Owners seek addition at 385 Harbor Road; commissioners ask for simpler door and unified windows

Chris Russo introduced a pre‑application for Rose Hill on Harbor, LLC to add to the detached garage/apartment at 385 Harbor Road, a single‑family dwelling built in 1854, during the Fairfield Historic District Commission’s Jan. 29 meeting. Bob Tucker presented aerials, site plans and elevations showing the addition sited to be subordinate to the main house and largely hidden behind existing vegetation.

Tucker said the addition is meant to house an exercise/recreation room and accessory storage with minimal impact on the historic main dwelling; the design uses painted vertical cedar siding and painted trim to match existing materials. He noted one or two trees near the building would be removed but that the landscape plan proposes new plantings to replace them and to screen the addition from the harbor.

Commissioners commended the siting but critiqued certain aesthetic details. Commissioner Darren Raymond Locke said a proposed cellar/entry door felt stylistically inconsistent with the otherwise Italianate‑referenced building: "It looks discordant to me," he said. Multiple commissioners also suggested consolidating the many different window types shown on the elevations so the addition more clearly relates to the main block’s 6‑over‑6 window proportioning. Tucker acknowledged the comments and said the team would produce revised elevations to calm the design vocabulary and better harmonize fenestration and door treatment.

Next steps: the applicant will return with revised drawings showing alternate door and consolidated window options, a licensed arborist’s tree survey and material samples. The commission took no formal action at the pre‑application.