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2005-08-03 evening CITY OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS Public Meeting Minutes Board: Historic District Commission Date: August 3, 2005 (evening meeting) Members Present : William Finch, James Younger, Matthew Lewis John Condon, John Frates Members Absent : None Others Present : Leah Zambernardi Recorder: Leah Zambernardi Mr. Finch called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 1. Public Hearing: Receive Public Comments on Commission's Preliminary Study Report Pursuant to Citizen Request Made to the City Council to Reduce the Boundaries of the Fish Flake Hill Local Historic District Mr. Finch states that copies of the historic district map and of the Commission's draft study report are available for review on the podium. Mr. Finch postpones the start of the meeting to allow members of the public time to read through this information. Mr. Finch opens the public hearing and reads the legal notice. He explains the process of reducing a historic district boundary. He also explains the procedure of how the public hearing will be run. He asks for discussion only on the content of the Study Report. He states the Study Report recommends that the property remain part of the Historic District. Mr. Finch asks the owners/occupants of the dwelling to make comments if they wish. Mr. Christopher Kaddaras of 63 Front Street asks Mr. Younger whether he has read the report. Mr. Younger states he read and contributed to the report. He states that the document he was reading prior to the beginning of the meeting was the draft meeting minutes that will be taken up later this evening. Mr. Kaddaras asks who wrote the report. Ms. Zambernardi states she drafted the report based on the guidelines of the Massachusetts Historical Commission. The Commission then held a meeting to make comments on the report. The current draft reflects the Commission's and City Staff's collective comments. Mr. Finch reads letters that were submitted from the public for the record including: 1. Letter dated July 28, 2005 from Elizabeth Bundy of 51 Front Street in support of maintaining the current District boundaries. 2. Letter dated July 29, 2005 from Arthur J. Wheeler of 51 Front Street in support of maintaining the current District boundaries. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 3, 2005 Page 2 of 4 3. Letter dated August 1, 2005 from James W. Igoe, President of Preservation Mass, 45 School Street, Boston, MA in support of maintaining the current District boundaries. 4. Memorandum dated August 1, 2005 from Christopher Skelly, Director of Local Government Programs, Massachusetts Historical Commission in support of maintaining the current District boundaries Mr. Finch also reads a letter of recommendation to the Commission from the Planning Board dated May 24, 2005. Mr. Finch asks the public for their questions and comments. Mr. Bill Flanagan, 49 Bartlett Street states there are both old houses and new houses in the neighborhood. There are also new condominiums. He asks what a historic district means. He asks what the value of the district is to the City. He states it is not a tourist destination. He is amazed at the concern over this issue. Mr. Eric Hayes, 680 Hale Street states he supports the Commission's findings about maintaining the District. He understands the owners' predicament but he states that de- listing the building is not the answer. Ms. Dorothy Hayes, 680 Hale Street states she opposes removal of the house from the District. She states that it is important to preserve the history of the neighborhood for future generations. The area is rich in history and in her opinion, you can't pull houses in and out of the District . She states that if this house were to be taken out, someone else could come in and put something highly incompatible in the area. Mrs. Gail Flanagan of 49 Bartlett Street states a compromise is needed. She thinks this is ridiculous. She states that one can't tell from the street whether a window is wood or whether it's vinyl. Mr. Christopher Kaddaras of 63 Front Street states the District has haphazard boundaries with absolutely no continuity at all. He states there is disrepair in the District and no one is doing work in the District. People aren't spending money on their homes in the District because they can't do what they want with their homes. He states the streets are deplorable. Mr. Duane Anderson of 41 Front Street states he wants to address where the issue began. He states he has wood windows with storms. To him, vinyl would be more appropriate and attractive. He doesn't understand why storm windows are allowed but vinyl windows are not. He states that the 3 properties leading into the District don't seem historic. He asks why we can't eliminate those 3 properties. Mr. Finch states that most Commissions in the Commonwealth don't allow vinyl windows as a general practice. He states the issue tonight is whether or not the property should be removed from the District. Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 3, 2005 Page 3 of 4 Christina Egan, 45 Bartlett Street states she bought her property in the historic district and she is spending money to restore her property. She states she comes from a smart growth perspective in her profession. She doesn't want to speak to this particular issue, although she states that she believes it is important to preserve historically significant areas for future generations. She states her belief that buying into a historic district is good for property values. Robert Neily of 26 Front Street states he has lived in the Historic District since 1969. He states he disagrees with Mr. Kaddaras and that he has seen an immense improvement in the area. He disagrees 100 percent about Mr. Kaddaras perception on how people improve their properties. He states that the citizens rallied together to preserve this area because it is an important part of our history. He states that creation of the District took a 2/3 vote of the Council to create it. He states the area has been vastly improved since the 1970s. He states one could buy property there for a few hundred dollars then and now properties are selling for a few hundred thousand dollars. He states the District has added value for the City in terms of taxes and in terms of richness of its history. He states it is important to maintain its unity. He congratulates the Commission and thanks it for its hard work. He notes the Commission serves the City without pay and that they do a great job. Mr. Neily states that in this particular case, to remove one property from the District would be very damaging. If the property was removed, a future owner could do horrible things there. He recommends that the Study Report be accepted. Mr. Finch observes that the situation with the windows is unfortunate. He points out that the Commission did try to work with the owners to find alternative solutions but those efforts did not work. The owners proceeded with the unapproved work at their own risk and then they lost in the courts. He doesn't know the answer to solving their problem, but he strongly feels that the solution is not to remove the property from the District. Mr. Russell Rollins, 23 Pleasant Street states he was a resident when Beverly Carlman worked so hard to have the district created. He states this area has both national and local distinction and that we need to maintain that here. He recommends that the Commission vote to keep the district intact the way it is. Mr. Finch addresses some of the comments brought up tonight on the windows. He states that how the Commission deals with windows in one case is precedent setting for other cases throughout the District. It is not the time to resolve it now. He states the Commission tries to maintain a traditional setting in the historic district. Mr. Finch asks for any more questions and comments. There are none. Mr. Finch closes the public hearing. 2. Discussion/Decision: Finalize Preliminary Study Report for Submission to the City Council Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes August 3, 2005 Page 4 of 4 Mr. Finch asks members if they have more comments to make on the drafted Study Report. There are none. Mr. Younger makes a motion to forward the Study Report without further edits for the City Council's consideration. Mr. Lewis seconds the motion. All members are in favor and the motion carries. Mr. Finch asks that the letters from the public and the Planning Board be forwarded to the Council. 3. Approval of Minutes Mr. Younger makes a motion to accept the minutes of February 8, 2005, February 16, 2005, March 16, 2005 and of April 13, 2005 with corrections. Mr. Lewis seconds the motion. All members are in favor and the motion carries.