Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-ILPC-2020-05-19Approved by ILPC: 21, July 2020 1 Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC) Minutes — May 19, 2020 Present: Ed Finegan, Chair David Kramer, Vice Chair Stephen Gibian, Member Katelin Olson, Member Avi Smith, Member Susan Stein, Member Megan Wilson, Senior Planner & Acting ILPC Secretary Absent: None Pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 202.1, this meeting was conducted remotely via the online meeting platform Zoom. Chair E. Finegan called the meeting to order at 5:31 p.m. I. OLD BUSINESS A. Sage Block recommendation on materials colors for masonry repairs on the historic building. M. Wilson presented mortar and brick options the applicant is considering for repairs to the west façade of the building and asked the Commission members for their preference. A. Smith joined the meeting at 5:36. Commission members expressed a preference for the “Cambridge” brick. K. Olson asked if they are doing a repair or replacement. M. Wilson said she thinks it’s a repair. K. Olson said she wanted to have an opportunity to look at the existing materials and that the applicant should attempt to match the new as closely as possible to the original, and ensure that the mortar they select is not too hard, as historic bricks aren’t usually as hard as modern ones and might be prone to cracking. M. Wilson said she would get more information and be in contact with the Commission via email. S. Gibian said that he thinks the upper brick looks too brown and the lower one looks too pink. D. Kramer said he also wants to visit the site. S. Gibian said he would like to look at the two sample options in front of the existing wall. M. Wilson said she would get more details and follow up with the Commission members via Approved by ILPC: 21, July 2020 2 email. II. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. 106 Highland Avenue, Cornell Heights Historic District – Proposal to Replace Second-Story Balcony Railing and Two French Doors Applicant Susan Lewis appeared in front of the Commission to present her proposed project to replace the second-story balcony railing and two French doors. She said that the existing railings are not code compliant, and because they need to be replaced completely, the new railing will need to be code compliant. She shared a picture of S. Stein’s porch railing and said that she would like to use that as a model for the design of the new railing. She proposed replacing the French doors with energy efficient fiberglass replacement doors with grills between the glass. She said she has recently become interested in selecting a model with SDL’s on the exterior of the glass as well. She said she had looked into replacement wood doors, but because they would not be sheltered, no manufacturer would warrant them. D. Kramer said that the Commission would normally have more specific information on materials selection (spec sheets for the doors, etc.) S. Lewis said she had submitted the specs for the door, but her contractor, Lou Carvallo, had not yet provided her with drawings for the porch, but it would resemble the porch on S. Stein’s house. S. Gibian said that there is a row of four windows, and he thinks it would be attractive to align the newel posts with those, which would mean there would be five posts along the south rail, rather than the current four, and that would also give the railing additional strength. S. Lewis said she had considered that, but she thinks it would be aesthetically dense. S. Gibian said she could do a drawing. S. Lewis said she could do that. K. Olson said that she would not be comfortable voting on the project without first seeing the design, as that is the standard applied to all applicants. She said she would be open to holding another meeting in advance of the next regularly scheduled one. D. Kramer said he would like to see the specs on the door as well. Chair E. Finegan asked the Commission if they are okay with the fiberglass and what kind of divided lights they would prefer. Approved by ILPC: 21, July 2020 3 S. Gibian said that he is okay with fiberglass in this location, and he asked the applicant to confirm that she is modifying her original proposal from grills between the glass to simulated divided lights. S. Lewis said yes. D. Kramer asked if they could at least approve the roof, as it is leaking. S. Lewis said the B. McCracken said that EPDM would be considered a replacement in kind and should be able to be approved by staff. She said he had asked for clarification on how it would tie in to the wall. S. Lewis said all three portions of the project would have to be addressed at the same time, as the door has to be removed to install the flashing for the roof to be done. S. Gibian said yes, it would have to be a coordinated effort. He said that the roofing quote doesn’t address that. S. Lewis said the roofing contractor and the builder had been in contact and discussed the coordination Public Hearing On a motion by S. Gibian, seconded by S.Stein, Chair E. Finegan opened the Public Hearing. There being no members of the public appearing to speak, Chair E. Finegan closed the Public Hearing on a motion by S. Stein, seconded by D. Kramer. D. Kramer asked the Commission to clarify exactly what they want to see from S. Lewis. Chair E. Finegan said they will need specifics on what model of door and the divided lights to be used. D. Kramer said they will need a drawing showing the dimensions of the railing and detailing materials, with as much detail as possible. K. Olson said they need to make sure it will meet code requirements as well. S. Gibian said for a single family home, it’s typically 36-inch height and 4-inch ball diameter passage. K. Olson said they need to see a spec sheet on the specific model of door. Approved by ILPC: 21, July 2020 4 D. Kramer said that once they have additional materials from the applicant, they can discuss a date to resume consideration of the project. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The April 21, 2020 meeting minutes were approved by unanimous consent with no modifications. K. Olson had to leave the meeting at 6:24 p.m. IV. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent at 6:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Megan Wilson, Acting Secretary Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission