York HDC Clears Demolition, Continues Woodbridge Road Project Review

[0:00] Chair: I'm calling the meeting to order at 5:35. This is the meeting of the Town of York Historic District Commission. It's October, Tuesday, October 6th, 2026, 5:35. Welcome to the monthly meeting of the York Historic District Commission. We are appointed by the Board of Select, the excuse me, by the Select Board, to maintain the character of historic districts and landmarked buildings according to Article 12 of the Town Zoning Ordinances. Our job is to review applications for certificates of appropriateness, determining whether or not proposed changes to any structures designated in the ordinance are consistent with its guidelines. These guidelines are based on the Secretary of the Interior standards for the treatment of historic structures. My name is Scott Stevens. I chair the commission. I'm joined by Kari LaPre and John Covino. At the moment, Commissioner Donald Rose is not with us. We're still anticipating his presence. Patience Horton is our recording secretary watching remotely. I hope everybody in the audience has signed in. I see there's a sign up sheet and I would like to open a public hearing to invite public comment on any subject not on tonight's agenda. Seeing nobody apparently interested, I will close the public hearing. I would like to change the order of our agenda, switch the order of the applications, because at the moment we don't have a quorum for the second one. So I'm going to, just a moment, I'm going to find my agenda, which is, I have too many, thank you, I have too many files up on my laptop here. The first application this evening will be by Kevin Lord for 10 Bald Head Cliff Road, Map 4, Lot 15. The proposal is to tear down the existing single-family home. The project requires review under Section 12.17 of the York Zoning Ordinance, in this case a demolition outside of a historic district. I will open the public hearing. Well, first of all, I'll ask, does anybody have a conflict of interest on this application? I don't. No. Okay. Then I will ask if we consider this application complete. [3:29] Commissioner: I would move that the application is complete for consideration. [3:34] Chair: I'll second. Yeah. Is there any discussion? Then let's vote. Aye. Lepre and Covino vote aye. Chair votes aye. The application is complete. I will now open a public hearing on this application. And if anybody cares to give us additional information to augment the application or react to it. Seeing no one interested, I will close the public hearing and we will begin our deliberation. The Commission will now discuss the application, the facts therein, and how it relates to the ordinance it [4:34] Commissioner: appears to be a mid 20th century house but with a whole lot of additions and renovations to it. I couldn't really see what the original building. Yeah. From what I understand it [4:48] Chair: is more than 75 years old but 20 years ago roughly was substantially renovated so that the original character is obscured and [5:12] Commissioner: that was my impression from the photographs that it really didn't have integrity as a mid 20th century house to be considered significant. I mean so it's not a significant example of a mid-20th century all intents and purposes like a new house or relatively new house. Yes. [5:32] Chair: Yes, for audience members and anybody watching at home, the ordinance says with the demolition delay that our job is to make a determination as to the historic or architectural significance of the structure. If we deem it historically or architecturally significant, then we're supposed to pursue alternatives to demolition. Those any alternative has to be agreeable to the owner. I [6:16] Commissioner: can make a motion. Please do. I move that the Commission at the meeting of October 6 2026 pursuant to section 12 17.2 the structure at 10 Bald Head Cliff Road which is presented by application of Kevin Lord for its demolition is not included in a historic district but is 75 years old or older. But it lacks historical or architectural significance sufficient for the commission to pursue alternatives to demolition due to a lack of historic integrity. I'll second the motion. Okay. [7:02] Chair: Is there any discussion? Then I'll ask you to vote. Aye. Aye. Chair votes aye. So we will not delay the demolition. All right. Could you close that door, please? We will now consider the application by James Paolini regarding 7 Woodbridge Road map 50 lot 111d a proposal to build a new development consisting of four buildings with commercial space on the first. The project requires review since the parcel is in the York Village historic district. We don't have done so. We have a conflict of interest check and one member I believe is recusing himself but yes reasons I've stated previous [8:16] Commissioner: In previous meetings, I'm recusing myself. Yeah, I don't have his number entered. I've seen it before when we've been texted things. Right. Well. Can we talk about it? [8:37] Chair: I think we can discuss the application and it's possible to schedule another meeting, not make the applicant wait until November. [8:46] Commissioner: Yeah, definitely not. So. It's concerned. [8:50] Chair: Do we, is the application complete? I [9:06] Commissioner: think it's complete at this point with all the different pieces. [9:10] Chair: Do you want to make a motion to that effect? [9:12] Commissioner: I move that we accept the application as complete for consideration. [9:20] James Paolini or Jeffrey Paolini (applicant): Would you be able to even make a motion [9:21] Speaker F (unidentified): as to completeness? [9:22] Commissioner: Oh, that's true. [9:27] Chair: Oh, I see, yeah, we still, if we don't have a quorum making a motion for completeness yeah Roberts rules right so let's I would were we considering such a motion I would bring up to my if I look if I found everything in this application on the form there's a list of materials but we don't there aren't spec sheets we it's kind of counting on us to know what Aztec is and what the other materials are and I think the application would be more complete or I might even suggest it's not quite complete because we don't know exactly what those materials are so I would urge the applicant to give us some more information about those exterior materials yeah I think the brochure would be good yes oh yes please turn on your mic so we are I guess we're having a further conceptual discussion and I'm sorry that we can't bring a quorum to the table for you we will figure out before we go when we can meet [10:40] Commissioner: on this so but do you see anything that sticks out besides the materialist well [Chair: yeah] should we continue to just discuss it conceptually like you said this point I guess that makes sense so it's not really a public hearing or do we have [11:09] Chair: people that no one is well is there anything yeah we I guess we don't need to have a public hearing [James Paolini or Jeffrey Paolini (applicant): I appreciate] the fact that you gave us some narrative on some of the factors we've talked about in the past we will discuss those I'm when we actually make a decision and frankly I'm a little bit at sea I don't think that I can we can give more I think that's where I guess what I would say is that's where the crux of the application is in the compatibility with historic district, with the village historic district, and with the area outside the district, but around it. The guidance to the planning board in article six is that they must consider the village character in making a decision, and we can weigh in on that. So I would really bore in on that. That's where I had the most questions, the most concerns frankly, but I don't think that we can get into what do you mean that well you know in the criteria in 12.14.3 and there they are the qualities that the applicant has addressed, massing, scale, and height, exterior cladding and materials, roof lines, roofing material, rhythm of openings, neighborhood compatibility, and context. Each one of those could be bolstered, and that's where there's the most, to me, to my mind, I'm speaking as one member of the commission, room for interpretation and I guess would not only people like us who deal with historic preservation issues a lot but with the average person look at this and say this says New England village to me do [13:56] Commissioner: You raise something that I was wondering is do we look at the stuff that's not in the district nearby on [14:05] Chair: Woodbridge Road or do we not I interpret the language of 12.14 I have to read the whole sentence to get to the important part so bear with me it's ordinance language the construction of a new building or structure shall be of such design form proportion mass configuration building material texture and location on lot as will be compatible with other buildings and structures in the historic district and with streets and open spaces to which it is visually related and in keeping with the area I think that visual relationship and the area says yes okay to the in my opinion to that question because it does not say with the historic district okay I had a couple of questions to the application still says it's checked off as conceptual review yeah so if you want to continue a conceptual review we are happy to do that not again not without a quorum [15:21] Speaker F (unidentified): Whatever but we could do that you know the colonial style buildings that's what [15:29] Commissioner: But we were trying to go far. But the issue from day one, and I thought we brought it up in the beginning, was there's no way to fit in with Woodbridge Road. We have two banks and a post office. [15:44] Chair: We also have a Greek Revival Cottage, a Cape. I think if you look on that street. Residential homes? Yeah, well, there are businesses and residences, I believe. I know there are three businesses, right? Two, three right there? My visual memory isn't great. I did look on the town database, you know, the pictures of the buildings there. [16:19] Commissioner: Like I said last time, too, the other problem is they require us to do commercial on the first floor. [16:24] Chair: So who's, who requires commercial on the first floor? What's that in the zoning? [16:31] Commissioner: Anything that's being built there, first floor has to be commercial, it can't be residential, so that kind of throws a big wrench, yeah. [16:43] Chair: If you would like, if you care to explain any more what you're thinking about it, they're, they're [16:50] Commissioner: shooting for as much residential as possible, but on the second and third floor, and they're trying to get, you know, more shops on the first floor, restaurants, whatever they can get in town, right, so that's why we designed it the way we did. I mean, I think the buildings fit in with the ones on York Street, but we can't fit in, we just can't, it's not possible to fit in with Woodbridge. [17:22] Chair: Yeah, well, I'd look at the historic district and the village, since it's part of the village and it's a village, York VC, York Village, yeah, YVC one and two, and you, the lot we're talking about is in one, right, and it has two around parts of it, am I correct, I'm looking [17:52] Commissioner: So I think everything around it's all the same. I'm pretty sure. [17:57] Chair: I thought that there was a portion of YVC 2 that is on the opposite side of Woodbridge. In any case, they have similar standards. [18:11] Commissioner: The building we're in now is pretty much kind of on the same design as we're going for. [18:20] Chair: When I was looking around, this jumps out on the scale especially, but this building was built before, it's a, it's a recent building, it was built before the historic district, I'm not sure we would consider it a contributing structure today, so that's a, yeah, and I'm not sure what, who knows whether it would have been approved had the village historic district been extended this far at that time, that's it, but we can't speculate, well [18:56] Commissioner: What was the date? I kind of understand, but I don't know how you can not include this, but you're saying we have to include, go by right, I know, only the biggest thing is Woodbridge, like you, we can't, we have a, we have two banks, which was, so what if we're trying to fit in, how can we fit in with two banks and a post office, is the, is my point, like I don't know, there's no way to do that to make anything worthwhile unless we put a bank or like a drive, like something like that on the property, and I don't think anyone wants that. No, that's not what planning, yeah. No, I'm sure. Yeah, I'm less concerned about the Woodbridge Road aspect of it. I mean, be it not being in the district, I feel more like is it compatible with okay in the district. And I still was having, my biggest concern was the visibility from, you know, out on the main road looking to, like, looking past the Ann Irwin building. And, you know, is it gonna stick up, is it, are they're gonna still be enough trees, that kind of, that was my key question was the, that, I mean, that's the place where it's visible. Potentially from the district, otherwise it's, is really at the. Edge, yeah, is it, yeah, go well, it's set back. I'm not positive either, 40, I think it's 40 feet from Woodbridge, and that all stays natural, and there's a lot of, there's a lot of growth on there now, a lot of trees, and then I think we have, and by the time you're back, you're back to that 40 feet, you're almost behind Ann Orwin's building, you know what. [20:48] Chair: I mean, so that kind of buffers it. Also the drawings that you provided, you know, I think they have to show low vegetation in order to see them, but in fact will there be trees along Woodbridge before the drive into this? Yeah, because there's a, we can't take them. [21:14] Commissioner: Down, the only part we can take down is where the driveway coming in. I see it, yeah, oh right. [21:20] Chair: That's right, that's right, yeah. Is it possible to provide a, I mean, you've given us a view of the buildings from there, is it possible to provide a, you know what it's going to look like with those trees in place and whatnot, simulated, simulate the view? The other thing is it would help to label some of the views, I think I know where they're from, but in any case, I thought, excuse me, yeah, and I think if I'm remembering correctly, let me get to the record here, I think there were a couple of the drawing. [22:08] Speaker F (unidentified): Views, I think there are four, you got to turn on, yeah, oh. [22:17] Chair: Yeah, they are labeled, they are little, I'm sorry, yeah. [22:21] Commissioner: They are, yeah, these are very labeled, it was the other application that they were not. That was hard to, yeah, so I mean from what bridge is going to be a big buffer, from driving out of this parking lot is going to be a big buffer. And Irwin and us, not much. I guess that's my biggest concern is whether when you're standing there looking at that building, this is going to be right in back of it and whether it's going to be lit up brightly. [22:56] Chair: Yeah, and it's a big building. This is the only building on a similar scale, 110 feet. [23:02] Commissioner: Well, the building that you would see from Long Sands is only a three unit building. So that one's that one's like 58 feet long. Right,. I mean it's not. Do you know how tall it is to the. It's roughly. That's what I really figure out. Well 20 probably 20 feet to the rip to the bottom of the roof line and then probably around 30 to the ridge but that building that building is really not very i mean there's only one building that's that's fairly big the other three are aren't very big at all right so it's not like right behind it, 's the big going all the way across. The big one would be abutting the bank. But are they all the same height? They're all the same height, yeah. I see, yeah, so you'd sort of be looking. I mean, they're smaller than the ones, the new building that's being built now on York Street. Yeah. That's what we're trying to avoid. [24:44] Chair: Yeah, we're, there's a, yeah,, it's that, we had nothing to say about those. I've heard a lot of backlash about how could those have been built, you know, they're, I don't look at those and say New England Village. [24:58] Commissioner: Well, they're so close to the street, too. [Chair: Yeah,, and that's.] Well, I'm just saying it's, they're not, you know, it's, I know when you see it on the picture it's hard to visualize but it's not i don't think they're even as big as that building [25:14] Chair: that helps it is it is hard to even a good drawing and your drawings are great don't have quite the impact of when you see the actual building because the two of them are [25:29] Commissioner: only 40 feet wide because it's only two it's only two so they're 40 by 30 deep one of those There's six, 58 by 30, and then the six units, the only one that's on the larger side. [25:46] Chair: I think in terms of exterior materials, it would help me if you referred to buildings that you drew these from, as opposed to, oh, this is kind of a generally historic look. If there are examples of structures in the district or in the village that you're echoing, that would help. If there are aspects of the design that you feel you're drawing from, that could help. Because this is one of the times when we have to interpret the ordinance. A lot of what we do is apply an ordinance that's pretty cut and dry. try, but in this case we have to interpret and it's a challenge. So the more you show us, well, we drew this from this structure or these structures or see these are examples of this type of exterior finish or whatever, that could be helpful. [26:54] Commissioner: I was struck when I provided the, I'm the one who took all of those pictures that I submitted, of just how much this project does fit in with the existing structures in the historic district. Because there are, when you, when you look at these, when I was shooting these buildings individually, for example, the one next to the gas station that has just been rehabbed on the exterior, and some of the ones on York Street, we, from a height standpoint, from a materials, the rare of the buildings, I mean, we've hit it very well from a scale standpoint. And there are some buildings in the historic district that could use a lot of updating. You know, it's, so I think this project is going to be a very positive addition to the neighborhood, frankly. And you know, we're getting a lot of conflicting things when it comes to the town, because we are being told that the town of York wants a place for people to congregate once, and the reason for the large building is it's the only space that can accommodate a small restaurant, which is really what the town is asking for. So there are reasons why that building is of the size it is, because otherwise we would be having a lot of empty spaces, to be frank with you, but also little shops that may not survive there. So you need certain sizes and certain, that's why those buildings are sized the way they are for specific uses. [28:47] Chair: Very interesting. You're telling us very interesting things that I would love to have read in the application. Yeah, well, I didn't think that was, I didn't think that [28:55] Commissioner: was part of the historic this, but just to give you a personal, yeah, input, and you're citing [29:02] Chair: specific buildings that you feel it's compatible with. Again, explaining that to us, for us to have to either rely on our memories as we see here, or we're not supposed to go out and we're supposed to react to what's in the application. Basically, we're not supposed to go out and do our own research individually. So if you provide us, that's what I said before, with your inspiration, here's where I see us echoing this, I think it's compatible with these, whatever, that helps us tremendously in our interpreting the ordinances and seeing the extent to which these are compatible with them. [29:43] Commissioner: It's a little confusing with the application process, frankly. So you would like, and I'm happy, we're happy to do that. By the way, I think that would have been in addition, but I didn't know that was even appropriate to do that. So it sounded, but maybe just a personal letter that goes along with the application. And you were mentioning to Jamie that you would like to see the samples. Do you want those items, like brochure, as an example, do you want them provided within the application next time, or do you want us to bring them along [30:17] Chair: at the next meeting? In the application is best, if it's possible, to give us PDFs of them. Okay, the more we get in the application, the more informed our decision can be. Yeah, absolutely, the more, the less skittish we are about making a decision because we don't have the grounds. We're trying to be fair, we're trying to meet a lot of different interests, and by the way, I'm sorry, I'm going to get, I'm going to get schooled by our recording secretary. Would you kindly [30:49] Speaker F (unidentified): identify yourself? I'm Jeffrey Paolini, I'm Jamie's brother. Ah, okay, so we have [30:55] James Paolini or Jeffrey Paolini (applicant): James Paolini and Jeffrey Paolini, thank you very much. In terms of the specs for the [31:04] Commissioner: collab boards, are they going to be the smooth kind? Yes, not the ones with the texture, because those are not preferred. And I guess I still go back to, I feel like it's the compatibility with the buildings that are in this district, which is like, which is Coventry Hall and the Anne Irwin, and then going down the road, there's a group of them that aren't really around the Bank of America building, and you know what I mean? Those aren't old. There's a gap, but then we have, you know, the town hall, the churches, the bank building, I mean, that's, that's, this district goes very well with the town hall, so you know what I'm saying, like, I mean, strictly reading it, yeah, [32:01] James Paolini or Jeffrey Paolini (applicant): look, I don't want to cut you off, you know, it's fine, I mean, just like the visual compatibility factors or whatever it says, what is the material on the, what's [32:11] Chair: It's the material on the storefronts, the darker material. That's not clear to me. That's another thing that would help. If you specified where the materials are that you're listing, these are here, these are here, that helps. So what is, while we're talking, what is that darker material? It looks like maybe a PVC, [32:29] Commissioner: like raised panel to look like a PVC product. [32:34] Chair: But to look like? Like wood. Would so it would look like simply boards or because it's with moldings look like a raised [32:45] Speaker F (unidentified): Panel like a, like a panel, I see, right, not board and batten, but no panels, right? Yeah, I see, okay. [32:53] Chair: See, that would be good to know. [32:57] Commissioner: Will it be painted? Yeah, eventually, so it'll, okay, yeah, so it won't look as much like PVC. It won't look, it won't just be vinyl, yeah, it's a balance between trying to be maintenance free, yeah, the way it is this project can't be maintenance, right, the new painted when you paint the PVC you can't tell the difference, yeah, right, and the window sash, I forget what you said, they don't have like simulate, do they have simulated divided lights, or do they just have [33:37] Chair: I think it says grills, doesn't it, which would be the applied, we can I [33:46] Commissioner: mean I thought the last meeting that there wasn't a, you didn't have a restriction on windows, but it, we can certainly do a true divided, I don't, I don't know if it matters, I was just wondering, I don't think you would really, to be honest, notice, but in that position it seems like it doesn't matter to me, because once you're in there you don't, I mean once you're on that property you're not going to feel like you're in the historic district, I'm more concerned of what it looks like from when you're [34:18] James Paolini or Jeffrey Paolini (applicant): elsewhere, is it a jarring visual change, or is it, because I mean once this is built this doesn't [34:25] Commissioner: really contribute to the historic district anymore, you could draw it out, you know what I mean, [34:31] James Paolini or Jeffrey Paolini (applicant): once it's there, I mean it, yeah, it's, we don't want it sticking out like a sore thumb, so again, so I [34:38] Commissioner: again I feel like it's the, what it's going to look like when you are on Long Sands Road or something looking, and but the windows again, yeah, it probably doesn't matter, but I was, I have a friend who's on the HDC in Portsmouth, and all of those new buildings that they build in the downtown they have, they have simulated divided lights in them, right, which was interesting. Yeah, and all the like, I did, I'm doing renovation on historic district enforcement, and the windows we're using there are basically going to be the same windows we're going to be using in this building, except we weren't going to do the true divided lights, it would be the grill between the glass, but if that was really a big thing we can, but all the trim around it, the windows will be the same as actually Portsmouth approved for their historic district, I [35:44] Chair: like the scale of the windows in the arrangement on the, you know, above the shop spaces, those were [35:51] Commissioner: The main problem is the, that we have to do the commercial. I mean, if that, if those, if those buildings were, you know, two stories instead of two and a half, I don't think it would, but there's really no way around that because you can't have both [36:13] Chair: residential and commercial with in that vertical you wouldn't have enough room for enough [36:20] Commissioner: residential because I, yeah, because I do. What about light fixtures? I don't really care, I guess I don't really care about the light fixtures, but what about the lighting and the way we were doing the same in the parking lot as the light? We were gonna match the library's lamps and lighting. I don't know if we picked out the actual lighting on the unit yet, but for the parking area we were gonna match [36:51] Chair: the library. Good, and again, good information for us to get. Yeah, you'll hear I'm a broken record, I know, but the more we have to chew on the, I think the better decision, the more reasonable decision we can come to. We don't like [37:09] Speaker F (unidentified): going out on interpretive limbs. I think what we'll do is we'll just submit the [37:15] Commissioner: whole, our whole Planning Board application because that's, we have, we have preliminary approval on that. And that's, you know, you can go through that, shows absolutely everything on there. [37:27] Chair: Okay. That would be fine. It would help if you highlighted page such and such relates to whatever, so that we're not going through pages of irrelevant material. [37:41] Commissioner: Yeah, that stuff doesn't show up attached to our accounts, I don't think. Like, we can't see all the planning board. Probably not, yeah. the planning board, but I can, I can forward it to you though. Oh, I going back to the lighting, I was thinking about the lighting and the whether having that kind of a development there would add light that was, you know, out of character, but I feel like since you've already got the library and the banks and these other buildings nearby, it's not, if it was in the middle of, you know, York, you know, the other end of the village or something, it would be more of a change, but and [38:19] Chair: And with the, we could look at the plan for village revitalization specifies lighting. And I don't know if you've looked at that, but you might want to refer to that. That might also be a helpful reference for your purposes. [38:38] Commissioner: I don't. You had fixtures that were. [38:42] Chair: I have to go back and look. It's been a long time. I know they all have to be down. Yeah, down, yeah. Yeah, and they, yeah, they want something that doesn't look like it's ultra-modern or whatever, but I don't want to say too much because it's been a long time since I looked at those plans. Okay, so we should look at, well, I guess we have to have Don in on it, but let's pick a tentative date to meet again so that we don't keep our friends waiting. [39:26] Commissioner: Any longer than they have to. Yeah, I can do, I should be able to do any time. I have no, nothing during the weeks. How about you, John? Oh. [39:54] Chair: That's right, yeah, I'm really okay. Keep reminding me, I'm sorry, I don't need to, short-term memory loss. Okay, we need to make sure Don can make it though, we would, yeah, so we can't announce it here, that's a problem, but next Tuesday doesn't work for me unfortunately, but the following one. [40:22] Commissioner: I think it would be good to have it two weeks so we can provide the information. [40:26] Chair: So let's tentatively say the 20th, that's good for you, and we will, and I'm happy to say that I learned we don't have to have the same amount of time for public notice because announcing it at this meeting constitutes legal public notice. So I'm gonna put that in my calendar now. Is there anything else? We care to. [41:13] Commissioner: Same time, the 5.30? [41:15] Chair: Yes, assuming the room is available, that's another big question, but yeah, we have to make sure the rooms available. One other small thing that a former member did not think was a small thing, the plot plan you gave us says right on it 's not for construction purposes. Is there an updated one or has it changed? It should be stamped by the engineers. [41:53] Commissioner: Well, I'll send you the whole planning board application. [41:55] Chair: Great. Everything will be stamped, right? Okay, yeah. [41:59] Commissioner: I don't think it's, well, the engineers, but I don't think they stamp it until it's final approval. Oh. They don't actually, I don't think they actually stamp it until it's final, they get the final approval on it. [42:10] Chair: How do we know how much change there might be after we've declared something to be appropriate? That's a problem for us. [42:21] Commissioner: That I don't know. All I know is when we have no plans on changing it, but we do, and I'll get a, we just have, but we have to go through one, most likely one more meeting to. [42:32] Chair: Get final approval, right, which will be, I forget, anyway, you know better than I am sure. Do you know. [42:41] Commissioner: What you scheduled? I don't know if we're going to be able to get on for October this month. [42:47] Speaker F (unidentified): Yeah, because it's the 22nd, I think. Yeah, but they don't let us know until a couple weeks before. Okay. [42:54] Commissioner: I would say, but we would definitely be on there. Okay, I guess the other. Yeah, my only looking at the plot plan, so along the back of the Ann Erwin building, as we call it, is that, is it going to be totally cleared all the way up to the property line, or is there going to be any trees along there still? Could there be trees? With planting, we're doing plantings, because it has a landscape plant, too. Oh, okay. Oh, good. We'll bring that. Great. But yeah, I mean. Because if anything could provide some screening, so again, so you're not just looking into a parking lot. [43:36] Chair: And submit all this in advance, please. That is, we don't want to see it for the first time on the 20th. [43:43] Commissioner: I really don't think you're gonna be able to see it like you think from right from long sands just because of that because is that I don't remember if it's 30 feet or 40 feet that we have to stay off the road mm-hmm because of the wetlands but the wetlands also carries through to here in our ones oh that whole corner that whole thing can't so they can't necessarily so now that all those trees gonna have it 's gonna be a pretty good buffer. Okay, yeah, because there's lawn there. I think the reason that the lawn doesn't go all the way, that's where the wetlands. Oh, okay, because that's, yeah, because I was sort of wondering, can you, can you count on that as your buffer if they could cut it all down, you know what I see? Right, do you need buffer? Yeah, it is right. Yeah, and then there's that little garage back there, too, behind our building, which is kind of behind our building. Yeah, and some parking lot, I guess, back there. Are we all set? I guess so. [45:08] Chair: Any more questions for us? I don't think so. Okay, thank you, I appreciate your coming. We'll look forward to getting more illuminating material. [45:16] Commissioner: And hopefully, Don's. Yeah, and we're. [45:19] Chair: I hope he's okay. Yeah, no kidding, yeah. Thanks for attending. [45:23] James Paolini or Jeffrey Paolini (applicant): We have another visitor, could you kindly, oh, you're just with him, oh. [45:43] Chair: I'm sorry, yeah, we did that first because it was relatively short, and this one we knew was going to eat up some time. I'm sorry. Ah, there will be, we will have to submit a finding of fact, which will be done soon, you know, this week we'll get it in. Basically, the ordinance, that building is not in a historic district, but according to the town records it's 75 years old or older. In that case, the ordinance says we have to determine whether or not it has historical or architectural significance sufficient to seek an alternative to demolition agreeable to the owner, and since you can imagine that's a difficult agreement to reach, we have to cease a lot of significance before we delay a demolition in hopes of that. So we did not delay the demolition, yes. That will be a planning board matter. Outside of an historic district, we don't have any say about what gets built there, but the planning board does. It has to get through the planning board, and there is an opportunity for public comment whenever they take it up. If you're in a butter you certainly should be, yes. Yeah, we've, the town hall has gone on to this open gov platform, which anybody can get into and review the materials, but not everybody finds it super easy to get into, and yeah, we're going through a rather protracted getting adjustment conversion process. Yes, thank you. Well, they meet the second, the first and third I believe Thursday of each month. Where is it, the second and fourth? It'll be, it's on the town. It'll be on the town calendar. [48:39] Commissioner: It'll be on the town calendar, yes. You go to the zoning board's web page, it'll tell you. Right. [48:46] Chair: The agenda will be posted, yeah. And call the code office if you're having any difficulty seeing it online or whatever. [48:57] Commissioner: Okay, perfect, thank you. Yeah, I'm not seeing any plans attached or anything. I'm just seeing the beginnings of the. Yeah. Yeah, I've made a couple of trips now, [49:10] Chair: but that's okay. Okay. Okay, you're welcome. Do we have any new business? I don't think so. I'd like to just say a couple things under old business and see if you want to comment that. We talked about how we might increase public awareness of what we're doing, and that included perhaps posting on the York Community Dialogue Facebook page, perhaps York history group, and I just wondered if either of you had, excuse me, had seen postings this week related to village issues, village development, no [50:05] James Paolini or Jeffrey Paolini (applicant): I'm not on Facebook. Then you have [50:08] Chair: Not seen them right Susan is oh good ask would you ask her look at to do that yeah look at York Community Dialogue and if she's on York History Group on that. I think it would help inform our thinking about this. And I had one person approach me about having some kind of public program about concerns about the changing character of the village. And I said the HDC could participate as a provider of information here's what the HDC does here's what it you know here's what our purview is and isn't to inform that but just want to let you know that came up but I haven't heard more about it and [51:04] Commissioner: That's all my old business when the when they did the plan for the intersection and the improvement, moving the statue and whatever, did that involve the HTC back in the day? I mean, that was. [51:19] Chair: Yeah, the HTC had to approve aspects of it. Okay. We reviewed it and commented on it, but only the parts that dealt with what was then the Village Historic District had to be, but when did the, yeah, and it was before we had expanded it but and I think the monument is a is it a landmark I don't know anyway we were asked to review the plans and comment I wasn't the chair at the time but I was on the commission I think I'm pretty sure I'd have to go back and look so would there [51:58] Commissioner: Be an application process when they would there wouldn't be anything they'd be it's [52:03] Chair: The all the plans have been through the planning process they've been sitting there because of [52:09] James Paolini or Jeffrey Paolini (applicant): Delays in funding covid etc yeah so it doesn't have to be re-revisited I'm sure well that's one [52:18] Chair: Of the there's there's been a there was a posting on community your community dialogue objecting to the removal of a tree by this statue that's going to happen and it stirred up a lot of people's concerns and last night at the select board meeting apparently a lot of people showed up and some are saying these plans are ten years old there should be more voting on them well that's what I [52:49] Commissioner: Was wondering but we'll see is that how old it is ten years I believe it's two [52:53] Chair: It may be 10 years old yeah that was before covid that was part of the problem I guess yeah but their federal money and state money delays I believe have or have been the sources of delay I may try to find some time to watch the recording of the select board meeting and see what was said if there are no other items to discuss I will entertain a motion to adjourn So moved. Mr. Covino moves. I'll second the motion. Ms. LePray seconds. And we adjourn at 6.28 p.m. Okay.