Title
SUBMISSION OF A NOTICE OF APPEAL REQUESTING CITY COUNCIL OVERTURN THE DECISION OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION REGARDING AN APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR REPLACEMENT OF WINDOWS FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 322 ALAMEDA STREET.
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BACKGROUND: In May 2013, City staff was notified of the replacement of 15 original wood windows at 322 Alameda, a house located in the Miller Historic District. The replacement windows had been installed without a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) and the replacement windows were vinyl, a type not permitted by the Historic Preservation Guidelines.
On July 1, 2013, the Historic District Commission (HDC) reviewed the property owners' post facto COA application requesting to keep the newly installed vinyl windows. In the case of a post facto COA review, commissioners are instructed to regard an application as if the work had not already taken place, using the Historic Preservation Guidelines as a basis for review.
During the July 1 review, the HDC voted unanimously to support window replacement at 322 Alameda but specified that replacement windows must match the windows which had been removed, i.e. 1-over-1, hung, wood windows. The Commission's decision effectively denied the applicants' request to retain their vinyl replacement windows because that material is disallowed in the Historic Preservation Guidelines. In addition to issues with the vinyl composition of the windows, five of the 15 replacements were single-light, fixed-pane glass which is a window form that is not allowed by the guidelines.
Also on July 1, the HDC discussed a staff recommendation to consider allowing a three-year replacement schedule for the windows at 322 Alameda, due to the cost that would be incurred in complying with the Historic District Ordinance. However the Commission did not vote on the matter of the replacement schedule.
Following the July 1 meeting, the owners of 322 Alameda appealed the Commission's d...
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