HDC approves Pleasant Street addition with dormer reductions; clears Lovers Lane barn-form house
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Summary
The Commission signed off on a bungalow-style addition at 35 Pleasant with conditions to lower dormers and preserve front facade features, and approved a new barn‑form residence on Lovers Lane after commissioners accepted the applicant's screening and barn-like massing.
Commissioners reviewed two visible design applications and approved both with measured changes.
At 35 Pleasant Street, applicant Ethan outlined a plan to place a new foundation under a 1920s/30s bungalow and add a single-story, L-shaped rear addition and dormers. Preservation adviser Holly and members of the Historic Structures Advisory Group objected to removing a character-defining chimney and recommended reducing area windows and limiting window wells visible from the street. The board's approved motion (Exhibit A) requires the dormers to be lowered by approximately six inches and leaves the existing front basement windows as proposed (no enlargement), while staff will record the conditions in the Certificate of Appropriateness.
For 38 Lovers Lane, designer Ben said the project intentionally reads as a barn from the road (cedar roof and siding, subdued trim and faux barn doors facing Lovers Lane) and that dense pine screening will remain. Commissioners questioned massing and fenestration but concluded that the proposal fit the rural character of the lane and approved it after a regular-board vote.
The Commission's decisions were procedural and narrowly tailored: neither vote imposes broad policy changes, but both require staff to document the Exhibit A conditions and to check that final materials conform to what the applicants presented.
Next steps: applicants will supply final material samples (dormer sections, window details, and confirmation of screening) for staff before issuance of formal approvals.