Developer Secures Final Approvals on New Housing Project in Historic Area

The city's Northville Historic District Commission voted Wednesday to approve the for a new home and existing barn at 336 Linden St.

The refurbishment of , which is located at the corner of Linden and Randolph streets, is part of an ongoing new home project that calls for building four new homes. The developer for the project is Mike Miller of Greenstone Homes.

At the last study session on the project on May 27, commissioners asked if the barn can be re-sided with cement board materials that matched the original profile of the existing wood siding on the barn, but the architect of the project, Walter Coponen, said those materials were non-existent.

“They don’t make a siding with the same profile, so we’re going back to wood,” he said.

Also, the plan for the barn to be painted to match the new home – which will be taupe with off-white trim – has not been changed, even though one commissioner would like to see it remain white, as it is today.

“I understand wanting to tie the barn in with the house . . . . I think that can be done by having white trim on the house – that’s how they could tie-in,” said Commissioner Jennifer Luikart. “Is there any way the homeowners would consider that?”

Miller, who was in the audience, said color didn’t come up in his discussions with the homeowners, and that they feel they have gone above and beyond to make their new neighbors happy.

“Putting the wood siding on the barn was almost a deal-breaker,” he said.

The wood siding is an issue because of maintenance. Even using specially formulated paints and materials, additional maintenance is required on the part of homeowners.

The barn was 1940s and has some structural issues that were created when an addition was added to the side sometime in the ensuing years. The plan to fix it includes reinforcing the structure, reinforcing the roof, re-roofing, and re-siding. Initially, Miller requested permission from the commission to tear down the structure, but relented after residents opposed the demolition.

But the barn has not been the only point of contention in the four-house project. Commissioner Leanie Bayly, who was on a hiatus from the commission until Wednesday, has reservations against the project.

“I look at this [the new homes] and it just screams mini-subdivision, and I’m concerned about it,” she said. “But I don’t know if there’s anything that can be done about it at this juncture.”

Coponen and Miller disagreed with Bayly’s comments, and said a lot of effort and thought was put into making sure the homes fit in with district.

Commissioner David Field said he is pleased with the project.

“I’m happy with how it turned out; we’re going to have four custom homes in our community, and change is inevitable," Field said. "We’re going to have to get used to it.”

Luikart said she was concerned that people who moved into the district were unaware of the level of maintenance involved in owning a historic home.

"It does require a lot of maintenance [and if other people don’t know that], it’s not my problem, I just don’t know of any other way to put it,” Luikart said.

Joseph Hoffman agreed, but said he’s not sure builders are informing customers of the complexities involved with buying in a historic district.

“Builders and architects need to inform buyers of issues,” Hoffman said.

For his part, Coponen said buyers were made aware of maintenance issues. “People ask these questions up front,” he said. “People aren’t stupid – they want to know these things, especially if they’re spending $500,000 on a house.”

Work is expected to begin on the house and barn in July, Miller said.