Landmark board approves Windsor Place garage and ADU with revised vegetation and roof conditions

The Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board on March 13 approved a revised certificate of appropriateness for a single-story garage with a one-bedroom accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at 100 Windsor Place in the Berkeley Park Preservation District, but changed the board’s earlier conditions.

At a prior meeting the board had approved the project with two conditions: that the garage/ADU be moved north beyond tree drip lines and that the height be reduced “to the maximum extent possible.” The applicant’s architect returned with a written analysis saying both conditions could not be met without compromising drainage, tree protection and functional clearance for the garage door and opener.

Anthony Rojas, presenting for the project’s design team, summarized the architect’s analysis: he said the design meets zoning height limits but that lowering the plate and roof would impede internal drainage details, tapered insulation and flashing needed to avoid water infiltration. Rojas said the proposed roof geometry and raised-truss details were chosen to preserve long-term durability and to ensure adequate clearance for an 8-foot overhead door and its opener.

Board members debated two distinct concerns: protecting the existing vegetation and reducing the visual scale of the new structure. Landscape and site constraints limited how far the structure could be moved without requiring difficult vehicle maneuvers in and out of the driveway; the design team said moving the structure farther north would increase the number of turning maneuvers needed for large vehicles.

After discussion, the board revised the previously imposed conditions and approved the project with the following clarified requirements (board language summarized): keep the garage in the location shown on the submitted site plan as the approved location but, if any existing trees are damaged by construction, replace them with 7- to 8-foot fully branched evergreen trees installed to provide approximately 75 percent opacity measured at 3 feet above grade in the disturbed area; and align the eave height (spring point) of the larger gable to match the lower/smaller gable and reduce the scale/profile of the projecting horizontal roof element (the “eyebrow” or pent roof) to make the accessory structure more deferential to the main house’s massing.

Board member Nicole Fragnito recused herself earlier from deliberations on this item and took no part in the vote; the minutes indicate an abstention by Fragnito was recorded at the vote. The board’s recorded action shows the motion to approve with revised conditions carried.

The applicant’s team had on the record a landscape consultant (Kepler/Kepling Freeman and Associates) and an architect (In Architects; Frank Cusimano was out sick and Anthony Rojas stood in). The board’s decision revises the conditions the applicant must meet in permit and construction documents; the design team agreed to study roof detailing and the projecting roof profile to implement the board’s direction.

The board recorded its decision as approval with revised conditions; staff will document the revised conditions and coordinate any follow-up required for plan review and building permits.