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Planning Board approves Amityville Historical Society addition with conditions; windows deferred
Summary
The Planning Board approved a conditioned 11' x 43' addition for the Amityville Historical Society at 170 Broadway, requiring downspouts be painted black or bronze and requiring submission and board review of any future window plans; the vote was 5-0.
The Amityville Planning Board on April 2 approved an 11-by-43-foot addition to the Amityville Historical Society building at 170 Broadway in the village’s historic district, with two conditions: downspouts/drain pipes must be changed to black or bronze to match the building, and if the museum later decides to add windows on the new long brick wall it must submit new renderings and return to the board for review.
Applicant representatives — including Richard Handler and museum representative John Shad — told the board the new space is intended primarily for display of larger artifacts, such as a wagon and local boats, and that the museum’s curator prefers a solid interior wall for display and to limit light exposure. Neighbors represented in the hearing (the adjacent property owner, Chris Cerillero, was represented by Handler) asked for windows or design details to break up the long brick façade.
"The curator of the museum would prefer to have the wall on the inside, just a complete wall with no windows and no penetrations for display space," said John Shad. The board discussed alternatives including decorative grates or changing the downspout color to reduce visual contrast; Member Mary D'Andrea suggested a darker color for the drains so they would not stand out against the red brick, and Mr. Shad agreed the drains could be painted a darker color.
Chairperson Stephen Greenwald said the board could approve the addition without windows but that any future window installation should be accompanied by a new rendering and brought back for the board's review. Applicant counsel Richard Handler asked whether the board’s approval could allow later window installation upon submission of plans to the building inspector; the chair said the museum would need to return to the board if it later sought windows.
The board's approval was made with the stated stipulations and carried 5-0. The application referenced Section 24-6 A.(1)(g) of the Village of Amityville Code for architectural review in a historic district. Voting members recorded in the minutes were Stephen Greenwald (Chairperson), Mary D'Andrea (Member), Laura Ellis (Member), Kelly Medwig (Member) and Justin Kennedy (Alternate Member).
The board also advised that if the museum later seeks windows it should submit drawings to the building inspector and be prepared to return for board review; the building inspector and museum agreed that practical display needs and light control drive the museum’s preference for a solid interior wall.
