Wooldon Manor Wall, Mortimer Property Considered at ARB Meeting Monday

Here is my summary of the public hearing of the on Feb. 28.

The videos of each public hearing are posted soon after each meeting via the village’s website.

All board members and consultants were present except Sheila Haley and Brian Brady. The next public hearing will be on March 14 at 7 p.m at .

Signs:

1. Highland Development Associates: contractor sign. The board would like the logo removed and the words: “for sale.” Adjourned.

2. Joseph G. Kelley Construction Management Inc.: contractor sign. Approved.

Applications within an Historic District:

1. Karen Schlussel, 749 Hill St: Driveway gates. Approved.

2. Rosewood Realty, LLC, 452 First Neck Ln: add 1,225-square-feet via one- and two-story additions, renovate, and demolish 1,030-square feet. Approved.

3. Nina Beaty, 284 Hill St: built a 43-square-foot one-story addition with a 35-square-foot covered porch as a front entry. This lovely home was built circa 1920 for Franklin Edwards, son of Silas Edwards, who had owned the land, perhaps farming it, for years before the house was built. Historical consultant Zach Studenroth has verified the approximate date of construction and believes the proposed design is sympathetic with the period architecture. Approved.

4. Vincent Camuto, 16 Gin Lane: repair and reinforce existing brick retaining wall surrounding part of the property. Gil Flanagan, attorney, presented the application. This is and I think the plans to reinforce the wall could definitely be better. Basically the architect has designed a new concrete, red stucco clad wall to be installed in front of, on the public side, of the existing wall, which will then have landscaping added, but will not match the paneling or detail of the existing wall. I stood up and said as much when neither the ARB board members nor their historic consultant Studenroth seemed to have any objections. Studenroth said he wanted to visit the site. Adjourned.

5. Jason Fadeyi, 357 Great Plains Road: change cladding and color on one side of house. Someone from the architect’s office presents the application. There are no board or public issues. Adjourned for written decision.

Applications outside of an Historic District:

1. Douglas & Patricia Valk, 80 Wooley St: demolish existing house; build a 2,876-square-foot two-story house, 484-square-foot garage, 175-square-foot pool house and 490-square-foot accessory structure. The owner submitted revised drawings prior to tonight’s meeting responding to all the board and neighbor concerns voiced at the prior meetings. The rear balcony on the house has been eliminated, two of the rear accessory structures have been combined, and the garage has been moved to the other side of the property. Approved.

2. Albert J. Tiseo, 59 Hildreth St: build a 512-square-foot garage, 320-square-footcovered front porch and 393-square-foot second story addition, as well as miscellaneous alterations. The architect and owner present the application. They have extended the front porch all the way across the front and modified the dormer over the garage. They have also provided a lot of trim information and detailing. The neighbors are now satisfied. Approved.

3. Antoinette Saglimbeni-Gallo, 20 Pelham St: renovate a modest little house by adding 2,347 square feet; build a 408-square-foot detached garage and pool. Gallo presented the application. This will be a significant transformation of a modest house. The owners recently received a variance for a south side dormer and provided additional detail regarding materials and more distinction between what is existing and what is being added. Approved.

4. Joanne Douglas, 10 Pelham St: amend a prior ARB approval. The former home has been demolished and the foundation has been poured. Adjourned by applicant request.

5. Melanie Giegel, 208 Herrick Rd: build 657-square-foot first- and second-story additions. Michael Sprague from Lisa Zaloga’s office presents the application. This house is on the south side of Herrick, just west of Lewis Street. There is a brand new 6-foot-high stockade fence along the front of the property which is strange; I thought front yard fences could only be 4 feet high, but that is not addressed. The board and public have no issues with the proposed design. Approved.

6. Joseph Stivaletti, 70 Pleasant Ln: one- and two-story additions and miscellaneous exterior alterations. David Hottenroth, of Hottenroth Joseph Architects in NYC, presents the application with the owner available nearby, but board member Ham Hogue recuses himself leaving no quorum. (Oh why can’t the board have alternates?). Hottenroth decides to walk the two remaining board members through an informal review anyway. Board member Christine Redding says she would like to visit the site. To be continued.

7. Jay Schneiderman, 143 David Whites Ln: convert garage to living area; exterior alterations. The board has no issues. Approved.

8. Eric & Dana Felder, 256 Wickapogue Rd: modify front entry and exterior gable ends. Jeffrey Gibbons, architect, presents the application. The board/public have no issues. Approved.

10. Averell Harriman Mortimer, 283 Coopers Neck Ln: build rear covered porch addition. Talk about socially prominent families. His mother is the granddaughter of E. H. Harriman, the railroad tycoon, and the Mortimers are one of the founding families of Tuxedo Park. Averell Mortimer is a descendant of John Jay, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He got the property in 2004 from Montague H. Hackett Jr., a member of the a trustee of the , a venture capitalist and natural resources big-wig. The wings of this house were built in 1967, but the main body looks much older, right? New information leads me to believe the house was once a part of the historic “Meadowmere” properties owned just north and east by Henry G. Trevor, and who owned this property in 1916. It makes perfect sense that it would have been relocated across the street! Anyway, the board has no issues with the proposed rear porch. Approved. Stay tuned, however, for more history about the property!

Discussion Regarding Historic District Expansions

A Surprise addition to the agenda was a conversation I was personally delighted to listen in on.

A few years ago the village got a grant to resurvey its historic structures. The original survey, performed in 1977-79, and which today largely dictates what is considered “historic” identified approximately 400 “contributing” structures. Zach Studenroth estimates this number to now be around 800. The natural next step would be to contemplate expanding the village’s historic district boundaries. This was explored about eight years ago for Lewis Street and was an acrimonious debate. The board hopes that the (preservation) climate and politics have changed now. We shall see. The ARB will discuss this issue with Studenroth and the village trustees at their next work session (March 22), and the matter will be given a dedicated public hearing in four to six months. Yipee! This is long overdue.