Westminster historic commission conditionally approves façade grants and tax-credit eligibility for 31 West Main St.

The City of Westminster Historic District Commission on Feb. 5 conditionally approved grants and a certificate of eligibility for local historic rehabilitation tax credits for work at 31 West Main Street, a mixed-use property that houses the Autonomous Robotics Innovation Center (ARIC) in the rear warehouse space.

City staff recommended and the commission approved three related items: a façade improvement funding allocation for replacement of 14 rear-warehouse windows; a local historic rehabilitation tax-credit certificate of eligibility tied to the same work; and a separate façade grant for painting and brick repair at the front building. Commissioners voted by voice and the motions passed by consensus.

The window project, submitted by property owner David Johansen and quoted through Westminster Glass and Mirror, calls for replacing 14 windows (13 at 102 inches by 73 inches; one at 155 inches by 73 inches) with black-anodized aluminum framing, insulated tinted glass and included screens. Staff presented a low- and high-end quote; the commission authorized funding up to 50 percent of project cost with a not-to-exceed award of $95,902, provided the applicant revises the design to include a gray finish and muntin (grid) pattern to make the new openings visually sympathetic to the historic context.

Melissa Willis, historic preservation planner for the City of Westminster,…