Three Siding Applications Withdrawn as Board of Education Disputes Commission's Authority

Three separate homeowners withdrew applications at the Historic Preservation Commission's September 4, 2019 meeting after running into resistance over proposed exterior material changes. At 21 Herman Street, owner Yoshiko des Lauriers sought to replace wood siding and shingles with maintenance-free fiber-cement material, but the commission objected to proposed aluminum trim and raised concerns about how fiber-cement handles mitered corners; the application was withdrawn, with the commission noting that replacing siding in-kind wouldn't require its approval at all. At 170 Hawthorne, owners Doug and Tricia Snyder's proposal for fiber-cement siding with metal corner caps was withdrawn after members said the metal caps and corner boards would change the house's appearance and the submitted drawings lacked sufficient detail. At 21 Lincoln Street, owner Diane Preston withdrew a deck and patio replacement application after the commission asked that the architect attend in person with a more fully resolved design.

The meeting's old business revealed an ongoing dispute between the commission and the Board of Education. After the commission had required a brick enclosure wall around chiller equipment at Central School and a roof-mounted (rather than ground-level) chiller at Linden Avenue School, the Board of Education appealed to the Planning Board to reverse those decisions, citing cost and noise concerns. During that hearing, the Board of Education's attorney argued that neither the historic commission nor the Planning Board has authority over the Board of Education's projects. The Planning Board sent both matters back to the historic commission, whose members said they want the Planning Board's own attorney to weigh in on that legal claim.

Two other applications passed without objection: door and step replacements at 2 Roswell Terrace for Crystal and Nelson Hassinger, and new front stairs and railings at 62 Essex Avenue for Marita Begley and Ana Del Campo.