Historic panel splits twice in one night, with Chair Darby dissenting on both a slate roof and a rear porch

Glen Ridge's Historic Preservation Commission delivered two non-unanimous votes at its February 7, 2024 meeting. The first came on a synthetic-slate roof replacement at 344 Washington Street for owner Meredith Marlin, a return application after a structural engineer recommended removing the existing slate to reduce weight on the house. Commissioners Joaquin Stearns and Christine Yewaisis both said the engineer's report lacked an actual load calculation, and Robert Deacon agreed it didn't clearly establish that the slate was causing the structural problems. Despite those reservations, the application passed 5-2, with Chair Geoffrey Darby and Commissioner Deacon voting no and the rest of the commission voting yes; the approval requires the existing snow guards to be retained.

The second split came on a rear covered porch at 319 Forest Avenue for Erika and Dinh Truong. Commissioner Nicholas Colello and a majority of the commission felt the proposed roof was too large in both length and height, and the application was approved 6-1 with conditions to shrink the roofline and cut back the porch length by about four feet -- Chair Darby cast the lone no vote.

In other business, the commission approved a third-round revision to a new-construction house at 90 Ridgewood Avenue for Miguel and Elizabeth Nieves, with commissioners praising improved material balance but flagging arch and gutter details for subcommittee review (Dina Deshan recused herself from this vote). The commission also approved a dormer addition matching the original American Foursquare style at 89 High Street, a jalousie-window removal at 17 Madison Street, and a rear deck and window closure at 15 Mitchell Place, all unanimously.