Syracuse Landmarks Preservation Board Meeting – December 11, 2025
Syracuse Landmarks Preservation Board Meeting – December 11, 2025
The Syracuse Landmarks Preservation Board (LPB) met on December 11, 2025, to approve minutes, conduct public hearings on certificate of appropriateness applications, and receive an update on a common council resolution. Board members present included Julia Marshall, Hillary Donna, Amber Dillon, and Kate Oweter.
Consent Calendar
- Unanimously approved the minutes of the November 20, 2025 meeting by voice vote (motion, second, all in favor).
Public Comments & Testimony
- For each application, the board invited public comment in favor or opposition; no members of the public spoke on any item.
Discussion Items
- Exterior Repairs to a Protected Individual Site (address not specified in transcript): Applicant Matt Kroll (Construction Design and Management) proposed repairing a turret with metal studs, beaded PVC sheathing, and painting to match existing color. The board approved the application as presented (motion, second, all in favor).
- CA-25-42: 202 Berkeley Drive – Door Replacement and New Paint Colors: Applicants William and Sarah Collins proposed replacing the front door with a yellow Benjamin Moore historic color, a side door, a rear slider with a French door, and a garage door. They also planned to repaint the house body in a dark blue-green (Nargasset Green) and trim in white. The board approved the application as submitted (motion, second, all in favor).
- CA-25-43: 1010 East Washington Street (Ignatius Beisinger House) – Selective Exterior Demolition, Repairs, and New Wheelchair Ramp: Project engineer Brian Bouchard (CHA Consulting) and architect Dave Mosier (Mosure Architects) presented plans to renovate the vacant 1873 house into a residential amenity area (study rooms, lounges, leasing office) as part of a larger apartment development at 201 South Krauss Avenue. Scope included removing a non-contributing 1980s solarium and spiral stair, infilling door openings, cleaning and repairing brick and cornices, refurbishing and reglazing original windows, adding wood-grained vinyl flooring, and installing a pressure-treated lumber ADA ramp. The board asked for alternatives to the long front ramp (e.g., a platform lift or side placement), further detail on window storm options (aluminum vs. wood), and confirmation of window configurations based on originals. The application was continued to the January 8, 2026 meeting.
- New Construction at 201 South Krauss Avenue – Five-Story Multifamily Building: Brian Bouchard described an 88-unit mixed-income apartment building fully compliant with MX-4 zoning, with brick, ACM metal panels, and LP SmartSide siding. The building is positioned along the south property line to preserve views of the historic house. The board offered comments: revisit the front facade design (small windows, high sills, partition alignment), provide more breathing room between the new building and the historic house, carry the stone base around all elevations, and consider additional plantings if the front ramp is relocated. The project is scheduled for City Planning Commission review on January 12, 2026, pending LPB input.
- Update on Common Council Resolution 31-R: The board discussed the status of a resolution that would exempt certain projects from certificate of appropriateness applications. The zoning department referred the application back to common council requesting environmental assessment information on historic resource impacts. The application remains incomplete; no timeline provided.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes of November 20, 2025 (unanimous).
- Approved exterior turret repairs (unanimous).
- Approved CA-25-42 for 202 Berkeley Drive (unanimous).
- Continued CA-25-43 and related new construction discussion to January 8, 2026, pending further details on the ADA ramp/lift, window treatments, and elevations.
- Adjourned the meeting (motion, second, all in favor).
Meeting Transcript
This is the Sircuse Landmarks Preservation Board meeting of December eleventh. Present at the meeting are true. Julia Marshall. Hillary Donna. Amber Dillon. Kate Oweter. Thank you. May I have a motion to accept the minutes of November 20th, 2025. I move to accept the minutes. Is there a second? I'll second. All any modifications? All in favor of the minutes is submitted. Aye. Minutes are adopted. Okay. The board will now conduct the public hearing on today's agenda. First, the applicant or applicant's representative will be invited to describe the proposed scope of work and to present any material or documentation regarding the uh proposal to the board. Next persons wishing to speak in favor of the proposal will be given the opportunity to address the board. Then persons who wish to speak in opposition will be allowed to address the board. Finally, the applicant or representative will be given the opportunity to make closing comments to the board. Following public comment, the board may vote to approve, approve with conditions, or deny the application just heard. The board may also decide to hold its decision until the next public hearing. Kate will now introduce the first application. And actually, because uh the applicant for two oh two Berkeley Drive is not here yet. Um the uh project scope is there's exterior repairs. Um this is a l uh protect an individual protected site. And if you hear to get up, and if you don't mind speaking in the I'm sorry, Kate. You said two of two is not going to be heard today. No, she's not here here. So we're gonna make it. So we're just hopping over to uh to the next one. Yep. Good morning. Welcome to the morning. Please introduce yourself and give your addresses. Uh my name's Matt Kroll. I'm with uh construction design and management. And uh we've been asked by the owner of this building to repair the turret. You want to tell us a little bit about the project and what uh intention is absolutely repair is right through here and right in it here. As you can see, that's actually the insulation that's exposed. There's actually birds later. Yeah, there we go. But our repair would entail you know demoing this area, um framing it with uh metal studs, putting a similar beaded PVC sheathing over this, talking, painting. Um I don't know if we're gonna be doing it this year, just being you know, we have to paint, you might paint the materials in the shop and then bring them in solid. But this is basically it, this will all be painted at one time. Just don't know that. Same color. And the material you're gonna use will be able to provide the radius that's showing. Yes, it's a quarter inch.
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