HomeMy WebLinkAbout2-5-2025 HHDC Draft Minutes (1)
Town of Barnstable
Hyannis Main Street Waterfront Historic District Commission
www.townofbarnstable.ma.us/hyannismainstreet
MINUTES
February 5, 2025
6:30 p.m.
Members Present: Cheryl Powell, Matt Clark, Tom Doherty, Cornelius Cawley, Conrad Watson, Kevin
Matthews, and Peri Wentworth
Members Absent: Jeniffer Hinckley Needham, Jack Kay and Laura Cronin
Staff Present: Corey Pacheco, Senior Planner and Karen Pina, Principal Assistant, Planning & Development
Dept. in attendance.
To all persons deemed interested or affected by the Town of Barnstable’s Hyannis Main Street Waterfront Historic District
Commission Ordinance under Chapter 112, Article III of the Code of the Town of Barnstable, you are hereby notified that a hearing
is being held at Town Hall, 367 Main Street, Hyannis, MA Selectmen’s Conference Room, 2nd Floor 6:30 P.M. on Wednesday,
February 5, 2025.
The meeting will be televised live via Xfinity Channel 8 or high definition Channel 1072. It may also be accessed via the Government
Access Channel live stream on the Town of Barnstable’s website:
http://streaming85.townofbarnstable.us/CablecastPublicSite/watch/1?channel=1
Please silence your cell phones
Call to Order
Attendance Roll Call
Perri Wentworth
Conrad Watson
Kevin Matthews
Cornelius Cawley
Matt Clark
Tom Doherty
Cheryl Powell
Welcome to New Members, Special Guests, Advisors and Comments
Town Council Liaison Charles Bloom in attendance.
Assistant Town Attorney Allison Cogliano in attendance.
Updates
• Trainings
• Awards
• Correspondence
Reminder of Commission’s Purpose and Proper Procedure
New Business
Susan Battista d/b/a Hyphen – 525 South Street, Hyannis – Map 308 Parcel 162
Signage
Denise Rhodes in attendance, one of the owners at 525 South Street. Explains the signage. Young adults with disabilities here.
Two floors. Has changed the sign that was currently there. Ladder sign, blue sign.
Kevin Matthews confirms that the window sign and this ladder sign is already up. Window signage, can you see through?
2
Denise Rhodes, yes, can see through it.
Kevin Matthews, the number 525 is hard to see on the existing ladder sign, maybe paint white so its easier to see. 525 South.
Chair Cheryl Powell opens up public comment. None.
Corey Pacheco confirms installed prior to COA and given ZBA relief on the size of the window sign.
Chair closes public comment
Chair Cheryl Powell entertains a motion for the Findings, moved by Kevin Matthews to find this application compatible
with the preservation and protection of the district, seconded by Cornelius Cawley,
Roll Call Vote:
Peri Wentworth - aye
Tom Doherty - aye
Matt Clark - aye
Kevin Matthews - aye
Conrad Watson - aye
Cornelius Coawley - aye
Cheryl Powell - aye
Chair Cheryl Powell entertains a motion for a Certificate of Appropriateness, moved by Kevin Matthews issue for 525 South
Street as described in the submitted materials, seconded by Peri Wentworth,
Roll Call Vote:
Cornelius Cawley - aye
Conrad Watson – aye
Kevin Matthews - aye
Matt Clark - aye
Tom Doherty - aye
Peri Wentworth - aye
Cheryl Powell - aye
Complete Home Group, LLC – 183 Iyannough Road, Hyannis – Map 328 Parcel 201
Exterior Renovations
Chad Hill in attendance, Complete Home Group in Centerville. Trent Gelo, owner in attendance. Still working on some plans.
Interior demo permit has been issued and have redone the inside. Have a roofing permit to repair the roof. Want to demo front
canopy that is there now. Believes no historical significance. Refers to A301 plans – proposed exterior elevations, windows,
currently looking at are Quaker windows, aluminum. Plan, Exhibit A. Carriage style doors, will not be functional. Close opening off
and insulate, and then custom build the doors to be mimicked as best as can.
Kevin Matthews, guidelines, windows: wood strongly recommended, composite are acceptable upon review.
Chad Hill, they would be aluminum windows, painted black. Garage style doors, typical glass/metal door system, overhang, Refer
to picture of red garage doors, Exhibit B.
Trent Gelo, the building will be a collector car storage system/facility.
Chad Hill, restoring the building, proposing to add a bump out addition. Refers to plan, Exhibit A,
Chair Cheryl Powell, how much would bump out?
Chad Hill - 16 ft. Brick will remain, they will re paint all the brick. The bump out will be some type of composite/hardy type material,
dark color. See picture of siding material, brown color. Trying to maintain an industrial look. Gutter along the backside. Window
side. Trim will be painted black and gutter will be black. Reference to the plan, Ex. A. 3rd row. No gutters in the front, it’s a single
sloped roof.
Tom Doherty, where would bump out be? Chad refers to 2nd pg. of plans, sheet 2. – on left side of the building, if looking at the
plan view. 28 x 16, roughly 500 sq. ft.
3
Discussion regarding the number of components.
Chad Hill, would like to demo the canopy in front and add new addition and yes to windows being put back into the bldg. garage
doors. Nothing going on the roof, no heat pumps on the roof. Completely flat, rubber roof, black gutters, black doors, possibly black
bump out, brick stays.
Peri Wentworh, what was this canopy for?
Trent Gelo, it was added at different time, probably for the previous nightclub.
Tom Doherty, would like to see sample of gutter trim and Perri, downspouts, how they will look.
Chair Cheryl Powell asks for any public comment.
Town Council Liaison Charles Bloom, likes the idea and to keep in Transportation area is better. Looking forward to seeing the final
product.
Tom Doherty, lighting, landscaping?
Chair Cheryl Powell, lighting, dumpster, doors, want clarification of what. Color to be clarified for garage doors. What are the extra
steps? Colors. Bump out and color on that. Demo of canopy.
Peri, Wentworth design guideline regulations have been updated.
Tom Doherty, lighting and landscaping and colors and downspouts would need to come back for. Material.
Trent Gelo, we will also have signage. The Engine Room will be the name. Trent shows it to the Commissioners around the room
from his phone. Will need signage application.
Corey Pacheco, gaps in information as it stands now. Lighting, landscaping and signage. List of plantings, part of the design
guidelines.
Chair Cheryl Powell entertains a moves to continue to March 5th,2025, seconded by Kevin Matthews,
Roll Call Vote:
Cornelius Cawley – aye
Conrad Watson - aye
Kevin Matthews - aye
Matt Clark - aye
Tom Doherty - aye
Perri Wentworth - aye
Cheryl Powell - aye
Discussion Item
Town of Barnstable Assistant Town Attorney Allison Cogliano – Public Art Review & Moratorium Discussion
Assistant Town Attorney Allison Cogliano in attendance. Refers to Memorandum dated Nov. 20, 2024. Art and murals come with
first amendment rights, free speech and constitutional concerns.
Chair Cheryl Powell – directs to the Commission - don’t discuss particular applicants and not pertaining to specifics.
Assistant Town Attorney Allison Cogliano reviews this memorandum with the Commissioners. If decision appealed would go to
federal court, there are different levels of scrutiny. Fundamental right, is free speech. Want to keep whatever decision you are
making, content neutral. Time, place, manner, when can go up and where and how. That’s considered content neutral.
Content manner = example given, timing. Content based gets more difficult to defend. Placement of. Manner, example,
distractions possible. Want to make sure restrictions are applied across the board. Don’t want to discriminate, apply same
standards.
Chair Cheryl Powell, not just murals, art based items. All art forms.
4
Kevin Matthews, HHDC tries to protect the character, historic character, don’t get the content neutrality of that. Some proposals
don’t fit the character.
Attorney Cogliano, historic preservation and art do sometimes clash due to this. Reasoning is with the courts, the idea is artist
objective. This is free speech and the art is their expression.
Chair Cheryl Powell, maybe that would come under location?
Kevin Matthews, don’t know how to balance the two - hard to navigate.
Tom Doherty, historic district, art here, in historic town, he finds a mural offensive.
Attorney Cogliano, this is subjective as well. There are certain things that are not acceptable.
Chair Cheryl Powell, written words can be obscene as well, regarded as pornography.
Tom Doherty, different rules for public and private?
Attorney Cogliano, content based speech is the message. Parts of the artist’s message.
Peri Wentworth, problem stems from definition and what is legal per historic . What would be historical for our purposes?
Cornelius Cawley, important to keep in mind, this is commercial hub. People see differently. Stick to content neutral goals, type of
material, size, location, universal to all. Don’t see a business owner veering that much out of the realm. Can we reach out to other
historic towns to see what are their rules for?
Kevin Matthews, conflict, doesn’t want to suppress, trying to find a happy medium.
Corey Pacheco, can regulate location if goes against the character of the district.
Discussion regarding location
Attorney Cogliano, want to stick to content neutral, if don’t think that serves the character of the district. Can be argument if in
guidelines, argument that as a historic district that there is that compelling government interest.
Extra step – government purpose but if content based and want to change, has to be the least restrictive way of doing it. Can say ,
if in your guidelines, can have narrative as such.
Chair Cheryl Powell, can’t change the message, but some types of art may not be appropriate.
Matt Clark, everything is protected by being content neutral, subjective.
Cornelius Cawley, very context dependent, that’s the confusion.
Attorney Cogliano, will obviously be a case by case analysis. Keep in guidelines. Could say don’t want art in the district or don’t
want every 200 ft. If this is the concern per the historic character of the district.
Chair Cheryl Powell, can state in our guidelines.
Cornelius Cawley, could say only certain types if want to apply, i.e., frontage, work the regulations as such and community.
Attorney Cogliano, guidelines – have to put in guidelines as such and people will have to abide.
Kevin Matthews, we can’t say anything about the content. Is there a way to research other towns and see if there is a way and
could pass court scrutiny?
Corey Pacheco, working with Sarah Korjeff, will be presenting some information that shows other historic districts, this will be the
second meeting in March.
5
Attorney Cogliano, happy to attend this meeting with Sarah Korjeff. The difference between the art and the renovations, signs etc.
are different from this. Will send an example of town and what they are doing. Clarity on public and private: A lot more say of what
is going in on public property, this is considered government speech. can’t inflict emotional distress.
Chair Cheryl Powell – will need those guidelines.
Peri Wentworth, sidewalks – this is public view and historical character.
Matters not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair
Approval of January 15, 2025 Draft Minutes
Chair Cheryl Powell entertains a motion to approve, moved by Kevin Matthews, seconded by Peri Wentworth,
Roll Call Vote:
Cornelius Cawley - aye
Conrad Watson - abstain
Kevin Matthews - aye
Matt Clark - aye
Tom Doherty - aye
Peri Wentworth – aye
Cheryl Powell - aye
Next HHDC meetings scheduled for February 19th and March 5th, 2025
Adjournment
Chair Cheryl Powell entertains a motion to adjourn, moved by Cornelius Cawley, seconded by Kevin Matthews,
Roll Call Vote:
Conrad Watson - aye
Cornelius Cawley - aye
Matt Clark - aye
Kevin Matthews - aye
Tom Doherty - aye
Peri Wentworth - aye
Cheryl Powell - aye
The meeting ended at 8:07 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Pina
Further detail may be obtained by viewing the video via Channel 18 on demand at
http://www.town.barnstable.ma.us
List of Exhibit Documents - Plans - Complete Home Group, LLC – 183 Iyannough Road, Hyannis – Map 328 Parcel 201
Exterior Renovations