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Commission approves demolition of carriage house, replacement ADU at 127 Fair Street with conditions
Summary
The commission found the demolition and replacement plan compatible with the Fair Street Historic District, granted a certificate of appropriateness for a new 1,000-square-foot accessory dwelling unit, and required specific materials, window types, fence treatment and final specifications to be submitted to staff.
The Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission on Jan. 9 approved a certificate of appropriateness for demolition of an existing carriage house and construction of a new accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at 127 Fair Street in the Fair Street Historic District, subject to materials, fenestration and specification conditions.
After declaring the action a Type II under SEQR (motion moved by Commissioner Nettie Murano and seconded by Robert Tommy, unanimous), the commission adopted findings that the existing accessory structure could not be adaptively reused as an ADU and that replacement construction was appropriate for the site as drawn from the existing accessory structure.
The motion adopting the finding and granting the certificate included specific conditions: the new ADU is to be approximately 1,000 square feet, clad in wood cove Dutch-lap siding with a 7-inch reveal to match the existing facade, painted in a Benjamin Moore color specified in the application record (transcript text: “Benjamin Moore as of screen h c 188” — final color code to be verified by staff), and fitted with 2-over-2 wood-frame double-hung windows (applicant suggested Marvin Ultimate as an example). The commission also required that carriage-house doors be exterior-mounted and operable; final door and light fixture make/model and material (wood or metal) must be submitted to staff for approval. The commission approved a black aluminum picket fence and gate as shown in the plans and allowed a conforming garbage/enclosure with EV charging station, subject to final details.
Applicant Alex Delano of Catherine Whitman Architecture and contractor Marco Cho presented the existing carriage house condition and explained that test pits and structural issues made adaptive reuse impractical. The project team agreed to provide archaeological reports when requested and to arrange for a qualified archaeologist to witness excavation for the proposed full-height basement.
Commissioners also discussed compliance with the New York State energy code (the local “stretch” code) and noted that final materials and mechanical equipment (air‑conditioning condensers) should be located out of public view and screened when necessary. The commission called for final specifications (windows, doors, light fixtures, fence details and any metallic door core specifications required by stretch code) to be submitted to staff for final approval rather than requiring applicants to return for another full hearing for some detail changes.
Mark Grumblatt moved the certificate of appropriateness with the conditions recorded in the motion; Eric Mitchell seconded. The roll call vote was unanimous.
The commission’s approval is conditioned on staff review of final specifications and does not relieve the applicant of obtaining any required building permits or other agency approvals.
