Citizen complaint of the day: Illicit bootscraper on Beacon Hill

I get that its these "historic regulations" that keep Beacon Hill with that charm that everyone loves. But sheesh.. this makes HOA's seem tame.

But this happens in other parts of the city. I lived on Warren Ave in the SoEnd which has a similar historic commission. For over a year, my building had no front stairs (we had to walk into the basement and go up) because the landlord had to seek approval, repeatedly because they kept rejecting his plans.

And even for us tenants, they had strict rules. No A/Cs in windows before May 15th or after Sept 15. It could be a blazing 95 degrees in October and we'd have to sit N sweat because the rules.

They can be brutal.
Many a contractor has been told to come back next month because they didn't sufficiently document what they are doing or just didn't follow the board direction.

They criticized the window signs in the shop at the corner of Joy and Myrtle. I forget the reason, but following their recommendation wouldn't noticeably change the character of the neighborhood. Sadly the show didn't survived the Pandemic and now it just has giant "For Lease" signs in the windows.

Beacon Hill still has plenty of historic pot holes to help with the character.

I know people love to complain about the Landmarks Commissions, but there's a very good reason why our historic districts look so consistent. It can be a pain sometimes, but I certainly prefer to go through the approval process so that my neighbors don't install a cheapo Home Depot door on their house. You can tell the difference in how buildings of similar age look inside and outside of our historic districts.

Too bad there isn't a space saver and off leash dog in the photo too.

But I'm from Dorchester, what do I know?

“The commission did not consider the mail slot, but did also order the property owner to remove a wall-mounted TV at the rear of the property, as well as a privacy fence, fire stairs, a concrete landing and two balconies visible from Joy Street, all installed without the required commission approval.”

The biggest problem is the bootscaper sticking into and the doormat laying on the sidewalk. That's out of bounds.

For the members of the Neighborhood Association - Rules I'd like to impose;

You can't own a car built after 1922.

No tv antennae, no cable wires, no Amazon deliveries, and you can only use cash. No AC in your houses, and you can only use lead paint.

Coal deliveries will be allowed but all your porch furniture must be authentic period pieces. You may have a wireless, but it may only be a crystal set.

If you are going to die on a hill over a mail slot, you might as well live your life 99 years ago.

... so they would have room to jam in an ugly planter. That’s my theory on that.

The planter is a trick - shallow tray of small plants to conceal storage for space savers.
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It's a mix of silly and legit.
Adding a scraper and mat to the sidewalk was stupid.
Personally, I don't see the problem with moving the mail slot, though I don't know if I would have moved it myself. Probably would depend on what I wanted to do in my inside hall.
I have no idea of the problem with the window. Looks like the same window but with curtains instead of.... mini-blinds? shutters?
Balconies? A TV on an outside wall? Have at it.
but....
What's wrong with a privacy fence (unless it's ridiculously tall)?
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Where these landmark/neighborhood commissions really go off the rails is style stuff they insist on that tramples modern safety and accessibility options - like that case in Back Bay or South End where somebody was opposed to letting a building owner add a safety rail to his front steps (or was it a chair lift?) for his wife or mother, or this example objecting to a fire stairs.