MINUTES OF THE MONTCLAIR HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION

FEBRUARY 19, 2004

PRESENT:    Chair Jerry Mosier, Vice Chair Ira Smith, Sabine Eck, Susan Brady, Kathleen McDonough, Edward Lippincott, John Morris, Jonathan Pearlstein, Denis Orloff, Planning Board Liaison Sally Ross, Secretary Karen Kadus

ABSENT:      None

            Order and Announcements.  Secretary Kadus called the roll and announced that the meeting had been properly noticed according to the Open Public Meetings Act.

            Approval of Minutes.  On motion by Vice Chair Smith, seconded by Ms. Eck, the Minutes of January 15, 2004 were approved.

            Certificate of Appropriateness Application for Jafajems, 2 Church Street.  Carol and Hussein Jaferje, business owners, were sworn.  Mrs. Jaferje explained her proposal to paint matte gold lettering to identify her home décor business in the windows along Church Street and South Fullerton Avenue.

            Mr. Lippincott joined the meeting.

            Ms. Jaferje said that she wishes to match the style and character of other painted window signs along Church Street.  She said that no wall signage would be installed, and the band above the windows where wall signage could be mounted will be painted an appropriate color to accent the building.  She noted that the sign dimensions met the zoning ordinance.

            After some discussion, on motion by Mr. Orloff, seconded by Ms. Brady, the application was approved, Mr. Lippincott abstaining.

            Certificate of Appropriateness Application for Montclair Beadworks, 43 Church Street.  Maryann Cucci, business owner, was sworn.  She explained that she had installed the painted window signage to match the character of other storefronts on Church Street, and to leave a large portion of the window unobstructed so that pedestrians could see inside.  The blue lettering identifies both the business name and street address.

            The Commission discussed her hours of operation sign painted on the glass door which also included the business telephone number.  They requested a clarification of the ordinance as to whether a telephone number can be included in the 18 by 24 inch polygon.

            After some discussion, on motion by Vice Chair Smith, seconded by Mr. Lippincott, the application was approved.

            Certficiate of Appropriateness Application for Herod Redevelopment, 56-58 Church Street.  Steve Mairella, Esq., attorney for the applicant, explained that plan revisions now reflect the design recommendations offered by the Commission in its conceptual review several months ago.  He introduced William Dahn, architect, who was sworn, to review those revisions.

            Mr. Dahn said that he incorporated the recommendations from the Commission as well as comments from the Planning Board received in December.  The revisions include:

·        A four foot parking area setback in the Trinity Place parking area.

·        A reconfigured stair and trash enclosure in the Trinity Place parking area.

·        The recessing of the storefronts.

·        A step back of the seventh floor closest to Christ Church.

·        Lighting of the tower (fixtures not selected yet).

·        Tile accents in the stucco portion of façade on Church Street.

·        Decorative light poles in the Trinity Place parking area.

            The Chair called for public comment.

            Frank Gerard Godlowsky, 10 Crestmont Road, expressed concern about the massing the volume of the new building.

            Mr. Dahn then displayed several samples of brick color and window materials for the Board’s comments.

            The Commission debated the façade treatments along Church Street and abutting Christ Church.  Given its visibility, the Commission requested more design elements to soften the light colored walls in these sections of the building.

            After further discussion, on motion by Vice Chair Smith, seconded by Mr. Lippincott, the application was approved, subject to the following recommendations:

·        Wall mounted light fixtures and flood lights on the tower should be small with narrow throws.

·        A deep wide joint should be used between the two colors of the façade at the northwest corner of the building.

·        If there is a solid base beneath the first floor windows, that base should be solid and between 18 and 30 inches high.

·        White framed windows should be avoided and a more earthy sand or bronze finish should be considered.

The following conditions were also included in the approval:

·        The northwest corner of the building should be further studied to include windows and decorative elements to soften the impact on the Christ Church side.

·        All awnings must be approved by the Commission.

The Commission took a brief recess.

Upon reconvening, Chair Mosier introduced Tom Lonergan, Director of the Business Improvement District, to describe the recent efforts to enforce the codes within the District.  Mr. Lonergan explained that he has been working with the Township’s Code Enforcement Division and Chair Mosier to identify violations and have warnings and summonses issued.  The Board thanked Mr. Lonergan for his efforts.

            Certificate of Appropriateness Application for Washington Mutual Bank Financial Center, 460 Bloomfield Avenue.  Steven Rabinoff, architect, and Bruce Fish, representative from Signal Sign Company, were sworn.  Mr. Rabinoff described the proposal to redesign the first floor façade of this corner office space and install 3 wall mounted business identification signs.  He described the signs as being white pin-mounted letters with a quarter inch blue stripe around each letter.  The signs would not be internally illuminated.  Exterior alterations include remodeling of existing louvers, masonry and storefront systems.

            He described the plan to eliminate the recessed doorway on the South Fullerton Avenue frontage and install windows in its place.  The Commission  members discussed the possibility of retaining this recess, but Mr. Rabinoff expressed concern over security.  The Commission members noted that in the event that the space ever became a separate business, Commission review would be required at that time, and the recess could be recreated.

            The Commission expressed concern over the location of the security room’s wall as being only 18 inches behind the window.  Mr. Rabinoff explained that the security room, which houses the ATMs, must be located in that section of the space to provide safe and easy access for customers.

            Michael Feaseo, representative from Washington Mutual Bank, was sworn.  He suggested tinting the window glass or placing a decorative mural on the wall to soften the appearance.

            The Commission suggested altering the interior layout to take the security room wall away from view.  They emphasized the unusual design of the corner building and the importance of looking straight through the windows to the other street.

            On motion by Vice Chair Smith, seconded by Ms. Brady, the application was denied.

            Conceptual Review of Excelsior Holding, 292 Bloomfield Avenue.  Ho Yung, owner, was sworn.  He said that he was not requesting a Certificate of Appropriateness at this time because he first wanted input from the Commission on several concepts he had for the building.  He described his proposal to renovate the façade of the corner building for use as a new restaurant.  He researched the history of the building and discovered old photographs of the original façade which he is using in his design plan.

            The Commission discussed the two window schemes, one with arches above the windows and the other without arches.  The Commission members felt that the arches were inappropriate.

            The Commission members suggested that he save any old painted signs on the brick if they are discovered when the façade treatment is removed.  They also suggested that he use hardwood for the wood panels beneath the windows, although he could use a veneer over wood.  They encouraged him to make the panels lower than 30 inches high.

            Mr. Yung said that he would take the Commission’s comments into consideration and return with a revised design.

            Discussion of Section 106 Review for a proposed T-Mobile cell flagpole at Sam’s Garage, Watchung Avenue.  The Chair reviewed the report received from T-Mobile’s historic consultant which concluded that there would be no adverse effect from locating a 100 foot high cell pole on any nearby historic structures or districts.  The cell pole with flag would be located on private property in proximity to the Marlboro Park Historic District and Watchung train station.

            After a brief discussion, the Commission rejected the conclusion of the consultant, believing that it would have an adverse impact, and directed Ms. Kadus to notify T-Mobile of the Commission’s decision.

            Discussion of Plaques on Historic Buildings.  Chair Mosier reported that he had spoken to the fabricator in California about the spalling of the plaques.  He said that the fabricator will correct the problem, but requests that we remove and ship the plaques to their facility in Pittsburgh.  The Commission members recommended that we not pay for removal and shipment since it is the fabricator’s faulty workmanship that caused the spalling problem.   The Chair said that he would communicate that to the fabricator.

            Interim Consultant.  Ms. Kadus reported that several resumes were received from people interested in providing consulting services to the Commission.  After interviewing some candidates, she and the Chair recommend Wayne McCabe from Newton, an experienced historic preservation specialist who works for several Commission’s in New Jersey.  The Commission concurred.

            Adjournment.  The meeting was adjourned at 11:08 p.m.