PC 030911 - Laserfiche WebLink

4. Demolition in Ray Street/Spring Street Neighborhood. This prohibits the demolition of primary buildings in the Ray Street/Spring Street Neighborhood unless such buildings are considered to be unsafe or dangerous and if no other feasible means of rehabilitation can be achieved. Mr. Dolan stated that there is a map associated with this policy which was generated when policy was put in place. He indicated that the policy does not affect the entire neighborhood but only a small, specific geographic area which is one of the original subdivisions in the City and includes some nice older homes. 5. New Buildings. Mr. Dolan stated that despite a recent example of the problem with the Harvey home, he does not consider this a huge issue. He noted that there has not been a lot of activity in this area, but staff finds fitting new homes into existing, older neighborhood a challenge. 6. Additions and Other Modifications. This section states that additions and modifications to buildings over 50 years old should match the original building in terms of architectural style and exterior design elements. Mr. Dolan stated that adding on to a historic home presents a struggle regarding to what extent the addition should match the existing building. He noted that people have different thoughts about this, and some have misinterpreted the National and State policies that drive a lot of these decisions. He indicated, for example, that there is a National and State policy that suggests that one should never mimic something old in a new building or in an addition; the idea is that one should be able to distinguish between the periods. He noted that there are people who want to add on to an old building and think that they should try to make the addition look exactly like the old building. He stated that true historic preservationists do not believe that, but it should not be an exaggerated implementation of that principle either. He pointed out that some think that the Firehouse Art Center is an exaggerated implementation of that principle. Mr. Dolan stated that he thinks it is all right to make the addition dramatically different; the Plan has policies that require additions to stay within the general style of the building, but this can be achieved without making the addition exactly like the existing building. He noted that the purpose appears to contradict itself when it talks about matching the building yet being different; however, sometimes there are easy solutions, and in most cases, it is a relatively easy design fix. 7. Existing On-Site Street Frontage Homes. This section provides that future residential development should generally provide for the preservation and rehabilitation of existing on-site street frontage homes which exceed 50 years in age or which otherwise, substantially contributes to the small town the neighborhood in terms of architecture and scale. PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MINUTES, March 9, 2011 Page 8 of 24