Committee backs rooftop addition rule change in CD 3 historic districts; Planning Board review set for June 21

The Land Use and Sustainability Committee on June 6 recommended sending an amendment to the Planning Board that would allow multi-story rooftop additions in local historic districts located in the CD 3 zoning district so long as additions do not exceed a district's maximum height limit or the existing floor-area-ratio (FAR) and continue to require Historic Preservation Board approval.

Tom (city staff) told the committee that under current local historic-district rules rooftop additions are limited to a single story even where property owners remain well below the district height limit. The amendment, sponsored by a property owner on Collins Avenue, would permit multi-story rooftop additions that remain within the district's FAR and height limitations; the administration's memo said the Historic Preservation Board would retain authority to require sensitive scaling and masking under its appropriateness criteria.

During the discussion preservation advocate Mitch Novick urged keeping a one-story rooftop limit on Ocean Drive because he said prior two-story additions had proved incompatible with historic context. "They are incompatible with the context of historic buildings and they should just be limited to a 1 story addition, in my opinion," Novick said. A caller, Daniel Sorealdo, asked whether rooftop additions would still have to meet HPB setback guidelines; Tom replied that setback requirements would remain and HPB could require greater setbacks depending on design and location.

A committee member moved the item "as presented" and it was seconded; the committee then voted to forward the proposal to the Planning Board for consideration at its June 21 meeting.

If transmitted by the Planning Board, staff said the item would be scheduled for commission consideration thereafter.