Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation Appeal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council overturns two HPC conditions and allows vinyl siding on historic‑district house, citing hardship and context
Summary
After an appeal by a property owner in the Washburn Fair Oaks Historic District, the council struck two conditions imposed by the Heritage Preservation Commission that would have required removal of newly installed vinyl siding and replacement with fiber‑cement or similar materials; the council adopted the applicant's appeal and staff and HPC history were discussed.
The Committee of the Whole overturned two conditions the Heritage Preservation Commission had added to a certificate of appropriateness for a house at 201 Franklin Avenue East in the Washburn Fair Oaks Historic District. Senior planner Erin Kaye explained staff and HPC findings: the house had unpermitted siding work and staff recommended selecting a non‑vinyl replacement (fiber‑cement or composite) consistent with the district; HPC adopted staff findings and three conditions. Owner‑appellant Nicholas Bates asked the council to strike two conditions requiring removal of the installed vinyl and to permit the installed material, citing cost and potential displacement of occupants.
Council members discussed the tension between preservation standards and the practical hardship of undoing recently completed work; several members noted the property's owner said he had not known the building's historic status when he purchased it and staff had only recently added the info to truth‑in‑sale reports. Vice Chair Chugtai moved to strike conditions 1 and 2; the motion carried unanimously (13 ayes). The council instructed staff to continue using the Secretary of the Interior Standards and the district guidelines in future reviews.
The decision modifies the historic‑district review's outcome for this property and lets the owner retain the installed siding subject to any remaining conditions (including gutters).
