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Owner to install skylights after dormer plans prove infeasible; commission approves
Summary
After engineers found dormer construction infeasible and prohibitively expensive, the commission approved six VELUX skylights for 409 Factory Street, subject to recommended conditions and findings of compatibility with local character; one commissioner abstained.
Nicole Connolly returned to the Planning Commission with a revised plan for 409 Factory Street after structural and engineering review made previously proposed dormers impractical. Connolly said the dormer option would have required tearing the house to the studs and carrying prohibitive structural costs.
Her alternate proposal — six VELUX skylights colored to match the property’s silver standing-metal roof (two on one elevation, four on the other) — won support from staff and most commissioners. Staff noted design-guideline language that roof features should be visually minimized from the primary right-of-way; commissioners agreed the applicant had chosen skylights and materials sympathetic to the existing roof and nearby examples.
A motion to approve the architectural review passed with one abstention. The approval was conditioned on the recommended findings and standard permit conditions; the applicant said she will proceed with the skylight installation and will coordinate final permit drawings with staff.
