Stowe Historic Preservation Commission

A meeting of the Stowe Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC) was held on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 starting at approximately 5:15 pm.

Members Present: Sam Scofield,  Chris Carey, Barbara Baraw, Gordon Dixon, Sarah McLane and Tim Meehan

Advisory Only: Town of Stowe, 67 Main Street, Demolish existing vault in rear and rebuild new vault

Harry Shepard was present to discuss the request to demolish and replace the vault in the rear of the AkeleyMemorialBuilding.  Drawings prepared by Freeman French Freeman, Inc. dated 8/11/10 were reviewed. Two plans were submitted: one with the vault having a flat roof and one with gamble roof.

The existing vault was not part of the original building and has limited visibility from any public roads. The new vault will be wider than the existing vault and will have will have a similar brick finish. A solider brick band is proposed to follow the existing granite window sills and band.

Under Section 4.12, municipal projects are not required to have a formal design review. The consensus of the Commission was that the either of the proposed vault plans were compatible with the existing building. The Commission asked for the opportunity to comment on the final design details once they are developed. Mr. Sheppard said that he would return with more complete elevations at a later date.

Project 4227: DoctorsPark Realty LLC, 1250 Waterbury Rd, Demolition of Part of Building and Construction of New Building

Darrow Mansfield was present to discuss the plans. Elevations prepared by Patten Design dated 8/6/10 and a site plan prepared by Darrow Mansfield dated 7/27/10 were reviewed.  Mr. Dixon recused himself from the review given his role coordinating the project bidding process and possible role as the contractor.

The Commission found the removal of the non-brick portion of the historic building was desirable and accepted the proposed changes to the brick building. Concerns were previously raised at the July 28, 2010 meeting about the large windows and front entry on the new building. Concerns were also raised by one member about the faux barn doors in the rear. The Commission found that the new plans adequately addressed the previous concerns of the large windows and front entry. The number of faux barn doors was reduced to two per side with a window between them. One member questioned the removal of the milk barn. It was noted that this was not listed as a contributing structure and was built in recent times. All agreed it did not have any historic significance. The consensus of the Commission was that the overall project was a major improvement over the existing conditions.

A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to approve as submitted. Motion passed 5-0 with Mr. Gordon abstaining.

The need to complete the review of the proposed changes to the design regulations was discussed. It was agreed to put this on a September agenda.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Richard Baker, Zoning Director