Community Board Approval!

We met with the Community Board Landmark Review Committee last week to show them our solution for the window replacement (Optiwin in the front with fixed upper sashes and tilt and turn lower and the Thermotech rear casement windows). They voted 9 to 2 in favor of allowing us to proceed to the Landmark Board (the city-wide Board with jurisdiction) with our design . We now have our Landmark Board presentation date set for Oct. 20th (right after the Passive House Conference http://www.passivehouse.us/phiusConference2009/phiusConference2009/Registration_2009.html). Hopefully, we will have some sympathetic ears on the board, but I have already heard that their initial review of our windows is causing a stir.

Another exciting item that came out of the Community Board meeting was (after they voted on approving our design) a Board member made a motion to ask Landmark Preservation to look into the Passive House standards and adjust their charter to accept and work with the standards. This was unanimously approved. It might not hold much traction with the Landmark Board, but it was heartening to see that after just a short description of Passive House and what we were trying to achieve, we won over the community to our cause. We also have a mayor who appears very sympathetic to the sustainable movement and hopefully could weigh in on the case, if necessary in the end.