Historic Commission Postpones Minutes, Chair Casts Lone No Vote on Baldwin Street Overhang

At its March 4, 2020 meeting, the Historic Preservation Commission approved, in concept, David and Elizabeth Rice's plan for a small A-frame roof overhang above the front entrance at 81 Baldwin Street, pending a detailed subcommittee-reviewed sketch -- but Chair Peter Herrigel voted against the application.

The commission postponed adoption of both its January and February 2020 meeting minutes because members did not have adequate time to review them; both were pushed to a future meeting. At 240 Ridgewood Avenue, an application from the Glen Ridge Public Library to build a book pick-up locker enclosure at the library's front patio was conditionally accepted pending final plans, with both Chair Herrigel and Commissioner Geoffrey Darby recusing themselves from the vote. Chair Herrigel also recused himself separately from the vote on a one-story rear addition at 137 Midland Avenue for Susan and Brandon Pracht, which was approved as submitted.

Other applications were approved unanimously with routine conditions: a front porch and rear window project at 498 Ridgewood Avenue, continued from a January hearing; a one-and-a-half-story rear addition at 21 Mitchell Place, which the commission praised for preserving the home's slate roof; rear-facing solar panels at 205 Hillside Avenue; a two-story addition at 15 Rudd Court, where Commissioner Darby raised concerns about setting a "poor historical precedent" for the streetscape even while calling the design pleasant; and a two-story addition at 158 Carteret Street.

In other business, a homeowner workshop on historic preservation was tentatively planned for April 2, 2020, pending confirmation from contractors, and a Certified Local Government grant application to fund updated design guidelines remained pending. The commission also noted an unrelated complaint that two gable-end windows at 70 Hawthorne Avenue do not align, which the building code official will pursue with the contractor.

What to watch

• January and February 2020 meeting minutes remain pending adoption.
• A homeowner workshop on historic preservation is tentatively planned for April 2, 2020, pending contractor confirmation.