Woodstock Early Bird The Early Bird Gets the Worm: earlybirdtips@gmail.com

The Woodstock Development Review Board last night came close to making a decision about the Abramson family Elm Street home dormer request but, in the end, continued the question, delaying a decision until its next meeting.

The issue  is one that has gone before an advisory committee twice, the Design Review Board,  and has now been twice before the quasi-juidicial Village Development Review Board.

Either Abramson family attorney Tom Hayes or their architect Hank Savelberg has appreared at each meeting asking for consideration of the dormer request .  However the  general point of viewamong members of both boards  is that the Abramson home is a rare example of the Greek Revival Style architecture with its white pillars and triangular pediment that, ideally,   should not be changed.

However, last night, two Development Review board members, Keri Cole and Ben Pauley,  said they understood the desire to preserve such an architectural example but also expressed the point of view that a proposed dormer would not be such an extreme change as to deny the property owners the right to improve their home. 

On the other side, two members, Jim Mills and Jane Soule  said they had been on the fence about the issue but now understood the importance of preserving the building from additional architectual harm.

Nonetheless, they thought there should be time for more consideration. Randy Mayhew was not in attendance, so it’s unclear what his thoughts are on the matter.

Of note, after the meeting officially concluded, Village Development Review Board Chair Jim Mills invited Design Review Board’s Jeff Bendis to the table to talk informally about how they might improve the decision-making process between the two groups. Bendis’ group is only meant to be advisory and has no ultimate decision-making power. In fact, the group name will soon be changed to include the word “advisory.”  However, Mills was seeking to get clearer communication between the two committees  in the future. The discussion continues…