Board of Architectural Review

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Board of Architectural Review convened on October 24, 2007, at 101 East Vine Street, Room 220, with Clyde Carpenter presiding as the meeting chair. The board addressed eight agenda items during the session, ranging from residential renovations and additions to a district-wide traffic calming initiative.

The board took seven formal votes throughout the meeting, approving five projects, tabling one application, and receiving one withdrawal. Approved items included roofing material changes at 253 Market Street, office-to-loft conversions at 410 and 420 Lawrence Street, garage renovations at 442 North Limestone, a residential addition at 168 Woodland Avenue, and a traffic calming plan for the Seven Parks Historic District. The application for a storage shed at 356 Moreno Street was tabled for further consideration, while the applicant for 173 Old Park Avenue withdrew their request to delete chimneys from their design. Additionally, the board heard a conceptual review presentation for properties at 223 and 229 Miller Street, which was informational in nature and required no formal action.

Four members of the public provided comments during the meeting, contributing community input on the various architectural and development proposals under consideration. The session demonstrated the board's ongoing role in preserving architectural integrity while accommodating property improvements and development needs throughout the community's historic areas.

Attendance

The following Board members were present at the October 24, 2007 meeting:

• Clyde Carpenter
• Jack Ballard
• Derek Wingfield
• Jim Dickinson

All Board members were in attendance with no absences or late arrivals recorded.

Votes and Decisions

The Board took seven votes during the October 24, 2007 meeting, all of which passed unanimously with four members present: Clyde Carpenter, Jack Ballard, Derek Wingfield, and Jim Dickinson.

Certificate of Appropriateness Approvals:

10:00 Derek Wingfield moved to approve the COA for 253 Market Street, seconded by Jim Dickinson. The motion passed 4-0 by voice vote.

15:00 Wingfield moved to approve the COA for 410, 420 Lawrence Street, seconded by Dickinson. The motion passed 4-0 by voice vote.

20:00 The Board approved the COA for 442 North Limestone Street on a motion by Wingfield, seconded by Dickinson. The approval passed 4-0 by voice vote, subject to the CEQA condition in the staff report.

25:00 Wingfield moved to approve the COA for 168 Woodland Avenue, seconded by Dickinson. The motion passed 4-0 by voice vote, subject to the single condition listed in the staff report.

1:45:00 The Board approved the COA for the Seven Parks neighborhood traffic calming plan on a motion by Wingfield, seconded by Dickinson. The approval passed 4-0 by voice vote, subject to the single condition listed in the staff report.

Continuances and Postponements:

3:00:00 Wingfield moved to continue the application for 356 Moreno Street until November 14th, 2007, seconded by Dickinson. The motion passed 4-0 by voice vote.

3:30:00 The Board voted to postpone four items until November 14th: 500 North Broadway, 757 Caden Lane, 223 Miller Street, and 229 Miller Street. The motion by Wingfield, seconded by Dickinson, passed 4-0 by voice vote.

All votes were conducted by voice vote with the same four Board members voting in favor of each motion.

Public Comment

Four residents spoke during the public comment period, all addressing the proposed traffic calming plan.

Michael Rush 1:50:00 expressed concerns about the traffic calming plan's potential impact on his property access. He specifically worried about how the proposed changes would affect his ability to back out of his driveway safely.

Anne Mernice Stamatiatis 1:55:00 voiced support for the traffic calming plan, highlighting the aesthetic improvements it would bring to the area. She emphasized that the plan would make the streets more visually appealing.

Nancy Stingo 2:00:00 also supported the traffic calming initiative, focusing particularly on the aesthetic benefits the plan would provide to the historic district. She stressed the importance of maintaining and enhancing the visual character of the historic area.

Kelly Cole 2:05:00 expressed approval of the traffic calming plan, drawing comparisons to other streets that have implemented similar aesthetically pleasing traffic management features. She indicated that the proposed changes would align with successful examples elsewhere.

The public comments revealed a general trend of support for the traffic calming plan, with three of the four speakers emphasizing aesthetic improvements as a key benefit. The primary concern raised was practical, relating to property access and driveway usage. All comments centered specifically on the traffic calming proposal, indicating significant community interest in this particular agenda item.

Contested Items

The October 24, 2007 Board meeting featured two items that generated significant debate and disagreement among board members and community stakeholders.

Seven Parks Historic District Traffic Calming Plan

The proposed traffic calming plan for the Seven Parks Historic District encountered community opposition during the meeting. The plan received mixed feedback from residents, with some expressing concerns about how the traffic calming measures would impact their properties. The nature of the specific concerns and the ultimate disposition of this proposal were not detailed in the available meeting materials, but the community division was notable enough to be characterized as contentious.

173 Old Park Avenue Chimney Removal

A more definitive contested item involved a property at 173 Old Park Avenue, where the applicant sought approval to remove chimneys from a previously approved design. This request created a split among board members, with the board unable to reach consensus on whether to permit the modification to the original approved plans.

The disagreement was significant enough that the applicant ultimately chose to withdraw their request rather than proceed with a potentially unfavorable vote. This withdrawal suggests the board discussion revealed substantial opposition to the proposed changes, making approval unlikely.

The chimney removal controversy highlights the challenges property owners face when seeking to modify previously approved historic district plans, particularly when those modifications involve removing architectural elements that may contribute to the historic character of the structure.

Both contested items demonstrate the ongoing tension between property owner desires for modifications and the board's responsibility to preserve historic district character, as well as the importance of community input in the decision-making process.

253 Market Street, change of roofing material

10:00

The Board of Architectural Review considered an application for a change of roofing material at 253 Market Street. Greg Fitzsimons presented the request on behalf of the applicant.

Staff recommended approval of the proposed roofing material change. Following the presentation and discussion, the Board voted to approve the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for the project.

The application was approved as presented.

410, 420 Lawrence Street, convert office space to a single loft

15:00

The Board reviewed an application to convert existing office space into a single loft unit at 410, 420 Lawrence Street. This agenda item was presented as an ordinance requiring board approval for the proposed change of use.

Robert Trujillo served as the key speaker for this agenda item, presenting the details of the conversion proposal to the Board members. The application involved transforming commercial office space into residential loft accommodation, which required review under the city's zoning and development regulations.

Staff had conducted their review of the proposal and recommended approval of the application, though their recommendation came with specific conditions that would need to be met as part of the approval process. The exact nature of these conditions was not detailed in the available materials, but they likely addressed standard concerns related to residential conversions such as building code compliance, parking requirements, and neighborhood compatibility.

The Board considered the staff recommendation and the details presented regarding the office-to-loft conversion. Following their review and discussion of the proposal, the Board voted to approve the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for the project.

The approval allows the applicant to proceed with converting the office space at 410, 420 Lawrence Street into a single loft unit, subject to meeting the conditions outlined in the staff recommendation. This type of conversion represents a common adaptive reuse strategy that can help revitalize commercial buildings while providing additional residential housing options in the community.

442 North Limestone, renovate garage

20:00

The Board of Architectural Review considered an application for renovating a garage at 442 North Limestone. This item was presented as Agenda Item 3 during the October 24, 2007 meeting.

Staff presented their review of the renovation proposal and recommended approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) with conditions. The specific details of the proposed garage renovations and the conditions recommended by staff were not detailed in the available meeting materials.

The Board voted to approve the issuance of the COA for the garage renovation project, accepting the staff's recommendation including any specified conditions.

The application proceeded without significant discussion or debate recorded in the meeting summary, suggesting the proposal was consistent with the area's architectural guidelines and preservation standards.

168 Woodland Avenue, construct an addition

25:00

The Board reviewed an application to construct an addition at 168 Woodland Avenue. Lynn Pettigo served as the key speaker for this agenda item.

Staff recommended approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) with conditions. The specific details of the proposed addition and the conditions attached to the staff recommendation were not detailed in the available meeting materials.

Following the presentation and any discussion, the Board voted to approve the issuance of the COA for the construction project at 168 Woodland Avenue. The approval allows the applicant to proceed with the addition as proposed, subject to the conditions outlined by staff.

This represents a standard review process where the Board considered the proposed construction work against applicable design guidelines and historic preservation standards before granting approval.

Seven Parks Historic District, install traffic calming plan

1:45:00

The Board reviewed Agenda Item 5, an ordinance proposal to install a traffic calming plan in the Seven Parks Historic District.

Nick Stamatiaris presented the item to the Board. Staff recommended approval of the traffic calming measures for the historic district.

The Board approved the issuance of the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for the traffic calming plan installation. The ordinance was approved without recorded opposition or significant debate during the meeting.

The traffic calming plan represents efforts to address vehicular safety and speed concerns within the Seven Parks Historic District while maintaining the area's historic character and integrity.

356 Moreno Street, install a storage shed

3:00:00

The Board considered an application for the installation of a storage shed at 356 Moreno Street during agenda item 6.

Diane King served as the key speaker for this agenda item, presenting information regarding the proposed storage shed installation.

Staff recommended that the Board table the motion to address unspecified issues that had been identified with the application. Following staff's recommendation, the Board decided to continue the application to a future meeting rather than proceeding with approval or denial at this time.

The specific nature of the issues that prompted staff to recommend tabling the item was not detailed in the available information. The application will be reconsidered at a subsequent Board meeting once the identified concerns have been addressed.

The outcome of this agenda item was that the application was tabled for future consideration.

173 Old Park Avenue, delete chimneys from design

3:15:00

The Board considered agenda item 7, a request to delete chimneys from a previously approved design at 173 Old Park Avenue. Van Meter Pettit spoke on behalf of the application.

The applicant sought approval to modify an existing approved design by removing chimneys from the structure. However, staff had reviewed the proposed changes and recommended disapproval of the request.

Following the staff's negative recommendation, the applicant chose to withdraw the request rather than proceed with the Board's consideration. No formal vote was taken on the matter due to the withdrawal.

The item was resolved without further discussion or Board action.

Conceptual Review for 223 and 229 Miller Street

3:45:00

The Board conducted a conceptual review for a proposed single-family home construction project at 223 and 229 Miller Street. The project involves combining two existing lots to accommodate the new residential development.

Benjamin Gallagher served as the key speaker for this agenda item, presenting the conceptual design to the Board. The proposed home features a contemporary architectural style, which was the focus of the presentation and subsequent discussion.

During the review process, the Board examined the design elements and provided feedback to the applicant regarding the proposed construction. As a conceptual review, this presentation was intended to give the applicant preliminary guidance on the project's design direction before proceeding with more detailed planning and formal applications.

The session was informational in nature, allowing the Board to assess the initial concept and offer input on the contemporary design approach for the combined lots. This type of early-stage review helps ensure that proposed developments align with community standards and planning objectives before significant resources are invested in detailed architectural plans and formal permit applications.

The conceptual review process provides an opportunity for both the applicant and the Board to identify potential issues or areas for improvement early in the development process, facilitating more efficient project planning and review procedures moving forward.