HARB Minutes - Special Meeting

Chairman Gary Shaffer called a special meeting of the Historical Architectural Review Board to order at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 31, 2012. The meeting was held at the Borough Municipal Building, 59 E. High Street. A quorum was present. Those in attendance were: Board members Jim McCabe, Nancie Gudmestad, Peggy Gustafson, Colleen Lingle and Philip Goble; Merry Bush, Borough Planning Technician and Historic District Administrator; Scott Dellett, Borough Planning Director; and Richard Thrasher, Borough Solicitor. The seat for a building inspector remains open. 

Also in attendance were: Daniel Knudsen, owner, and Allen Beckett, contractor, representing 227 N. Washington Street; Hugh Lewis, resident and owner of 53 E. Water Street, and Joe Edgar, Shaffer Design. 

Purpose of Meeting

Richard Thrasher explained that the tied vote regarding the Certificate of Appropriateness for 227 N. Washington Street must be resolved. Both Act 167, the Pennsylvania Historic District Act, and the Borough's Historic District Ordinance require that action taken at any meeting requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the Board members. The Board, therefore, must have at least four board members vote in favor of a motion to either recommend approval or denial of a Certificate of Appropriateness for the rear addition at 227 N. Washington Street.

Minutes of May 16, 2012 meeting

A typographical error was found in the section of the minutes pertaining to 227 N. Washington Street. In the second full paragraph on page 6, it should read "monkey wrench" instead of "money wrench." The remainder of the minutes will be considered at the next regularly scheduled meeting on June 20, 2012

Alteration. New Construction. 227 N. Washington Street, Daniel and Shannon Knudsen, owners. 

Daniel Knudsen gave a brief description of the changes made to the plans, which included a decrease in the height of the building by 10 inches. 

Jim McCabe said, after reviewing the revised drawings, the applicant had made a good faith effort that will hopefully resolve the issue.

Nancie Gudmestad asked about the entrance stair that was located on the south elevation in the last set of drawings. The applicant said they had been removed in light of the decision of the Zoning Hearing Board on May 25, 2012. 

Mr. Knudsen noted that the rear entrance to the basement had originally been located within the side yard on the south side of the building. He was asked to relocate those to the rear of the property. In the last set of drawings the basement stairs had been enclosed by walls. Those walls have now been removed so that the rear porch is seen instead and to decrease the perceived length of the building. 

Colleen Lingle presented photos she had taken that day of the properties adjacent to 227 N. Washington Street. The photos were of the rear portions of the buildings. 

Philip Goble said that the withdrawal of a previous application at the April 18, 2012 meeting allowed the size and scope of the building to come into play. He said he could live with the reduced height of the building if the fourth bedroom at the rear of the second floor were removed. He said that larger buildings nearby had been completed before the Historic District was extended to N. Washington Street. The adjacent Civil War Institute and Honor House buildings were done under the Historic District ordinance, according to Gary Shaffer.

Gary Shaffer pointed out that Section 110.1.C.7 of Chapter 11 Historic District Ordinance requires that the Board consider the compatibility of roof shapes on parts of the building under consideration and in relation to neighboring buildings. 

Peggy Gustafson asked Merry Bush if it appeared that the proposed addition fit within the side yard setbacks. Ms. Bush said that it appeared so. Ms. Gustafson then asked Ms. Bush if the applicant had complied with a number of items that the Board had requested - consistent window location, configuration. Ms. Bush said that the applicant had complied with the list of items that the Board had been concerned with. 

Ms. Gustafson said the roof over the rear porch should be extended to run the entire width of the rear elevation - trim on right to trim on left. She said that a slight curb built around the entrance to the basement would keep leaves from blowing down the stairwell. Ms. Gustafson said she appreciated the effort to lower the overall height of the rear addition.

Jim McCabe asked if the loss of the fourth bedroom would impact the project. Dan Knudsen said that the project has become more and more expensive. He said the potential loss of income would put the project in jeopardy. Continuing, Mr. Knudsen said that removing the fourth bedroom would bring the unit under the required 900 square feet of living space as required by code. He also said that financing for the project was based upon the income potential of having four bedrooms per unit. 

Mr. McCabe said he agreed with Peggy Gustafson about the reduced height of the rear addition and the extension of the rear porch all the way across the back. 

Peggy Gustafson asked Merry Bush if the proposed addition was more than 10 percent taller than the adjacent buildings. Ms. Bush said it did not appear so. 

Colleen Lingle moved to deny a Certificate of Appropriateness due to the size and scale of the building compared to the adjacent structures. Philip Goble seconded the motion. 

Peggy Gustafson said she could see where Ms. Lingle was coming from but has a major concern that if there is a compromise the entire project may not come to fruition.

The motion was amended to include a reference to Chapter 11, Section 110.1.C.7, which requires buildings to have compatible roof lines to adjacent properties. Colleen Lingle accepted the amendment to the motion. Philip Goble seconded the amendment. The vote was once again 3 to 3 with Jim McCabe, Peggy Gustafson and Gary Shaffer dissenting.

Discussion continued regarding lowering the roofline on the rear portion of the addition. Several times the applicant made reference to not being able to go below 900 square of living space. Phil Goble said he was not interested in making the applicant drop below the required 900 square feet. 

Motion: Gary Shaffer made a motion to recommend to Borough Council that a Certificate of Appropriateness be denied for the application for the rear addition at 227 N. Washington Street as the roofline does not maintain a compatible roof shape in comparison to adjacent buildings that step down in the rear as noted in Chapter 11 Historic Districts Section 110.1.C.7. Revised drawings with a noticeable step down in the height of the rear portion of the building would satisfy the Board. The motion, seconded by Colleen Lingle, passed 5 to 1. Jim McCabe cast the dissenting vote. 

Richard Thrasher recommended that the meeting be continued so that the applicant could prepare new drawings acceptable to the Board. Scott Dellett said that the applicant would have to agree to waive the five-day notification period before the Borough Council meeting as written in Chapter 11 Section 112.2. Application for Review Procedure. Dan Knudsen waived the five-day notification period.

The Board agreed to continue the meeting on Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in the Borough Municipal Building, 59 E. High Street. This portion of the meeting ended at 8:55 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Merry V. Bush

Borough Planning Technician and Historic Administrator