Historic Preservation Commission Agenda and Packet 2015 07 20

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Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes June 15, 2015 Page 7 of 14 Watson stated there could be classes such as wood, siding, windows, etc. Fahey stated she is mainly wanting to consider a "like- for - like" definition such as same siding, same window size, and making sure they can be reversible. Watson stated when you replace a window it isn't just the glass but the casing, sash, material, cladding, etc. He stated a change to the windows changes the look of the house. He stated replacing asphalt shingles is an easier one to consider. Fahey stated she understood about the windows, but the other items on the "type of work" on the miscellaneous permit would make sense. Stewart stated the HPC could create criteria for certain siding to be removed, certain windows to be removed, porch repair "like- for - like ", create character areas for certain parts of town so it can be understood as to what elements could be removed. Mary Therese, consultant, presented. She addressed the current discussion and stated character defining elements could be called out during the landmarking process. Stewart stated most of these happen on non- landmarked structures. Koertje stated Mary Therese is mainly speaking to alterations to an existing landmark. Mary Therese then presented how other similar communities handle these issues. She stated some communities review based on minor and major alterations. Minor is staff review and major is a public hearing. She stated a definition of demolition would help. Watson stated the most important step for us is to make sure we create a process that the lay person can understand. He asked if we should attack this as tiers and begin with roofing, and move up from there to maybe siding. Mary Therese cautioned the commission from becoming the "taste police ", rather use outreach to send out a message that preservation is a big deal so they understand the difficulty in creating a user friendly process. Fahey stated she does not believe they are establishing what you can and cannot do, but rather to create an easier process for those who want to provide general maintenance on a structure that is over 50 years old.