Historic Review Board

MINUTES TOWN OF FORT MILL HISTORIC REVIEW BOARD February 12th, 2019 Council Chambers – 112 Confederate Street 4:30 PM Present: Chairman Louis Roman, Carolyn Blair, David Booth, LeAnne Burnett Morse, Chip Heemsoth, Melissa White, Planning Director Chris Pettit, Senior Planner Alex Moore Guests: Dan Dodd, Bob Edwards, Tracey Roman CALL TO ORDER Chairman Roman called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR FOR 2019 Planning Director Pettit stated that nominations for chairman would be needed. Mr. Heemsoth nominated Louis Roman for chairman. Ms. Blair seconded the nomination. Mr. Roman accepted the nomination. The Historic Review Board (HRB) voted 5-0 to elect Louis Roman as Chairman. Chairman Roman accepted the nomination and vote and noted that the board would now accept nominations for vice-chairman of the HRB for 2019. Ms. White nominated LeAnne Burnett Morse for vice-chairperson of the HRB. Mr. Heemsoth seconded the nomination. Ms. Morse accepted the nomination. The HRB voted 5-0 to elect LeAnne Burnett Morse as vice-chairperson. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ms. Burnett Morse made a motion to approve the minutes from the November 26, 2018, meeting as presented. Mr. Heemsoth seconded the motion. The motion passed with a vote of 6-0. OLD BUSINESS 1. Request for Certificate of Appropriateness – 218-220 Main Street Senior Planner Moore introduced the request, the purpose of which was for the review of an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for a projecting sign 218-220 Main Street. Mr. Bob Edwards represented the applicant, the Fort Mill Community Playhouse. The applicant previously appeared before the HRB for a very similar sign on March 8th, 2016 which was  approved by a vote of 7-0. The sign as currently proposed consists of the same dimensions but differs somewhat in signage copy design. Senior Planner Moore noted the requirements and parameters under which the design of the sign had been reviewed by Planning Staff. Moore stated that the projecting sign proposal met the aesthetic related mandates of the Town of Fort Mill Historic District Guidelines. He then went over the zoning code requirements for this type of sign. Moore noted that one of the requirements mandated that a projecting sign not extend more than 3 feet from the front façade of the building. It was not evident from the sign schematic whether this requirement was met. Moore noted that Mr. Edwards might elaborate on this when he spoke regarding the proposal. Senior Planner Moore then stated that Planning Staff recommended that HRB grant approval for the COA for the projecting sign with the following conditions: 1) The projecting sign shall not extend more than 3-feet from the front façade of the building. 2) There shall be at least 8 feet from the sidewalk to the bottom of the projecting sign. Mr. Bob Edwards, representing the applicant, then came to the podium to provide more information on the sign to the HRB. He stated that the sign may need to be modified from the schematic to fit within the parameters of the Town’s requirements. Mr. Edwards indicated that these requirements could be met with this modification. Ms. Burnett Morse stated that she was glad to see that the Playhouse would be putting out this sign so that those driving past on Main Street can be aware of this organization. Mr. Edwards agreed and noted that they wanted to do this earlier, but that lack of funds had caused delay. Chairman Roman asked if there were any other comments or questions on the projecting sign proposal. There being none, he asked for a motion. Ms. Blair made a motion that the COA be approved with the condition that the zoning and building code requirements be met. Ms. Morse seconded the motion. The HRB voted 6-0 to approve the proposal. 2. Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness – 135 Confederate Street Senior Planner Moore introduced the request, the purpose of which was for the review of an application for a COA for a driveway and associated ADA parking space at 135 Confederate Street. Mr. Dan Dodd represented the applicant, Tysinger Capital. The applicant previously appeared before the HRB on July 10th, 2018. The overall strategy of the applicant includes upfitting the existing home at 135 Confederate Street for an office use. The site plan which was approved by HRB on 7/10/18 did not include the proposed driveway and ADA space. Ms. Blair and Ms. White had questions about the location of the proposed ADA parking space in relation to its location on the site. Senior Planner Moore noted the location was now proposed to be in front of the structure and adjacent to the ADA ramp. Dan Dodd noted that the applicant might still have an elevator to serve the off-street parking on the Monroe White side of the structure. However, Dodd also stated that the portion of the building designed for commercial would be immediately adjacent to Confederate Street. Thus, the revised placement of the ADA space would be more accessible for those with disabilities. Ms. White asked Mr. Dodd if ownership of the site remained with the same group as had originally petitioned the HRB for a COA. Mr. Dodd stated that the current COA application came from a different ownership group which is the second since the house at 135 Confederate Street was first proposed to be remodeled for commercial use. Chairman Roman asked what the intended use of this site would be. Mr. Dodd stated the use would be professional office space and investment banking. Ms. White asked what type of exterior would be used on the structure. Planning Director Pettit stated that the intent was to use natural wood or fiber cement siding. Mr. Booth asked Mr. Dodd if the length of the ADA ramp had been altered from previous iterations that had come before the HRB. Dodd stated that any changes to the ramp were not within his scope of services but noted that it did appear that some changes may have been made. Chairman Roman asked if there were any other comments regarding the proposal. There being none, he asked for a motion. Ms. Blair made a motion to approve the driveway and associated ADA parking space at 135 Confederate Street. Mr. Heemsoth seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 6-0. The COA for 135 Confederate Street was thus approved. Preliminary Review/Discussion of Historic District Commercial Paint Palette The HRB entered a time of continued discussion regarding the potential adoption of a commercial color palette. Senior Planner Moore introduced the discussion and noted that adoption of this color palette would allow Planning Staff to administratively approve commercial painting projects within the Town of Fort Mill Historic District. The color palette that Moore referenced was that of the Sherwin-Williams Historic Collection. Staff had provided a link to this palette within the HRB packet for the board members to review prior to the meeting. Moore stated that the Sherwin-Williams palette was only used for reference and if adopted, an applicant would not be required to use this brand. Ms. Burnett Morse asked if there was a designation within this color palette of primary colors versus trim colors and noted that some of the other towns that were looked at did have this level of differentiation. Ms. White noted that at one of the previous meetings that the board did express that they liked the Sherwin-Williams color palette as presented at that time. Senior Planner Moore stated that this was the case and that other color palettes that had been presented to the board were extremely specific regarding era and architectural style. Mr. Booth asked what it would take for Planning Staff to get the palette to that level of detail and readily available to those pursing commercial painting projects within the historic district. Planning Director Pettit stated that ultimately an amendment to the design guidelines would be required which Town Council would need to approve. Also, within the Zoning Ordinance, the parameters of the administrative approval process would need to be defined and enumerated, which, would also require Town Council approval. Pettit also noted that what Planning Staff had initially shown to the HRB regarding color palettes were developed by architectural historians and other professionals well-versed in preservation. Staff had not yet approached that level of detail required for adopting primary and trim color variations. Much more work would need to be undertaken in determining what colors would be appropriate for commercial buildings within Fort Mill. Pettit noted that Staff did not have the expertise to conduct this type of professional assessment. Ms. Blair asked if the Staff Approval would be based on the colors as presented within the Sherwin Williams exterior color collection. Senior Planner Moore answered affirmatively. Ms. Burnett Morse asked for clarification regarding the parameters for commercial paint color review in the historic district which include: 1. Repaint with the same color: Administrative Review/Approval 2. Repaint to match a verified historic color of the respective structure: Administrative Review/Approval 3. Repaint to match adopted historic palette: Administrative Review/Approval 4. Repaint to another color: Historic Review Board Staff and HRB members discussed various instances in which the above scenarios might take place. It was determined that each respective scenario was valid, but that perhaps the parameters needed to be edited for clarity. Subsequently there was discussion regarding the painting of various architectural elements of commercial buildings in downtown Fort Mill. There was dialogue indicating that it would be optimal if elements such as ornamental brick cornices were painted uniquely as opposed to the same as the base façade color. Tracey Roman, a guest at the meeting, spoke briefly regarding the color palette being proposed. She stated that she believed that the proposed palette was a good one. She noted that staff and board needed to mindful of all the colors within the palette and ensure that each be appropriate for historic, commercial buildings within the town. Ms. White asked about the possibility of obtaining swatches of the colors within the palette being proposed. Chairman Roman suggested that board members go back and review the colors within the palette and think about which ones they like, then bring their recommendations to the next meeting. Mr. Booth suggested that staff might contact the local rep for Sherwin-Williams, and that they might have a person available to speak to the HRB regarding the historic color palette. Ms. Burnett Morse noted that the previous color palette example from the City of Richmond was very good and that she thought it would be helpful to look at this again. She requested that Staff provide this within the next HRB packet. There was then more discussion regarding architectural elements and appropriate colors of these portions of the façade. Chairman Roman suggested that in order to prevent a lack of differentiation of these various elements, that the HRB define what the colors the base and architectural elements should be respectively. Planning Director Pettit then stated that Staff would go back and do additional research. This would involve adapting the concepts of other jurisdictions to the Fort Mill Historic District. Pettit also stated that he would look into the potential for training of board members on this topic. There being no other business, the meeting adjourned at 5:44 PM. Respectfully submitted, Alex J. Moore, AICP Senior Planner March 5th, 2019