The Architectural Review Board met May 28 to consider a certificate of appropriateness for 3.1457 North Columbus Avenue, where owner Kalisha Roswell requested permission to replace an existing, leaking slate roof with asphalt shingles.

Roswell told the board she has owned the house since 2012 and has tried multiple repairs but the slate continued to leak. "I will maintain as much. I just want to change it. I am not changing anything," Roswell said, describing a decision driven by repeated failures and cost concerns.

The issue matters because the house sits in an R 14.5 Single Family Residence District and the ARB evaluates exterior changes for compatibility with neighborhood character. The applicant, represented by Donas Construction Inc. and contractor James Lyczkowsk, described a full reroofing plan: remove slate, install plywood and underlayment, install starter course and asphalt shingles, replace built-in ("Yankee") gutters with new colonial-style gutters and larger leader/downspouts, and cap/repair porch fascia and related elements.

Board members and the contractor discussed visual and maintenance concerns. Member Robin Myers asked whether shingles that mimic slate had been considered; the contractor said a slate-look asphalt shingle is available but may be a higher-end, designer product. Roswell said she chose a sample called "Williamsburg gray" because heavy shading from neighboring trees would likely darken some colors over time. The contractor described typical installation steps and ridge ventilation details for an asphalt roof.

Commissioner Buzz Riley urged attention to stormwater routing, telling the applicant, "Please pay particular attention to where the drain pipes go so that... the water gets absorbed into the ground," and warned against routing roof runoff directly onto impervious surfaces where it could cause neighbor flooding. Board members discussed using 6-inch gutters for the steep roof and leader extenders or flexible downspout solutions to move water onto pervious ground.

The transcript records the public hearing and questioning but does not include a motion or vote on the application in the provided excerpt; at one point a board member asked, "Would someone like to make a motion to approve the application as submitted?" but no seconder, motion text, or outcome appears in the captured segment.

If approved, the project would replace the entire roof, including porch areas, and install new guttering and downspouts; Roswell and the contractor indicated repairs to porch wood and attention to bird damage where water had softened wood. The board emphasized visual compatibility, long-term maintenance, and stormwater handling as factors to follow in implementation.

Next steps were not recorded in the supplied transcript excerpt. The ARB file includes an affidavit of signposting for the public hearing and situates the property in the R 14.5 Single Family Residence District.