Historical Commission recommends 4-in-12 hip roof for misbuilt Meadowbrook addition

WESTON -- April 21, 2021, Weston Historical Commission compromises on 300 Meadowbrook roof, approves 261 Merriam preservation restriction. The commission voted 5-1 Wednesday to recommend that the Murphys' misbuilt family-room addition at 300 Meadowbrook Road be reframed with a 4-in-12 pitch hip roof at the as-built top-of-plate height, after architect Dan Quale demonstrated that dropping the fascia would force the upstairs windows out of alignment with the adjacent gambrel wing. The motion also requires removal of a palladian window on the rear and wood shutters on every elevation. Co-Chair Phyllis Halpern voted no, saying "the gambrel is way too big" and the eave should drop. Member John Thompson called the months-long process "an absurd exercise imposed on us." The commission then voted 7-0 to approve a preservation restriction on 261 Merriam Street, an LLC-owned property entering the market without any town funding request, with modifications shifting the term to perpetuity and adding commission review authority over any replacement construction.