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CBA Minutes March 24, 2010 Central Business Architecture Review Minutes of Meeting March 24, 2010 City of Northampton Council Chambers, 220 Main St., Northampton, MA Members Present: Time  Chair, Bruce Kriviskey  Joe Blumenthal  Rick Klein  Barry Steeves  Aelan Tierney  Bob Walker Staff:  Senior Planner, Carolyn Misch Planning Director, Wayne Feiden 7:00 P.M. Bruce Kriviskey opened the hearing on the request by Thomas Douglas for exterior changes to 196 Pleasant Street. Tom Douglas described interior and exterior renovations planned with partner Marc Weinberg. He stated that they would be bringing the interior timber frame back. th The first through 4 floors would be business use with the top floor reserved for residential use in the future. An addition to the rear would be constructed for the machine/elevator equipment with asphalt shingle roof and clapboard façade. All new windows would be installed on the Pleasant Street façade. The Committee discussed rearrangement of windows on the first floor, noting that this was exempt from review. Aelan Tierney asked about the 4” reveal on the clapboard. Joe Blumenthal asked about adding windows to the second floor façade and why they weren’t planned. There was no public comment. Upon motion by Joe Blumenthal and second by Bob Walker, the Committee voted unanimously to close the hearing. Upon motion by Joe Blumenthal and second by Barry Steeves, the Committee voted unanimously to approve the project providing for the applicant to create two new openings on the second floor matching the scale of the existing and aligned with the third floor openings without coming back for review. 7:55 Upon motion by Bob Walker and second by Joe Blumenthal, the Committee adjourned. NORTHAMPTON PUBLIC MEETING/ Legal Ad /Agenda FOR Wednesday March 24, 2010 CENTRAL BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE COMMITTEE in Council Chambers, Puchalski Municipal Building, 212 Main Street, Northampton, MA for PUBLIC HEARING: 7:00 PM Thomas Douglas for permit for exterior renovations at 196 Pleasant St, Northampton Map ID 32C-166. See also www.northamptonma.gov (“Calendar”) for continuations Publish: MAR 10 and March 17, 2010 Account# 71350 3/19/2010 SR TAFF EPORT TO: CBAC FROM: Carolyn Misch RE: March 24, 2010 CBAC Meeting DATE: Mar 18, 2010 1. CBAC Review: Alterations to Theme Commercial Building Project Address: 196 Pleasant St. Zoning Central Business Adjacent Uses: Mixed commercial The applicant will be renovating and reusing (FINALLY!) the old Chilson’s building. The majority of the exterior work involves the first floor façade. Because the proposed changes will result in 50% glazing of this façade, these changes are exempt from review under 156-5(C-15). The remaining changes are for alterations of windows on the first and second floors on either the rear and/or sides of the buildings by closing some with brick or glass brick and addition of stair and shed. The Design Guidelines Manual suggest s that alterations to windows above the first floor should maintain 20%-40% of the openings which this project will meet. The applicant proposes removal of the illegally installed mesh screening that was applied to support a stucco application to restore the historic brick materials. Repainting is proposed which is allowed in guideline #10 Door and cinderblock platform on the north side of the building that will be removed and replaced with a one-story shed like attachment with horizontal clapboard like siding. This is a minor addition but visible from Pleasant Street. Section 156-6D allows elements that may not in themselves comply with the ordinance but otherwise maintain the integrity of the building so that it maintains the integrity of the district: (b) Any element of the project or the project in its entirety not permitted under Subsection C(2)(a) above shall be approved if the Committee finds that the project maintains and enhances the Downtown Northampton Central Business District: Character Defining Features in the Design Guidelines Manual, even if it does not meet the Design Guidelines; and There is an exterior stair proposed for the rear of the building in a location with there is an attached shed. It does not appear that it is visible from the public way, but there is no detailing of the stair case. CBAC members should confirm that the shed is being eliminated and understand what the exterior stair will look like. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval as it appears that the minor changes that do fall within the CBAC jurisdiction conform to the guidelines or represent minor changes that improve the overall conditions to the rear of the building. More importantly, this dilapidated building could once again serve as an anchor to that section of Pleasant Street.