-18-HC-min HISTORICAL COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES November 18th 2020 Call to Order: A public hearing of the Historical Commission was held remotely through Zoom. The meeting convened at 4:04PM Historical Commission Members in Attendance: Marilyn Fenollosa, Chair, David Kelland, Wendall Kalsow, Diane Pursley, Susan Bennett, Robert Rotberg and Katie Flynn AGENDA ITEM #1 (4:06PM) Public hearing regarding the partial building demolition at 58 Oak Street APPLICANT (S) PRESENT: Katie Flynn, Architect Courtney and Donovan Quinn, homeowners ABUTTER(S) PRESENT: Margot Tracy, 63 Oak Street DOCUMENT(S): Existing and proposed elevations 10/09/2020 Photos of existing house SUMMARY: Ms. Flynn went over plans for 58 Oak Street. Ms. Flynn is proposing to replace some windows, eliminate the Oak Street entrance and stoop, and re-build the front enclosed porch volume. The windows that are planned to be replaced are not original windows which have broken seals and cracked glass. They are hoping to use Marvin windows with semi-divided lights. HC COMMENTS: Mr. Kalsow asked if the windows will be wood. Ms. Flynn said the windows will be wood clad with aluminum on the exterior and will be white. Mr. Kalsow expressed his hesitation using a clad window if the goal is to replicate the original window. Mr. Kalsow also expressed concerns regarding porch: the corner pilasters are wider than the center pilasters. Ms. Flynn said agreed, but said the corner pilasters need to be 18 inches and the center pilasters 12 inches, which the Structural Engineer recommended. Ms. Flynn had wanted to shrink them but that was all the engineer would allow. Ms. Flynn said she would talk to the engineer. PUBLIC COMMENTS: A letter was received from Margot Tracy, of 63 Oak Street indicating support of the project. MOTION: Moved by Mr. Kalsow to find 58 Oak Street preferably preserved and approve the plans presented to the meeting dated 10/09/2020 with the exception that all-wood windows would be installed in keeping with the historic house and the size of the corner pilasters would be potentially reduced. Seconded by Mr. Rotberg. VOTE: 5 in favor of partial building demolition: Mr. Kalsow, Ms. Pursley, Ms. Fenollosa, Mr. Rotberg, and Ms. Bennett with Ms. Flynn abstaining. AGENDA ITEM #2 (4:26PM) Public hearing regarding the partial building demolition and roofline change at 18 Adams Street. APPLICANT (S) PRESENT: Colin Smith, Architect Allison Mnookin, homeowner ABUTTER(S) PRESENT: None DOCUMENT(S): Existing and proposed elevations dated 10/15/2020 Photos of existing house SUMMARY: Mr. Smith described the home at 18 Adams Street. 18 Adams Street was built in 1903 by Willard Brown. The current proposal is to reconstruct a bow window that is not original to the house and reconstruct an existing balcony deck which is original. HC COMMENTS: Ms. Fenollosa asked if the footprint of the house was changing. Mr., Smith said in a slight way; the bow window is non-confirming so the applicants will have to go to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Mr. Kalsow asked why the balcony was changing. Mr. Smith said the balcony is not original to the house and he was unsure if it should match or be more consistent with what's currently there. He is proposing to enlarge the balcony. Mr. Kalsow requested that he try to maintain the aesthetic of the original shingle style rather than something built in 1980. The Commission agreed with Mr. Kalsow. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None MOTION: Moved by Mr. Rotberg to find 18 Adams Street preferably preserved and approve plans presented to the meeting dated 10/15/2020. Seconded by Ms. Bennett. VOTE: 6-0 In favor of partial building demolition and roofline change: Ms. Flynn, Ms. Bennett, Mr. Rotberg, Ms. Pursley, Mr. Kalsow and Ms. Fenollosa. AGENDA ITEM #3 (4:38 PM) Public hearing regarding the full building demolition at 5 Meadow Brook Avenue APPLICANT (S) PRESENT: John Esserian, homeowner Joe Marino, Homes Development Corporation ABUTTER(S) PRESENT: Rajendra Laad, 6 Wellington Avenue DOCUMENT(S): Structural Engineer Letter Photos of existing house SUMMARY: Mr. Marino described the home at 5 Meadow Brook Avenue. The previous homeowners had made two attempts to sell the house, but were unsuccessful due to the condition of the property. The power is currently turned off and would have to be brought up to code in order to be put back on. The condition of the home is very poor and unlivable. Richard Testa, Structural Engineer said he recommended the home be demolished. Mr. Marino is proposing to build a new house, set back further than it is now. Mr. Marino is requesting that the Commission approve the request to demolish the house. A licensed company will remove the asbestos and there will not be any blasting. HC COMMENTS: Ms. Fenollosa said Mr. Marino brought the Commission a lot of evidence showing the reasons for demolition. Ms. Pursley said there are some valid concerns in the structural report but she is sad to see it potentially go. Ms. Pursley asked if anything could be saved before demolishing the house, since the home was historic. Ms. Fenollosa requested that the information Mr. Marino gave us be added to the file as additional documentation. PUBLIC COMMENTS: -Rajendra Laad, 6 Wellington Avenue, expressed concerns regarding the asbestos removal and removal of rocks and blasting in the area. -Dennis Lawler, 2 Meadow Brook Avenue, listened to the presentation and supported the project. Mr. Lawler was worried that the home is a fire hazard. - Pallavi Dinesh Vartak, 107 Blossomcrest Road, has two little children at home and wanted to know the timeline since the children will not be able to play outside. MOTION: Moved by Mr. Kalsow to find 5 Meadow Brook Avenue preferably preserved but accepted the structural reports indicating that the house could not be preserved and therefore permitted demolition. Seconded by Ms, Bennett VOTE: 6-0 In favor of demolition: Mr. Kalsow, Ms. Pursley, Ms. Bennett, Mr. Kelland, Mr. Rotberg and Ms. Fenollosa AGENDA ITEM #4 (5:32 PM) Public hearing regarding the full building demolition at 24 Theresa Avenue APPLICANT (S) PRESENT: John Berglund, homeowner John Farrington, Attorney Ralph Kilfoyle, Architect Sami Kassis, Structural Engineer Stephen Stratford, Stratford, Real Estate ABUTTER(S) PRESENT: Amy Armitage, 16 Cliffe Avenue DOCUMENT(S): Photos of the existing house Structural Engineer Report Architect Report SUMMARY: Mr. Farrington went over the home regarding 24 Theresa Avenue. Mr. Kilfoyle said the home has progressively decayed, walls are caving in, and the foundation is in poor condition. The home had not been occupied for a number of years. Mr. Kassis inspected the property and noted that the roof is sagging and sinking inward and in bad shape. HC COMMENTS: Mr. Kelland said this home is a bungalow and we worked to save a bungalow years ago but this house is not a good example of a bungalow and it's in poor condition. It should be considered for removal from the inventory. The Commission agreed. PUBLIC COMMENTS: -Amy Armitage, 16 Cliffe Avenue, said the house was recently occupied earlier this year, while it was previously indicated that the home had been vacant. Is the new proposed home at 15 Hillcrest going to be similar at 24 Theresa Avenue. Mr. Stratford said the footprint would be similar. MOTION: Moved by Mr. Kalsow to find that 24 Theresa Avenue had lost its historical and architectural significance and should therefore be removed from the Inventory. Accordingly, the Commission no longer has jurisdiction with respect to the demolition application. Seconded by Mr. Rotberg VOTE: 6-0 In favor of removing 24 Theresa Avenue from the inventory: Mr. Kalsow, Mr. Rotberg, Ms. Pursley, Ms. Bennett, Ms. Fenollosa and Mr. Kelland. AGENDA ITEM #5 (6:02 PM) Public hearing regarding the full building demolition at 19 Bertwell Road -Applicant requested to be continued to December meeting. Mr. Rotberg made a motion to continue the hearing to next month. Seconded by Mr. Kelland. 6-0 In favor of continuation: Mr. Rotberg, Ms. Bennett, Mr. Kelland, Mr. Kalsow, Ms. Pursley and Ms. Fenollosa. AGENDA ITEM #6 (6:04 PM) Updates -Ms. Fenollosa went over updates regarding 53 Hancock. The preservation restriction agreement is not ready yet. The MHC has requested some language changes. -November 2020 CPC Needs Assessment: Ms. Fenollosa said that if the Commission has any questions or comments on the report, to send them to Ms. Fenollosa separately since she will have to submit it before the next Historical Commission meeting. -Inventory Project: Ms. Bennett went over updates on the inventory project. The Consultant is on site in Lexington this week. He will be visiting homes to determine whether they are good candidates for in depth study. Ms. Bennett approached about 20 homeowners and Mr. Larson saw about 10-11 properties. Ms. Bennett will circulate the homes Mr. Larson visited and the new list that may be considered. -Hanscom Air Force Base sent a letter to the Commission requesting comments on a proposed project to construct a parking deck at the base. The Commission recommended a Historic Preservation Consultant come to the next Historical Commission meeting to give a presentation. AGENDA ITEM #7 (6:25 PM) Vote to accept meeting minutes dated October 21" 2020 -The Commission will vote next month once we fix the zoning language. AGENDA ITEM #8 (6:27 PM) Motion to adjourn made by Mr. Kalsow to adjourn. Seconded by Mr. Kelland 4-0 favor to adjourn Mr. Kelland, Mr. Kalsow, Ms. Fenollosa, Ms. Pursley, Ms. Bennet and Mr. Rotberg. Adjourn