The Historical and Architectural Review Board again tabled a proposal to add additional stories to the circa 1930s Woolworth Building at their March 5 meeting held at the city hall Rotunda.

After HARB denied a certificate of appropriateness for the project at the Jan. 8 meeting, city council remanded the submission back to the commissioners to “provide recommendations for changes to the applicant’s plans and specifications that would, in the opinion of the board, satisfy conditions for protecting the distinctive historical character of the district.”

Already uncomfortable with the proposal to build three additional stories atop the former dime store, HARB tabled it at the Nov. 6 meeting after hearing pushback from the public. The commissioners made a few suggestions that could possibly make the new construction more palatable to them, including reducing the height by one story.

Returning to represent the project for 555 Main St. were MKSD architects Todd Chambers and Shayne Serrano, along with Gabriel Solms from Ashley Development and attorney Julie Bernstein. They argued that since the board had made suggestions at previous meetings, they shouldn’t have denied the COA.

The commissioners pushed back, saying the new construction was too tall and that its mass and scale are inappropriate for the district’s highly-visible Main Street. Advising the board on legal issues was Assistant City Solicitor Matthew Deschler.

The proposed new construction would include two stories of residential units with a 6-foot outdoor terrace in front and the parapet of the existing two-story building serving as a railing. The addition would align with the neighboring Main Street Commons building. A mix of one and two-bedroom units planned.

Three stories of residential units would be built atop the one-story back section of the building facing Rubel Street. These would align with the section built atop the two-story existing building facing Main Street.

Joe McGavin provided a long list of reasons why he was not in favor of the project, citing height as the primary one. He advised that the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards state that a rooftop addition for a building such as the existing building should be a maximum of one story. McGavin also recommended the applicants install flags to identify the setback location of the addition and then photograph them to determine how visible the addition would be from the street.

While the lawyers and applicants split hairs over the differences between ordinances, guidelines and recommendations, a heated exchange between Deschler and board member Nik Nikolov erupted when Nikolov said that HARB can give guidelines and recommendations, but cannot design the building.

When Vice Chair Diana Hodgso asked if HARB could extend the review and discussion and have additional meetings related to the application, Deschler advised that review and discussion could be extended to future meetings as long as the applicants agree.

The applicants agreed to having their proposal tabled a second time to allow them to return with revisions that would address the board’s concerns on height, size and scale and samples of construction materials.

It was stipulated the applicants come back to HARB with a revised application which should “attempt to meet the conditions for protecting the distinctive historical character of the Historic District.”

These include investigating the height of the proposed addition. While a one-story addition is preferred, HARB is open to solutions that comply with preservation guidelines regarding height with and emphasis on the primary facade of the addition that faces Main Street. Exploring the setbacks of the rooftop addition on the West and South Elevations in order to clearly distinguish the addition from the existing building and building materials should be “more compatible with, but distinguishable from the materials on the existing and adjacent buildings” were part of the motion.

The property is owned by Rubel Street II.

Vincent Napolitano was granted a COA for replacing deteriorating pine fencing at the side and rear of his one and one half-story residence at 123 E. Church St. with a cedar one of similar design. He agreed to having copper caps installed on the posts and black hardware for a single and a double cedar gate.

Napolitano and his wife, Abigail, recently purchased the Colonial-style house built in 1936.

All voting was unanimous.