Architectural Review Board

Minutes Architectural Review Board August 10, 2020 Electronic Meeting and Council Chambers, City Hall Members Present Members Absent Staff Carthon Davis III, Chair Kate Schwartz Karen Irvin, Vice Chair (electronic) Jonathan Gerlach (electronic) Adriana Moss Susan Pates (electronic) Sabina Weitzman James Whitman Chairman Davis called the Architectural Review Board meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. OPENING REMARKS Chairman Davis stated that the meeting was being held both in person and electronically through the “GoTo Meeting” application, pursuant to City Council Ordinance 20-05, An Ordinance to Address Continuity of City Government during the Pendency of a Pandemic Disaster. The members participating were Carthon Davis, Karen Irvin, Jon Gerlach, Adriana Moss, Susan Pates, Sabina Weitzman, and James Whitman. Members of the public have been invited to access this meeting by public access television Cox Channel 84, Verizon Channel 42, online at www.regionalwebtv.com, or on Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/FXBGgov. Chairman Davis determined that a quorum of 7 members was present, and asked if public notice requirements had been met. Ms. Schwartz confirmed that they had. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Ms. Weitzman motioned to approve the agenda as written. Ms. Moss seconded. The motion carried 7-0. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Davis asked if there were any changes or additions to the minutes of the meeting dated July 13, 2020. Mr. Gerlach requested to clarify his reference on page 3 to the sections of the City Code regulating building heights. Mr. Whitman motioned to approve the amended minutes. Mr. Gerlach seconded. The motion carried 7-0. DISCLOSURE OF EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS Chairman Davis asked if any Board member had engaged in any ex parte communication on any item before the Board. No Board members had any ex parte communication to report. DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Chairman Davis asked if any Board member had a conflict of interest for any item before the Board. No Board member had a conflict of interest to report. 1 CONSENT AGENDA A. COA 2020-32 – 905 Caroline Street – Sign Installation B. COA 2020-33 – 501 William Street – Awning/Sign Installation C. COA 2020-36 – 1023 Caroline Street – Sign Installation Ms. Weitzman requested to remove COA 2020-33 from the consent agenda. Ms. Weitzman made a motion to approve the remainder of the consent agenda as submitted. Ms. Irvin seconded. The motion carried 7-0. PUBLIC HEARING A. COA 2020-33 – 501 William Street – Awning/Sign Installation Linda Osorio, the applicant, was present. She said she was willing to reduce the awning size to meet the requirements. Ms. Weitzman and Ms. Irvin expressed concerns about the interaction between the awning and the existing overhang on the building. They said more information would be needed to determine if the awning would fit appropriately. Ms. Osorio said she would return to the Board when she had a revised proposal. Continued Applications A. COA 2020-29 – 1317 Charles Street – Mario and LaVonne Alberti request to construct a detached, single-story garage structure in the rear yard of this single-family residence. Pooja Gulati, the designer, was present electronically to represent the application. She noted that the design had been revised to reflect the conditions discussed. Ms. Weitzman made a motion to approve the revised design as presented. Ms. Irvin seconded. The motion carried 7-0. B. COA 2020-02 – 303 Fauquier Street – Krystopher Scott requests approval for the installation of signs and the construction of accessory structures, including a stage and a bar, in the rear yard of this commercial property. The applicant was not present. Mary Ellen Wheeler, 1201 Princess Anne Street, provided written comment requesting that the ARB deny the application. Cherie Davis, 309 Fauquier Street, provided written comment in opposition to the application and noted that changes had been made to the entry door without approval as well. Jeffrey Johnson, 211 Fauquier Street, provided written comment in opposition to the application. Chairman Davis asked Ms. Schwartz to look into the alterations to the entry door and carry out any necessary enforcement. Board members voted to approve the signs as recommended by staff and deny the retention of accessory structures in accordance with the staff recommendation. As the vote cannot be taken until 2  September 14 due to the required procedures for electronic meetings, Ms. Schwartz noted that the application would be continued. C. COA 2020-05 – 203 Ford Street – Ed Whelan requests to modify the certificate of appropriateness approved in July 2020 for alterations to the exterior of the Washington Woolen Mills building by shifting the location of the rooftop additions. The applicant, Ed Whelan, was present. There were no public comments. Mr. Davis clarified the requirements for masonry dumpster enclosures with staff. Ms. Weitzman noted that she would be comfortable delegating the final approval of the lighting fixtures and dumpster enclosure to staff. She asked that a color temperature in the warm white range be added to the conditions. Ms. Irvin agreed and thanked the applicant for the drawings. The application will be included on the September 14 agenda for action. D. COA 2020-34 – 801 Sophia Street – Raymond Nelson, Jr., on behalf of Shiloh Baptist Church Old Site, requests approval to install protective glass coverings over ten stained glass windows on the front and side elevations of the church. The applicant was not present. There were no public comments. Ms. Irvin asked to confirm that the aluminum would have a painted finish. Ms. Schwartz said it would. The Board had no further questions. The application will be included on the September 14 agenda for action. E. COA 2020-35 – 100 Frederick Street – David Fraser requests to convert one window on the west side elevation of this residence to a solid wood door. The applicant, David Fraser, was present. There were no public comments. Mr. Fraser noted that the design would mimic a door inside the house. Ms. Weitzman noted that this was an attractive way to make the change at the property, in keeping with the appearance of the building. There were no additional comments or questions. The application will be included on the September 14 agenda for action. F. COA 2020-21 – 525 Caroline Street – Van Perroy requests to modify the certificate of appropriateness approved in July 2020 for the site planning, scale, and massing of new additions to be constructed at the side and rear of the Fredericksburg Square building. The modification would allow for the option to construct another three-story addition on the north side of the building. The applicant, Van Perroy, was present. The architect, Lee Shadbolt, also attended electronically. Ed Sandtner, 132 Caroline Street, provided written comment to say that the option of the three- story north side addition may be a necessary compromise, but that the project remains a massive structure. He asked the Board to do what it can to mitigate negative aspects. Mr. Perroy discussed the alteration to the height of the rear addition that was the result of leveling the floors between the front and back. He noted that the rooftop balconies had also been modified based on ARB comments. 3  Ms. Pates said this was one of the most prominent buildings in town when it was built and no structures should be built to either side. She noted the example of the Chimneys building and the neighboring two-story structures that may be overwhelmed. She said no further extensions of mass and scale should be added. Mr. Gerlach and the architect discussed several detailed questions about the height of the additions, how height reductions could be achieved, and what those altered heights would be. Mr. Gerlach said he was concerned that the height of the rear addition was above the midpoint of the original gable roof. Mr. Shadbolt reviewed the changes to the project and noted the extremely limited visibility of the rear addition from the street. Ms. Irvin noted that the current version was not in compliance with the previous approval due to the height changes. She discussed several details of the floor heights with Mr. Shadbolt. Ms. Weitzman said she was concerned about the complete obscuring of the gable ends and said the view from the train platform feels out of scale. Mr. Davis said he was in support of the site planning, scale, and massing as submitted. While visible from the train platform, it is no more obtrusive than Executive Plaza. Mr. Gerlach asked if the view from the top of the parking deck was within the Board’s purview, and Ms. Schwartz noted that it was not. The application will be included on the September 14 agenda for action. G. COA 2020-27 – 1408 Sophia Street/1407 Caroline Street – Paul Janney requests approval of the site planning, scale, and massing of a new two-and-one-half-story, single-family residence on this vacant property. The applicant, Paul Janney, was present. Ed Sandtner, 132 Caroline Street, provided written comment on behalf of HFFI. He said that the house was too large and out-of-scale with its neighbors and did not support the large front setback and driveway in front of the house. He also provided comment on several detailed elements. Marcel Rotter, 115 Hawke Street, provided written comment to say that the house was too large and he did not support the application. Ms. Irvin noted that the entrance was the only remaining historic feature and that the house design did not appear to have a strong relationship with the wall. She asked if the entrance could be centered on the gate. The Board and Mr. Janney discussed the location of the driveway and garage, the turn radii required, and whether alterations could be made to the layout or entrance. Board members expressed their support for the site layout that preserved the historic entrance and gate and asked the applicant to identify methods to create a clear relationship between house and wall. The application will be included on the September 14 agenda for action. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT There was no public comment. 4 OTHER BUSINESS A. Pre-Application Discussion: 201 Caroline Street Board members discussed appropriate replacement materials for diamond-patterned asbestos shingles, including metal or composite materials. The Board noted that the pattern would be important to maintain as the material would need to change. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Davis adjourned the meeting at 9:06 p.m. _______________________________________ Carthon Davis III, Chair 5