Historic Commission Splits 5-2 Over Corner Boards on Harvard Street Siding Job

The commission's lone contested vote of the night came at 58 Harvard Street, where owner Jennifer Perez asked to add solid corner boards to siding the commission had previously approved without them, after the siding manufacturer said it wouldn't honor its warranty otherwise. The application was approved 5-2, with Vice Chair Githens and alternate Travia voting no while Darby, Way, Wright, Herrigel, and Kopec voted yes; the approval requires the corner boards to be 3½ inches and solid.

Elsewhere, a two-story rear addition at 104 Sherman Avenue was approved unanimously after "major revisions" made in response to commission feedback over the previous two meetings, with a condition on the porch railing's newel posts. A new two-car garage at 16 Appleton Place was also approved without dissent.

Two applications were approved with the architect involved stepping down rather than voting: a deck extension and new garage windows at 34 Snowden Place, presented by architect Mark Wright on behalf of owners David and Brooke Fapohunda, and window and door changes at 20 Madison Street, presented by architect Daniel Kopec himself on behalf of owners Oanh and Rick Winslow. A wraparound deck and covered porch at 487 Ridgewood Avenue was approved with several railing conditions, and the Borough of Glen Ridge won approval for ADA ramps and new sidewalks at Forest Avenue/Glen Ridge Parkway and Stonehouse Road, on the condition the concrete be tinted charcoal-grey to mimic bluestone and that a grass verge be reintroduced on Stonehouse Road.

During public comment, commissioner Kopec himself raised the question of what the commission's approach should be toward possible changes -- including a possible demolition -- at 97 Sherman Avenue, a house that would return before the commission with a formal demolition application in the months that followed.

What to watch

• Whether the informal concerns Kopec raised about 97 Sherman Avenue lead to a formal application before the commission.