Historic District Commission

Town Hall TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Historic District Commission Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Meeting Minutes Chair David Schwartz Jennifer Hoffman Vice-Chair Sean Murphy Nancy McCormick Madhu Beriwal Angela Stiefbold Robert Epting Tuesday, January 14, 2020 6:30 PM RM 110 | Council Chamber Opening Roll Call Staff Present: Anya Grahn, Liaison to Commission, Becky McDonnell, Liaison to Commission, Brian Ferrell, Counsel to Commission Present 6 - Chair David Schwartz, Vice-Chair Sean Murphy, Madhu Beriwal, Jennifer Hoffman, Nancy McCormick, and Angela Stiefbold Absent 1 - Robert Epting Commission Chair reads public charge Secretary reads procedures into the record Secretary swears in members of the public Approval of Agenda The HDC elected to remove 201 E Franklin St., Unit A from the consent agenda. Announcements Petitions Approval of Minutes 1. November 12, 2019 Meeting Minutes [19-1048] A motion was made by Stiefbold, seconded by Murphy, to approve the November 12, 2019, meeting minutes. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 2. December 10, 2019 Meeting Minutes [19-1049] Chair Schwartz requested additional edits be made to the December 10, 2019, meeting minutes. A motion was made by Beriwal, seconded by Page 1 of 5 Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes January 14, 2020 McCormick, to approve the December meeting minutes as amended. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Consent Agenda 3. 201 E Franklin Street - Unit A [19-1050] The Commission elected to continue this item to the February 11, 2020 meeting in order tor the applicant to attend the meeting. They asked that the applicant clarify how the sign would be illuminated and to provide detailed specifications on the installation and construction of the sign. 4. 1 Mint Springs [19-1051] A motion was made by Hoffman, seconded by Beriwal to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness with a clarification that this was an after-the-fact approval for work completed. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 5. 304 N. Boundary Street [19-1052] Commissioner Beriwal recused herself from the vote. A motion was made by Hoffman, seconded by Stiefbold, to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 6. 407 E Rosemary Street [19-1053] A motion was made by Murphy, seconded by Stiefbold, to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. New Business 7. 410-412 North Street [19-1054] Ricky May, applicant, explained that the Commission had granted a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for the design of the new house in July 2019 and the Board of Adjustment had approved the COA for the garage in November 2019 as part of an appeal. He discussed the proposed changes to the house and garage, including reducing the heights of the structures as well as modifying the fenestration pattern of the garage and house. He discussed changes to the massing of the one-story mass at the back of the proposed new house, explaining how the three-sided wraparound porch had been redesigned to create indoor living space. He presented elevation drawings and a site plan, comparing the approved plans to the proposal to highlight changes. The Commission discussed the congruity of these proposed changes with the Historic District. They found that the new design of the one-story portion of Page 2 of 5 Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes January 14, 2020 the new house and other stylistic changes of the new house was a shift away from the Low Country style that had been previously presented, and the HDC found that these changes were more congruent with historic houses in the district. The Commission discussed the materials and visibility of the proposed single two-car garage door and changes to the windows on the gabled dormer of the garage. A motion was made by Murphy, seconded by Hoffman, to approve the amended Certificate of Appropriateness application with the condition that the applicant maintain the double windows in the garage dormers as originally proposed. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 8. 408 Hillsborough Street [19-1055] Phil Szostak, applicant, outlined the history of the building, constructed in 1965, and his intent to honor the original design of the building. He presented current images and proposed renderings to discuss the proposed changes, including replacing the existing spandrels between the first and second floors with natural cyprus siding and expanding the window sizes. He explained the property owner's interest in painting the existing red brick exterior walls. The commission discussed the appropriateness of painting the existing natural brick and whether painted brick was reflective of the building's Mid Century Modern design. They considered the building's integrity and discussed its historic significance as it was found to be Non Contributing in the 2015 National Register district boundary increase. They spoke to whether or not the proposed changes would impact the architectural integrity of the buildings. They found that the windows were a significant change to the original design, but thought that they were in keeping with the style of the building even if not original to the building. A motion was made by Hoffman, seconded by Murphy, to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness with the windows depicted in Option C, without the painted brick, and no balconies. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 9. 411 E. Rosemary Street [19-1056] David Mackowski, contractor, explained that the Town's Inspections Department had requested the sorority to build an ADA ramp as part of a larger project to make upgrades to the building's interior. He presented current photos of the house and explained how the proposed design incorporated materials similar to those found on the house, including red brick matching the foundation and walkways. He reviewed elevation and plan Page 3 of 5 Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes January 14, 2020 drawings to explain the u-shape of the ramp that would connect the walkway to the corner of the porch. He pointed out the location of ADA parking on the site in the driveway and the intent to remove a portion of a gravel area in the side yard to reduce the amount of impervious surface on the site. The Commission discussed the visibility of the ramp and discussed ways in which landscape could be added around the brick seating walls to help further blend the ramp into the existing front yard gardens. The Commission and the applicant discussed existing drainage and the drainage away from the new ADA ramp. A motion was made by Murphy, seconded by McCormick to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 10. 206-210 Springs Lane [19-1057] Brent Blunden, applicant, presented aerial photographs showing the location of the duplex at the end of the road. He described the maintenance issues he has experienced due to the leaky flat roof and deck accessible from the second floor of his unit. He presented elevation drawings to explain his intent to expand the second level over the deck in order to address the drainage issues. He spoke to his intent to use cement board siding on the addition, similar in profile and appearance to the existing 1980s Masonite siding, as well as windows similar to those existing on the house. He clarified that he would be removing existing solar panels as part of the project. The Commission discussed that the proposed materials were congruous with the existing materials. They discussed the locations of gutters and downspout to address drainage off of the addition's new roof form. A motion was made by Murphy, seconded by Hoffman, to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Staff Update 11. Historic District Commission Goals [19-1058] Anya Grahn, staff liaison, explained that the mayor had asked each advisory board to identify three goals or priorities for the next five years. She presented a table showing the goals that the HDC has reviewed during their last meeting. The Commission expressed interest in continuing the discussion on updating the Land Use Management Ordinance to match the North Carolina model historic preservation ordinance. They also supported Page 4 of 5 Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes January 14, 2020 improving public outreach and considered developing an annual historic preservation award. They discussed ways that the Commission could improve the process for applicants and improve applicants' understanding of what was and was not congruous in the historic districts. They forwarded their goals to the mayor for consideration. Adjournment Next Meeting - February 11, 2020 Order of Consideration of Agenda Items: 1. Staff Presentation 2. Applicant’s Presentation 3. Public Comment 4. Board Discussion 5. Motion 6. Restatement of Motion by Chair 7. Vote 8. Announcement of Vote by Chair Public Charge: The Advisory Body pledges its respect to the public. The Body asks the public to conduct themselves in a respectful, courteous manner, both with the Body and with fellow members of the public. Should any member of the Body or any member of the public fail to observe this charge at any time, the Chair will ask the offending person to leave the meeting until that individual regains personal control. Should decorum fail to be restored, the Chair will recess the meeting until a genuine commitment to this public charge is observed. Unless otherwise noted, please contact the Planning and Development Services Department at 919-969-5066; planning@townofchapelhill.org for more information on the above referenced applications. See the Advisory Boards page http://www.townofchapelhill.org/boards for background information on this Board. Page 5 of 5