Thursday, Town Council upheld an appeal to a decision by the Historic District Review Board.
The owners of 648 Monroe have made the home their permanent residence, and want to expand the home’s footprint by adding an addition to the back of the structure.
The HDRB denied the original application, citing that the renovation would remove two windows, which are historic and part of the contributing structure.
During the question and answer period, it was discovered that the Board made the decision to deny the application for a Certificate of Appropriateness without having viewed the plans for the renovation. The Board was concerned with the windows, however the plans included using a flat, shed style roof, which Councilman Follmer noted was out of character with the rest of the neighborhood.
The vote to uphold the appeal was 6 to 1 in favor.
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The owners who I happen to know… are not the kind to let arbitrary rule making by HRB go with our appeal and attention. Bravo to TOWN Council for their rational review.
I can’t fix it. Buying in a historic neighborhood muddies the waters of ownership. In my opinion, if the owners need more room it should be allowed, and the Historic Commission should attempt to suggest the correction to the plan to allow it. It’s called a compromise. Is that really so freaking hard ? is this The Hatfields and McCoys or Cape Charles ?
Good Grief !