It was standing room only in the meeting hall of the Skaneateles Volunteer Fire Department meeting room Thursday.
Residents packed the room for a nearly two-hour public hearing regarding property at 61 and 45 W. Lake St.
The property owner, Adam Weitsman, is seeking to demolish the existing single-family residence and construct a swimming pool, 2,376 square foot pool house with cabana, a 1,575 square foot pool patio plus appurtenances, driveways, walkways and retaining walls.
Representatives for Weitsman gave an overview of the project.
Architect John Meyer presented 3-D models giving impressions of what the end result would be from multiple views including the street, from the lake and from the shore at Shotwell Park.
Meyer said the proposed structure would be a miniature version of Weitsman’s main house and would reflect the look with the same materials including natural stone and timbers.
According to Meyer the proposed construction would have minimal impact and would in some instances enhance the view, opening up the lake view from the road and across the street.
Meyer also addressed concerns over the historical nature of the home.
According to Meyer, William Young was consulted and Meyer said “in general” a home would need to have had some one of historical significance live there or an event of historical importance happen there to be considered truly historic.
Architecture can also play a role in that decision.
Meyer said the home does not meet these criteria as there are changes such as dormers that were not evenly spaced, an addition to the side with a flat roof and an addition to the rear of the house.
He also said the house is in poor condition with bad wiring and plumbing among other issues.
A neighboring property has been in opposition to the proposal and a group of consultants made rebuttals.
According to these representatives, the structure would be larger and more imposing on the landscape and there would also be a larger impact on views from the street and lake.
If Weitsman were to receive approval, the total lot would be about 2.9 acres according to these representatives and this is not keeping within the character of the average .8 acres of the lots in the area.
Representatives also argued the quality of the lake is a concern and discussed the historical aspects of the home.
The house is a Dutch Revival, which some argue qualifies for historical status.
Representatives said there were other factors than famous people or events such as the character of the neighborhood and the place the structure holds in its surroundings and the impact it would have on the neighborhood and village as whole.
Following these remarks, the board opened the discussion to those in attendance.
Rick Parcell said he and his brother Rex sold the house to the Weitsmans.
Parcell said while there were some concerns about the settlement of the mortgage, with the help of the planning board, he said these have been resolved.
Parcell said his parents did not want the house to be considered historic as they wanted to do what they felt was appropriate with their property.
“They wanted to be able to do what they wanted with the property,” Parcell said.
Parcell went on to say he did not understand why there is so much uproar and said from his perspective the house at this stage is a “disaster.”
Bill Mahood, who lives across the street, spoke against the project.
He said that if the home is torn down that character disappears and is erased forever, changing the character of the neighborhood. He also said the environmental impact needed to be considered.
Claire Howard said the possible impact on the lake needed to be considered, noting concerns with runoff from development on the lake in general, which can contribute to algal blooms.
She also raised concerns with a salt water pool in close proximity to the lake, saying she understood why the Weitsmans wanted the pool, but also saying others wanted a clean lake.
Evan Dreyfuss spoke on the rights of the property owner, noting that because something is old it is not necessarily historical.
Steve White said as a business owner he hears from many people that they are attracted to Skaneateles because of its quaint and historical character.
He urged the Weitsmans to consider preserving the existing home and utilizing it for a pool and guest house.
Linda Roche said while she understood the consideration of historical structures, there is a need to look at the bigger picture.
She said 50 or 100 years from now the Weitsman home will be considered historical.
Jim Moore said historical is to some extent in the eye of the beholder and that everyone is a steward.
In the interest of preserving the home, Weitsman said he has offered anyone interested to take the home and move it, even offering $25,000 to help with costs.
Weitsman said he met with multiple people and no one was interested at this point once they saw the condition of the house.
Weitsman said he and his family were invested in the community and will always call Skaneateles home and will show the same care they have on their other projects to this proposal.
“We are going to be here forever,” Weitsman said.
The board thanked the community for their input and said written comments are welcome before adjourning the public hearing to its next meeting in May.
