LOWELL HISTORIC BOARD

PUBLIC HEARINGS

August 8, 2005 at 6:00 p.m.

MEMBERS PRESENT                                                             OTHERS PRESENT

Kevin Broderick, Chairman                                                        Eileen Byrne

Rachel Edlund                                                                           Sheila Goggin

David Gray                                                                               Diane Testa, Revolving Museum

Reynold Ilg                                                                               Bill Turville, Revolving Museum

Martha Mayo                                                                            Sarah Uhlendorf

Ernie Middlemiss                                                                       Stephen Stowell, Administrator

Wendy Pearl

1.   PUBLIC HEARINGS

      A.  DLHD-06-05: 22 Shattuck Street (rear)

The Italianate style Lowell Gas Light Co. Building, built 1859.  Application for an Historic Permit for construction of roof deck on rear addition and associated external stairway.

The Chairman read the published Public Hearing Notice and declared the Hearing open to those wishing to speak in favor of the application.

The Chairman recognized Diane Testa, Administrative Manager at the Revolving Museum and project architect Bill Turville.  Mr. Turville noted that the reason for wanting to build the deck was to utilize as much outdoor space as possible and to hold small programs.  He said that the proposed roof deck would be constructed on the cottage addition and access to it would be via a new external stairway at the rear of the cottage.  The dimensions of the deck would be 32’-6” long by 24’ deep.  Mr. Turville said that the actual decking would be pressure treated planks while the entire deck would be surrounded by a 3’-6” high black wrought iron/steel/aluminum railing.

Ms. Testa added that they wanted the deck to compliment the rest of the neighborhood and be a positive addition to the downtown arts district.

Having asked aloud 2 more times if anyone else wished to speak on behalf of the proponents and hearing no one, the Chairman declared the Hearing closed to proponents and opened the Hearing to those who wished to speak in opposition. 

Having asked aloud 3 times and hearing no one, the Chairman declared the Hearing closed to opponents and opened the Hearing to comments or question from Board members and the staff.

Ms. Edlund asked what attention was given to the location.  Mr. Turville stated that the location in the National Park did play a factor and the original design for a two-tiered deck was scaled back to the current design, which accommodates about 50 people.  He added that the addition of a stairway was also a building code requirement.  

Mr. Turville also explained that they had considered adding a second stair which would allow them to accommodate between 50-90 people.  He stated that during the design review process, they ultimately decided to eliminate the second stairway.  He also noted that the current placement of the stair is in the most invisible area of the site.

The Administrator said that in terms of visibility, the deck would encompass most of the flat roof on the rear of the cottage addition.  The addition is set back approximately 37’ from the front property line and 14’ from the rear/fence property line.  The deck railing would be partially screened by the pitched roof of the cottage on the north (Middle Street) elevation to the right of the cottage’s front gable but would be fully visible to the left of the front gable.  He said that Design Review felt that given the relative transparency of the railing and the fact that it would be painted black, coupled with the deep set back of the cottage and the various trees on the site, that visibility would be minimized.

The Administrator said that normally setting the deck back from all sides of the roof would be standard procedure in most other cases.  However, it was felt that since the cottage was set back at both the front and rear and that the side elevation isn’t visible that the proposed deck would have minimal visual impact when viewed from the surrounding area.  This would be an exception as normally roof decks such as this should be set back on all elevations so that the railings cannot be seen from the ground.  The Administrator noted that the cottage presented a series of unique circumstances including setbacks (the building was not directly on the property lines), existing trees, the location of the roof, roof configuration, and sightlines that gave Design Review a comfort level in allowing the deck to encompass almost the entire roof.

Ms. Pearl asked if with the two-stair treatment the railing changes.  Mr. Turville noted that it only changes on one area in the small plan.

Mr. Middlemiss asked about handicapped accessibility.  Mr. Turville noted that at this point there was not a plan for a ramp or a lift.  They currently plan to reproduce programs for those who cannot access the deck, to give them an equal opportunity at visiting the program.

Mr. Ilg noted the problems LeLacheur Park had with handicapped accessibility.  Ms. Testa assured that they would be able to adequately provide the programming for handicapped visitors.

Ms. Pearl asked again about the section of the rail and elevations.  Mr. Turville referred to the plans to address her question and noted that the rail she was concerned with was placed just to show the stair and was not representative of how it will look.

The Chairman asked if they had the second stair, could the deck hold 90 occupants.  Mr. Turville confirmed they could have as many as 90.

The Chairman asked if they would rent the deck out for functions and felt that it might be a good spot to do that.  Mr. Turville stated that they had no plans to rent it out right now.

Motion by Mr. Middlemiss, seconded by Ms. Mayo, to:

vote to issue the Historic Permit for construction of a roof deck and associated external stairway at 22 Shattuck Street in the Downtown Lowell Historic District conditional upon the following:

·         Submittal, review, and approval of final design and construction details for the project including, but not limited to, deck, railings, stairway, access gate, and any proposed courtyard improvements prior to commencement of work; and

·         Submittal, review, and approval of any scope of work alterations and final details prior to commencement of work.

Work is consistent with Sections 2.301, 2.31 and 2.32 of the Downtown Lowell Historic District Design Review Standards.

      Unanimously approved 7-0.

      The Public Hearings were closed at 6:15 p.m.

LOWELL HISTORIC BOARD

REGULAR MEETING

August 8, 2005 at 6:00 p.m.

MEMBERS PRESENT                                                             OTHERS PRESENT

Kevin Broderick, Chairman                                                        Eileen Byrne

Rachel Edlund                                                                           Shelia Goggin

David Gray                                                                               Sarah Uhlendorf

Reynold Ilg                                                                               Stephen Stowell, Administrator

Martha Mayo

Ernie Middlemiss

Wendy Pearl

2.   OTHER BUSINESS

A.  Neighborhood Districts

The Administrator said that the City Council voted unanimously 9-0 to establish the eight new neighborhood review districts at a Public Hearing held on July 12.  Board review would only be triggered in instances of proposed demolition and/or new construction in these eight districts.

At the Board’s July 11 meeting, the eight neighborhood committees for the districts were created and after the creation of the districts by City Council, names of residents and property owners interested in serving where no Board members met the criteria were forwarded to the City Manager.  The Administrator said that appointments are pending but the neighborhood committees can function without those appointments as the remaining slots are all held by Board members by statute.  While it is unfortunate that there might not be residents or property owners on the committees initially, it is critical that the committees function and proceed with the establishment of the review standards so that any future projects are not unnecessarily stalled due an absence of a review and approval process.

The Administrator said that in order to expedite having review standards in place, the neighborhood committees would meet at 6:30 immediately after the meeting to review the proposed guidelines and to recommend their adoption by the Board at a future Public Hearing.

The Administrator noted that there are two active projects in the review process, one in the Belvidere Hill Neighborhood District and the other in the Rogers Fort Hill Park Neighborhood District.  The Belvidere Hill project involves the demolition of an early 1940s ranch/cape and construction of a new home in its place while in the Fort Hill area, the project is the well-known development at the former YWCA site.  He said that preliminary meeting have been held with both parties using the proposed guidelines as a template in order to provide some basic guidance on design, materials, and placement.

The Chairman asked where the draft guidelines came from. The Administrator stated that the demolition, waiver, and economic hardship sections were based upon those found in the Downtown Lowell Historic District and Acre Neighborhood District.  He added that that the new construction guidelines were written based input from colleagues and other similar guidelines that were examined from around the country.

The Chairman asked if the Board adopted these as the interim standards, what would be the process to change and finalize the standards.  The Administrator stated that at the September 12 Public Hearing these standards will be up for adoption and between now and then he would like the Board members to read through and let him know of any modifications or corrections that need to be made.

            Motion by Mr. Ilg, seconded by Mr. Middlemiss, to:

adopt the draft guidelines as presently written to serve as the interim design review standards for the Andover Street, Belvidere Hill, Rogers Fort Hill Park, South Common, Tyler Park, Wannalancit Street, Washington Square, and Wilder Street Neighborhood Districts until such time that the Board holds a Public Hearing on their formal adoption.

            Unanimously approved 7-0.

      B.  Administrator’s Report

The Administrator thanked Kevin Broderick for his service to the Board and as the Chairman, as this was his last meeting with the Historic Board before joining the City Council.  There was some talk amongst the Board concerning electing a new Chairman, but until that time the Vice Chairman will act as the Chairman and until it is known if he wants the seat as Chairman.

The Administrator introduced the new Assistant Administrator, Sarah Uhlendorf, to the Board.  She will begin in early September.

The Board’s minimum maintenance order for Nuestra Senora del Carmen is being complied with as a permit has been issued for the window repairs that will be undertaken by the Archdiocese.

C.   Board Member Items/Inquiries 

Mr. Middlemiss told the Board that he had sold his store so through the end of the year he will serve on the Board, but beyond that he couldn’t yet say.

3.   ADJOURNMENT

      Motion by Mr. Ilg, seconded by Mr. Middlemiss, to:

            adjourn the meeting at 6:27 p.m.

      Unanimously approved 7-0.

_______________________________

Stephen R. Stowell, Administrator

Lowell Historic Board