Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board Meeting - August 28, 2025
Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board Meeting - August 28, 2025
The Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board met on August 28, 2025, to approve four certificate of appropriateness applications, discuss a major panel replacement project at the historic Niagara Mohawk (National Grid) building, and preview a forthcoming application. All applications were approved unanimously with no public opposition.
Consent Calendar
- The board unanimously approved the minutes from the August 7, 2025 meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke in favor or opposition to any of the four public hearing items.
Discussion Items
- CA-25-22 – 1305 James Street (Sedgwick Highland James Preservation District): Owners Sarah Wolfe and Joshua Mayfield requested approval to paint their house, including power washing, patching with wood where needed, and changing the body color to a green while keeping the trim and door colors unchanged. The board approved the proposal as submitted.
- CA-25-23 – 929 Comstock Avenue (Berkeley Park Preservation District): Owner Johanna Keller requested approval to repaint her house, changing the body from tan to gray, doors and trim from blue to black, and cream trim to white. The board approved the proposal as submitted.
- CA-25-24 – 264 Bradle Road (Sedgwick Highland James Preservation District): Owner John Sigerwalt requested approval to rebuild the front stoop and steps, restoring the original narrower stair footprint with brick matching the exterior and a limestone landing. The board approved the proposal as submitted.
- CA-25-25 – 108 Dorset Road (Berkeley Park Preservation District): Owner David Larson requested approval to install 23 solar panels on the rear roof slope (not visible from the street), mounted on rails two to three inches above the roof, with all cabling routed through the attic and interior walls. The board approved the proposal as submitted.
- Discussion: Niagara Mohawk Building (National Grid) Spandrel Panel Replacement: Representatives from Nelson Associates (Peter Nelson, Andy Morgan, Justine Kamer) presented plans to replace approximately 100 deteriorated spandrel panels across four elevations of the historic downtown building. Panels have been spalling and falling due to past sealing that trapped moisture; replacement will use fiberglass-reinforced cast masonry matched to original profiles (chevron, rectilinear, plain). Panels weigh up to 1,200 pounds each and will be installed with structural supports and a breathable finish to prevent future damage. The project is expected to take about two and a half years, working one facade at a time. The board expressed general support for the approach and requested updates on material samples and mock-ups.
- Preview of Future Application (unaddressed property off Dorset/Berkeley): Commissioner Kate Oweter introduced a forthcoming application involving step repairs and a potential rear awning and pergola. Board members noted the need for more detail on step dimensions and railing requirements (if steps exceed 30 inches in height) and suggested submitting all planned work (including awning and pergola) together for streamlined approval.
Key Outcomes
- CA-25-22 (1305 James Street): Approved unanimously.
- CA-25-23 (929 Comstock Avenue): Approved unanimously.
- CA-25-24 (264 Bradle Road): Approved unanimously.
- CA-25-25 (108 Dorset Road): Approved unanimously.
- No formal vote was taken on the Niagara Mohawk panel replacement discussion; the board provided supportive feedback and will continue coordination with staff.
- Meeting adjourned at approximately 12:45 PM.
Meeting Transcript
This is the Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board meeting of August the 28th, 2025. Present at today's meeting are Howard Trish. Nicole Fregnito. Robert Searing. Jeff Romano. Amber Dillon and Kate Oweter. May I have a motion to accept the minutes to August the 7th? Motion to accept the minutes. Do we have a second on that motion? Second. Second to Bob. Any changes, any modifications in the minutes? Hearing none, seeing none. All in favor? Aye. Opposed. Minutes are adopted. Thank you very much. Public hearing. Excuse me. The board will now conduct the public hearings on today's agenda. First, the applicant or the applicant's representative will be invited to describe the proposal scope, the excuse me, the proposed scope of work and to present any material documentation regarding the proposed proposal to the board. Next, persons wishing to speak in favor of the proposal will be allowed to address the board. Then persons in opposition to the proposal will be allowed to address the board. Finally, the applicant or the representative will be given the opportunity to make closing state make closing comments to the board. Excuse me. Um following public comment, the board may vote uh to approve, approve with conditions, or deny the application as heard. The board may also decide to hold this decision to the next public hearing. If the hearing is closed, no additional information will be allowed into the record except for the information that the board may request. That information will be available for public review with board staff. Would you please introduce the first application? Uh the first application is CA-25-22. It's a certificate of appropriateness for 1305 James Street. This is an exterior painting project, a new color scheme. Um and the property is in the Sedgwick Highland James Preservation District. Good morning. May I have you introduce yourself with your address for the record, please? Hi, I'm Sarah Wolfe. Uh I'm Joshua Mayfield. We live at 1305 James Street. Thank you very much. Please give us a description of what you're looking to do. Um we're looking to uh paint our house. So um any repair work, you know, is it just painting kind or can you give us a little primarily painting kind? There are gonna be some patching uh of like obvious laws done. Um so power washing, cleaning, repairing any damage areas, wood for wood. Yes, we're not introducing any new materials onto the historic property. Okay. And as I understand it, the the trim and the door are all staying in the same color. It's the house body paint color that's changing.
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