Commission approves Certificate of Appropriateness for rear carriage house at 123 Union Street

The Historic Preservation Commission voted to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness application for a carriage-house-style accessory building at 123 Union Street after the applicant made design changes to reduce its visual impact.

The commission found the application complete and, following a brief public-hearing period with no speakers, approved the revised design. The applicant, Walter Chatham, described the changes as a response to earlier concerns: “we shortened it a total of 18 inches,” he said, and said the proposal shifts from brick to clapboard and simplifies detailing to make the structure read more like an outbuilding.

Commissioners said the redesign addressed earlier worries about the alley-facing character. At one point a commissioner summarized the panel’s view as “perfect collaboration between the commission and…changes,” praising the smaller scale and simpler detailing. The application as approved includes retaining Yankee gutters and simplified wood-evoking masonry details; the windows and doors were described as “very simple wood and glass doors” and lintels would be wood rather than stone.

The public hearing was opened and, with no members of the public speaking, was closed before the commission moved to vote. The commission’s approval included a standard Certificate of Appropriateness to be prepared and executed by staff.

The commission flagged a separate application on the same property (405 Columbia Street) as outside the historic district and therefore outside its jurisdiction; that application was withdrawn from the commission’s agenda.

The commission indicated the finalized Certificate of Appropriateness will be prepared by staff and available online or through the planning office.