5200 St. Charles Ave.

Staff Recommendations: 

During a recent renovation, Staff informed the applicant, both within the stamped drawing set and CofA, that any additional changes to the exterior of the building would require HDLC review.   After that renovation, very large, visually prominent conduit was installed to service pool equipment as part of an electrical permit, but the conduit was not disclosed within the scope submitted with the application.  As the HDLC did not have an opportunity to review, the inappropriate work was done without a CofA. There was previously existing conduit in the same location, beneath the rear overhang of the house, but its gauge was much smaller and it did not extend downward as the current conduit does.  As the previous conduit was in the same location, it is appropriate for new conduit to be run under the overhang; but the extension of the new conduit to the ground, the size of the conduit, and the PVC material (which does not hold paint reliably), as well as wires beneath that remain uncontained, contribute to the inappropriateness of the current condition. The house's location on a corner lot make the inappropriate conduit highly visible.

Staff recommends that the Commission deny the retention of the conduit as it currently exists and that the applicant replace it with appropriate metal conduit, in the smallest gauge possible, include the currently exposed wires in the conduit with the other electrical lines, and paint the conduit to match the house.