HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - CCHDC - 03/27/2018 On March 27, 2018,the Cohasset Common Historic District Commission:
1. APPROVED(by 6-1 vote)formal rose garden with gravel walkways and central urn,as described in Application
dated February 13, 2018,and
2. DISAPPROVED(by 6-1 vote)installation of driveway between house and street,as described in same
Application, for the following reasons:
(1) There is insufficient space in front of 41 N. Main St.to install any driveway given the scale and basic
character of the neighborhood.
(2) Permitting installation will inevitably result in vehicles of all sizes being parked off street and horizontally to
an historic structure rather than vertically to structure,which should not be encouraged.
(3)The few driveways cited for precedent are neither persuasive nor dispositive,for the following reasons:
(I) Each has been grandfathered for well over a century.
(ii)Two are situated in front of public buildings.
(iii)The third is located at the far north end of the Historic District,in front of an early twentieth century
home with a much larger front yard,partially shielded by trees and other vegetation.
(iv)Those driveways were intended originally to accommodate horses and wagons rather than the large
motorized vehicles in use today.
(4)Not every precedent is appropriate to adhere to;e.g.,the Commission very recently declined to follow a
long-standing precedent which had permitted numerous commemorative plaques to be installed on the Common;
it is also unlikely that the precedent of the exterior fire escape on the south side of 35 N. Main St.would be
followed today.
(5) Functional convenience for the Applicant is the acknowledged primary reason for the proposed driveway
change and may be a valid consideration.However that does not outweigh preservation and protection of the
architectural integrity of the Historic District for the benefit of the entire Town,which is the fundamental reason
for this By-Law and thus the responsibility of the Commission to uphold.
2 4/3/2018,9:41 AM
"2. DENIED(by 6-1 vote) installation of new entrance way in front of the home,as requested in same Application,
for the following reasons:
(1)Changing the entrance as requested will result in motor vehicles blocking the front of the structure and
interfering with the view down the Common.
(2) No other home in the heart of the Common,on either side, has an entrance way permitting vehicles to park
directly in front of the historical structure.
(3)The entrances mentioned as precedents in the Application are neither persuasive nor dispositive,for the
following reasons:
(i) Each has been grandfathered for more than a century.
(ii)Two are situated in front of public buildings.
(iii)The third is located at the far end of the Historic District, in front of an early 20th century home with a
much larger front yard, partially shielded by vegetation.
(iv)All 3 were originally intended to accommodate horses and wagons, rather than the large motorized
vehicles in use today.
(4) Not every precedent is appropriate to follow.The Commission recently declined to follow a precedent
which had permitted many commemorative plaques on the Common.It is unlikely that the precedent of the
exterior fire escape on the south side of 35 N. Main St.would be followed today either.
(5)Convenience for the Applicant is acknowledged as the primary reason for the requested entrance change.
However valid it may be, it does not outweigh preservation and protection of the architectural character of
Cohasset Common as a permanent legacy for the benefit of the entire Town,which is the fundamental purpose for
this By-Law and thus the responsibility of the Commission to uphold.
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of 4/5/2018,9:50 AM