Historic Commission Presses 22 Burnett Street Owners for 3D View as Massing Concerns Persist

At its April 6 meeting, the Historic Preservation Commission spent significant time on a third-floor addition at 22 Burnett Street proposed by Kevin and Edith Brennan, which would rise above the ridge of the main roof. Architect John Guadagnoli described the design's Tudor-styled detailing, and Peter Korian called it "artfully done," but several commissioners -- including Korian, Nicholas Colello, Gregory Lane, and Chair Geoffrey Darby -- worried the rear massing would overwhelm the front elevation, something difficult to judge from flat elevation drawings alone. The application was carried to the next meeting so the architect could provide a three-dimensional perspective; Christine Yewaisis recused herself from the discussion.

The commission also worked through a lengthy discussion of a rear addition at 217 Baldwin Street for Salvatore and Christine Cataldi, ultimately requiring the addition's roof to be changed from standing-seam metal to asphalt shingles because commissioners felt metal roofing on both the addition and an entrance porch would overwhelm the look of an existing bay window's metal roof; the application was approved unanimously with that and other conditions.

Borough Clerk Tara Ventola told commissioners that New Jersey law requires all HPC members to file financial disclosure forms -- covering sources of income, not amounts -- by April 30, 2022, warning that members who don't comply face state fines. The commission separately elected Dan McMahon as its new Vice Chair.

Other applications were approved unanimously and with less debate: modifications to a previously approved project at 96 Ridgewood Avenue; porch and kitchen window changes at 523 Belleville Avenue; a front porch and walk restoration at 364 Ridgewood Avenue; a rear addition at 55 Ridgewood Avenue; a kitchen and bedroom expansion at 16 Argyle Street; and a mudroom addition replacing a screened porch at 182 Ridgewood Avenue. A preliminary, massing-only version of a rebuild-and-addition project at 65 Woodland Avenue, for a house recently damaged by fire, was also approved, with owner Vyacheslav Kuyan asked to return with more detailed drawings. Minutes from the February 2 meeting were approved with Gregory Lane and Peter Korian abstaining.

What to watch

• 22 Burnett Street's owners are expected to return with a 3D perspective addressing massing concerns.
• HPC members must file state financial disclosure forms by April 30, 2022.