HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment from G. Guill in oppositionTo: Anna Brigham, Principal Planner, Town of Barnstable
CC: Geneevey Ziino
From: Gene D. Guill
Date: September 10, 2022
Subject: Zoning Appeals 2022-043 and 2022-044
My wife and I live at 3118 Main St. We purchased this full-Cape, antique house in 2008 and spent the following
three years restoring and adapting it for modern use. We moved to Barnstable as year-round residents in 2014.
Since moving to Barnstable, I have been active in the restoration of the Olde Colonial Courthouse at 3046 Main
St., testified in legal proceedings concerning the historical significance of buildings along Old Kings Highway, and
worked to increase public awareness of the importance of preserving historical buildings across Cape Cod. Old
buildings connect us to our past, define our life-style and our visual environment, and distinguish Cape Cod as a
unique place to live and visit.
The non-conforming features of the proposed dwelling at 3075 Main St. have been described in other letters
submitted to this Committee. In general, they refer to numerical features regarding setbacks, width of lot, and lot
size. But “zoning” is a bigger issue than numerical rules. It involves considerations of quantitative and qualitative
factors. If “zoning” could be reduced to a set of numerical rules, we would not need hearings and public
comments.
Old King’s Highway Historic District extends between the town lines of Sandwich and Yarmouth and is listed on
the National Register of Historical Places. The section from Scudder’s Lane to Railroad Ave. contains some of the
oldest buildings in our Village. The section from Old Jail Lane to Railroad Ave. was once the commercial center of
our Village. Our courthouse was located along this section of the road, at the intersection of Old Kings Highway
and the path to the harbor, which is now known as Rendezvous Lane. The “worn-down carriage house/barn,” as
described in and the subject of this application, is also located in this neighborhood. It has stood on this site since
the mid-1800s.
The principal issue for a historic district is the preservation of the buildings in that district – the appearance of
these buildings and overall ambience of the district. While I am supportive of adapting and repurposing old
buildings to make them usable in modern life, this work should strive to preserve the character of the old
buildings and how they contribute to their neighborhoods, if the design is to result in anything more than a new
building.
I oppose the conversion of the carriage house/barn at 3075 Main St. into a two-story, single-family dwelling as
proposed in this application because lot 3075/3077 does not conform to the minimum lot size in the RF-2 district
and the proposed single-family dwelling is too large and too wide to fit comfortably on lot 3075/3077. In addition,
the design proposed for the new dwelling envelopes and subordinates the antique carriage house/barn. The
result is a new building in the heart of a Historic District. While it might be argued that the proposed dwelling
incorporates some of the styles and characteristics of the older building, if constructed, this new building will
forever replace the antique carriage house and how it relates to the properties around it.
I wonder if it might be possible to design a dwelling, albeit smaller, that leaves the existing carriage house/barn as
a visible component of the new structure and attaches any new addition across the back of the existing structure.
Finally, although there is a shortage of moderate- and low-income housing on Cape Cod, this application does not
address that issue.