Historic Commission Approves First Tesla Solar Roof Tiles at 7 Ferncliff Terrace

The commission approved the installation of Tesla solar roof tiles at 7 Ferncliff Terrace for John and Michelle Militello, its first case involving the technology, after several members visited other homes where it had already been installed to judge its appearance. Tesla's representative confirmed the tiles carry a 25-year warranty, could microfracture from impact but would be replaced if that happened, and that no studies have examined whether the black glass tiles create a "micro-climate" around a house, a question member Kevin Switzer raised. Members said the roof read like slate from the street and was appropriate for this application, but stressed that future solar-tile requests would be judged case-by-case, not automatically approved.

Owners of 38 Clinton Road, whose porch was destroyed when a tree fell on it, presented a rebuild plan with a wider, wraparound porch, fiberglass columns, and PVC railings; commissioners objected to the PVC as inappropriate for a historic front porch and raised other proportion concerns, so the application was carried over, with the owner expected to return around September with wood or a better composite material.

In organizational business, the commission elected Lynn Vande Stouwe as its new Vice Chair, and Chair Herrigel announced that Christine Yewaisis, a Glen Ridge resident, would be joining the commission the following month.

Other applications were approved unanimously and without major debate: a new short shingled porch wall at 29 Hillcrest Road; new front-porch stairs and railings at 9 Hamilton Road; a new front stair at 123 Ridgewood Avenue, from which Geoffrey Darby recused himself; a retaining wall at 15 Outlook Place, reduced by one course in height at the commission's request; and a small rear mudroom addition at 59 Dodd Street.

What to watch

• 38 Clinton Road's owner is expected to return, likely in September, with a revised porch design using wood or an approved composite instead of PVC.
• Christine Yewaisis is set to join the commission the following month.