Historic Commission Approves Contested Gray Street Addition Over a No Vote as Vice Chair Departs
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The most contested vote of the March 2 meeting came on a rear addition and covered porch proposed by Carolyn Badenhausen for 558 Ridgewood Avenue, a corner lot facing Gray Street. Commissioners raised extensive concerns about the roofline -- multiple pitches with no matching precedent on the main house, and no roof plan included in the application -- as well as the scale of the addition and window and door styles that some felt didn't fit the home's Dutch Colonial Revival character. Because Chair Geoffrey Darby, Dan McMahon, and Gregory Lane all recused themselves, Vice Chair Lynn Vande Stouwe ran the hearing. The application was ultimately approved with conditions requiring a roof plan (with the caveat that if subcommittee members can't agree on the roofline, it will return to the full commission), but the vote was not unanimous: alternate In Koo Kim voted No, and Christine Yewaisis abstained.
This was also Vande Stouwe's last meeting on the commission -- she announced she is stepping down, and Chair Darby thanked her for her service and asked members to suggest a replacement.
During public comment, architect Dan Kopec gave an informal preview of a design for 523 Belleville Avenue that is set to be featured on the TV show "George to the Rescue," with an accelerated design and construction schedule; commissioners said the proposed kitchen and porch fenestration changes were acceptable in concept.
Other applications were approved unanimously without significant debate: removal of a deteriorating chimney at 855 Bloomfield Avenue; a kitchen-renovation window change at 66 Highland Avenue; and a new garage in a relocated spot at 12 Rudd Court, along with an enclosed side porch and new front portico at 87 Windsor Place. Separately, subcommittee members found the proposed changes at 96 Ridgewood Avenue too significant to approve on their own, sending that application back to the full commission.
What to watch
- 558 Ridgewood Avenue's roof plan will be reviewed by subcommittee; if members can't agree, it returns to the full commission.
- 96 Ridgewood Avenue is returning to the full HPC after subcommittee found its proposed changes too significant to handle itself.
- The commission is seeking recommendations for Vande Stouwe's replacement.