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STAFF REPORT CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFIATE OF APPROPRIATENESS Application Number: 2002-0114 Property Location: Property Owner: 215 Hammond Place Heidi Thacker Landmark or District Designation: Rating: C-11, C-9 Local Historic District — River Bend STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE/HISTORIC CONTEXT In 1910, Jackson B. Harper, yard conductor for the New York Central built this American Foursquare home, and lived there until 1920, at which point he began renting it out. In 1942, Mrs. Agnes Vrabel rented it, and then purchased it in 1951. In 1957, she sold it to the Bunyan family, some of whom lived there until 1987. In 1987 the property was sold at a sheriff's sale to the mortgage holders. The house is highly rated because of its originally excellent quality of workmanship and material, and essentially unaltered condition. However, later surveyors lowered its rating as its condition deteriorated. RECOMMENDATION (1) FENCE: The owner seeks to install a 6'tall board -to board solid privacy fence around the perimeter of her back yard, being unable otherwise to control her dog or keep it in the yard. Presently, the neighbors on either side of her have deteriorating 6' tall fences down the sides of their back yards, and this owner has a 3 or 4' wooden picket fence across the back of her yard, bordering the alley. She also has the same picket fence running from her neighbors' fences on either side to the back corners of her house. Standards: page 20, Building Site, Landscaping & Accessories: Recommended: New site work should be based upon actual knowledge of the past appearance of the property found in photographs, drawings, and newspapers. New site work should be appropriate to existing surrounding site elements in scale, type, and appearance. Accessory structures ... should be appropriate to surrounding site elements in scale, type, and appearance." Consultation with Mr. Markle of the Building Department establishes that there are no building code prohibitions against installing two "privacy" fences next to each other. However, they do have a concern about maintenance, which can be difficult. This might be alleviated by (a) sharing one fence between two neighbors, (b) enclosing a smaller area, and/or. (c) installing the