Title
HR 18-15: Historic Review Board review of a reduction in the size of a landmark property at 16430 Hiram Avenue.
Body
RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
Staff recommends approval with conditions as listed in the staff report.
BACKGROUND:
The applicant proposes to reduce the size of the Historic Landmark property through a partition. The lot is approximately 15,600 square feet in size. The owner recently renovated the house and built a new detached garage (Files HR 17-03 and HR 17-06). The old garage was approved to be removed through HR 17-03 but has not yet been demolished. For a Landmark size reduction, granting a certificate of appropriateness should be based on the impact of the proposal on the historic home and any nearby historic resources. Impacts could result from new construction on the partitioned portion of the property, or from the loss of landscape or open space surrounding the home and giving it its historic context.
The subject property contains a small home near the front of the lot with a long rear yard. Staff does not find that the large rear yard provides much historic context in this case. The inventory form mentions fruit trees as part of the historic landscape, but only one apple tree remains and its condition has not been assessed by an arborist.
The applicant has not finalized partition plans; no exact lot configuration and resulting lot sizes have been determined. The land division may result in two to four total lots. The existing home and garage are proposed to remain on one lot on the corner of Hiram Ave and Rock St. The remaining lot(s) will face Rock St and will be developed with residential uses permitted in the R-6 zone.
New development on the partitioned lot could have a visual impact on the Landmark if it is tall or built close to the existing home. The historic structure is a compact, single story home that could be overpowered by a new structure behind it that is significantly taller. The minimum required setback from ...
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