Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Addition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ithaca Landmarks Commission approves two-story rear addition at 230 Waite Avenue with conditions
Summary
The commission approved a two-story, 22-by-24-foot rear addition at 230 Waite Avenue in the Cornell Heights Historic District, granting a certificate of appropriateness with conditions including detailed window/door specifications, salvaging removed historic windows, and staff review authority for minor changes.
The Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission voted Oct. 20 to approve a certificate of appropriateness for a two-story, 22-by-24-foot rear addition at 230 Waite Avenue in the Cornell Heights Historic District, subject to several conditions requiring additional design detail prior to building permits.
Owners Alex and Sarah and contractor representatives described a rear addition that they said would be largely hidden from the street and aligned to match existing shingle coursing and window proportions. They described the addition’s bottom floor as a family room and the upper floor as primary bedroom with an en suite.
In staff findings read into the record, the commission noted the Cornell Heights district’s period of significance (1898–1937), the property’s construction between 1927 and 1929, and reviewed municipal standards and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Staff and the commission concluded the proposed addition would not have a substantial adverse effect on the district’s significance if built as conditioned.
The approval includes conditions that the applicant must satisfy before a building permit is issued: submit product specifications for proposed windows and doors and detailed drawings for soffits and eaves for commission review; any exterior alterations required by other reviews must be returned to the commission or staff for review prior to permit issuance; removed historic windows should be salvaged, labeled and stored on site for future reuse; paired/grouped window units must be field-mulled rather than factory-molded; and staff review is authorized for minor, documented changes arising from code review.
Commissioners also requested clarification in the file about shingle coursing notes (the plans had a reference to three courses below windows; commissioners asked staff to confirm and correct that notation to reflect existing conditions). The commission voted to approve the certificate with those conditions and delegated staff-level review for specified elements.
