Historic & Landmarks Preservation Board Meeting – July 24, 2025
Historic & Landmarks Preservation Board Meeting – July 24, 2025
The Historic & Landmarks Preservation Board met on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in the Common Council Chamber. The board approved the previous meeting’s minutes and considered a single renovation application for 729 South Street. After discussion, the board approved the application with modifications to align with historic district guidelines.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The draft minutes from the June 26, 2024 meeting were approved as written by a unanimous voice vote.
Discussion Items
- Application for 729 South Street – Renovation (SBL 33.37-1-34)
- Applicant: Marco Mandra, representing owner Jaland Real Estate LLC.
- Background: The applicant explained that a misunderstanding with the building department led to a building permit being issued before discovering the property is in the historic district. Construction (interior framing) had already begun; no exterior finishes were installed.
- Proposed Design:
- Replace existing mixed siding with white vinyl board-and-batten siding on the original three-story volume and white vinyl lap siding on the rear additions.
- Replace all windows with black Pella 250 series double-hung windows.
- Retain the existing ornate wood porch (cleaned and painted white) and add a composite wood-look lap siding on the porch level.
- Replace roofing with asphalt shingles in Gatehouse Slate.
- Gutters, leaders, and fascia to be painted black.
- Eliminate the front attic window and existing plastic shutters.
- Board Discussion:
- Board members expressed concern that the vertical board-and-batten siding and elimination of the attic window were inconsistent with the character of the historic district and neighboring houses (late 19th-century Victorian-era homes).
- Members noted the building had undergone many alterations over time but still should present a cohesive, historically appropriate appearance.
- The applicant offered flexibility, citing budget constraints due to extensive interior rot repairs.
- Board members suggested: using horizontal lap siding (vinyl) for the entire building body in white; retaining the front attic window (or adding a false window); using a colored vinyl lap siding (Pebble Clay) on the porch level for contrast; keeping black windows; eliminating shutters; and addressing signage at a future meeting.
- Outcome: The board reached consensus on a modified approval.
Key Outcomes
- Approval with Conditions: The renovation application for 729 South Street was approved by a unanimous voice vote, subject to the following modifications:
- The entire building body shall use white horizontal vinyl lap siding (no board-and-batten).
- The porch level shall use vinyl lap siding in the color Pebble Clay (instead of composite wood-look).
- The front attic window shall be reinstated (or a false window added) to maintain the gable’s character.
- Windows shall remain black Pella 250 series; no shutters.
- All trim, gutters, and fascia shall be painted black.
- The existing porch woodwork shall be cleaned and painted white (Chantilly Lace).
- Signage for the ground-floor business will require a separate application and future board approval.
- Next Steps: The applicant may proceed with exterior work consistent with these conditions. The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:35 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Of the historic and landmark preservation board. Our first agenda item for the evening is the approval of the minutes from June 26th. Anybody have any questions or concerns about the minutes from that last meeting? No. Motion to approve is written then. Approved. Seconded? Yes. Second. All right. We're good. All in favor? Aye. Okay. So minutes are approved as written. And our applicant for this evening is uh Marco Member for 729 South Street. Hello everyone. Uh Marco Mandra, architect. Uh so just before I begin, I just want to um clarify um the design details and kind of how we arrived at this point. Um when we first started the project, there was a little bit of a to the are you sharing your screen to the we can see this. Or is that on there? Oh, okay, great. Yep. Good. Yep. Um so uh essentially when we began the project, there was a bit of a discrepancy with the building department. Um unfortunately there was uh a misunderstanding as to whether or not we were actually in the historic district, and the building permit was issued to us. So I don't know if anybody has gone by, but there's already been construction started on the project. Um that being said, um, you know, we moved pretty quickly and now we're kind of working our way backwards. So there are a few elements on the building that may not completely align with the guidelines of the historic board. So you know, we're we're happy to be a little flexible here, uh, but I just like to make that clear and have the board be a little more understanding as to the situation that we're in. Um that being said, um just to kind of go over the design concept and uh the things that we're changing. Uh the majority of the configuration of the building is staying relatively the same. All the windows in the front are staying in the same placement. The porch with all the ornate woodworking detail is completely staying intact. We're gonna be cleaning it and painting it. Um essentially we're just changing from the exterior siding. So the main three-story volume in the middle would be new vinyl board and batten siding, which you have the sample there in white. Uh the the rest of the building towards the back would be a lap siding to give a bit of a contrast. And then uh the porch level, we initially wanted to do sort of a wood look with a composite sample that's there, but realizing that this is a little bit more of a contemporary look, not really aligning with the historic board. We're willing to um switch it to a lap siding with the vinyl in uh in a color. Uh the color that we would like to choose is it's on the sample. Uh uh, it's called pebble. Pebble clay. Pebble clay. Um again, all of the woodworking on the porch is gonna remain the same. It'll just be cleaned and painted in the white uh chantilly white that we picked. Uh as for the gutters, leaders, and facial board around the roof, everything would be painted black in the sample that we provided. And then as for the the roofing, the shingles are gonna be replaced with uh asphalt shingles in the gatehouse slate, which we feel is uh a reflection of the traditional appearance with some nice color variations. Um lastly, the windows will all be replaced with Pella 250 series, majority of them being double hung in black.
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