Springfield historical commission approves basement-window and occupancy plan, continues siding and Riverview cases; coordinates with Eversource on gas‑metering

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield City Historical Commission on March 6 approved a series of property actions, continued two public hearings for additional documentation or site visits, and heard a presentation from Eversource on a neighborhood gas‑main upgrade that will move some inside meters to exterior locations.

The commission voted to approve a hardship application for 108 School Street to allow replacement of six basement windows with a Pella NorthWind double‑hung 6‑over‑6, in black, as presented by the petitioner. The panel also approved staff’s recommendation to lift a stop‑work order at 180 Saint James Avenue to allow the owner to obtain a certificate of occupancy by May, while requiring that visible temporary windows be replaced with historically appropriate silver‑line slimline windows in black within one year.

Commissioners continued two public hearings to gather more specification details and to allow site visits: a hardship application at 3 Clarendon Street (vinyl siding over existing asbestos siding) was continued so the applicant can provide manufacturer specifications and trim details; and a certificate request at 50 Riverview Terrace (replacement windows) was continued and a site visit was scheduled so commissioners could assess which windows are repairable and which require replacement.

The panel also authorized staff letters of support for multiple Community Preservation Act (CPA)…