Architectural Review Board

Minutes Architectural Review Board June 14, 2021 Electronic Meeting and Council Chambers Members Present Members Absent Staff Jonathan Gerlach, Chair James Whitman Kate Schwartz Karen Irvin, Vice Chair Chuck Johnston Laura Galke Adriana Moss Helen P. Ross Sabina Weitzman Chairman Gerlach called the Architectural Review Board meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. OPENING REMARKS Chairman Gerlach 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 Jonathan Gerlach, Karen Irvin, Laura Galke, Adriana Moss, Helen P. Ross, and Sabina Weitzman. 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 Gerlach determined that a quorum of 6 members was present, and asked if public notice requirements had been met. Ms. Schwartz confirmed that they had. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Ms. Moss made a motion to approve the agenda as written. Ms. Irvin seconded. The motion carried 6-0. REVIEW OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS Ms. Ross made a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting dated March 8, 2021 as written. Ms. Galke seconded. The motion carried 6-0. Ms. Weitzman made a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting dated March 22, 2021 as written. Ms. Ross seconded. The motion carried 6-0. Ms. Irvin made a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting dated April 12, 2021 as written. Ms. Moss seconded. The motion carried 6-0. Ms. Weitzman made a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting dated April 26, 2021 as written. Ms. Moss seconded. The motion carried 6-0. Chairman Gerlach noted that he had a conflict of interest for item COA 2021-29 at 905 Princess Anne Street during the May 10, 2021 meeting and his name should be removed from the discussion of that 1 item. Ms. Irvin made a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting dated May 10, 2021 as amended. Ms. Moss seconded. The motion carried 6-0. Ms. Moss made a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting dated May 24, 2021 as written. Ms. Ross seconded. The motion carried 6-0. DISCLOSURE OF EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS Chairman Gerlach asked if any Board member had engaged in any ex parte communication on any item before the Board. No Board member had any ex parte communication to report. DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Chairman Gerlach asked if any Board member had a conflict of interest for any item before the Board. No Board member had any conflict to report. CONSENT AGENDA Ms. Irvin requested to remove item B, COA 2021-36 at 307 Lewis Street, from the consent agenda. The item was moved to item C on the public hearing agenda. A. COA 2021-33 – 417 Wolfe Street – Sign Installation B. COA 2021-37 – 115 Caroline Street – Fence Installation Ms. Weitzman made a motion to approve the remainder of the consent agenda as submitted. Ms. Moss seconded. The motion carried 6-0. PUBLIC HEARING New Applications A. COA 2021-34 – 813 Sophia Street – The Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts requests to install a “Little Art Gallery” accessory structure in the garden area on the north side of the building. Matt Williams, President of the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, was present. There was no public comment. Ms. Galke noted that the installation was easily reversible and met the district standards and guidelines. Ms. Moss agreed. Ms. Irvin asked Mr. Williams to clarify the roof material and asked what the finish for the wood would be. She also asked what material would be used for the windows. Ms. Weitzman said she would also like clarification on the materials, but said she was generally in support. Ms. Ross agreed. Chairman Gerlach said that the installation met the criteria in the guidelines. Mr. Williams said he would follow up with additional material information prior to the next meeting. The application will be included on the June 28, 2021 meeting agenda for action. B. COA 2021-35 – 202 Frederick Street – Steve and Carole duBois request to construct a one-story addition at the rear of this single-family residence, construct a trash enclosure, and construct retaining walls. 2 Melissa Colombo, the project architect, was present to represent the application. Gretchen Pendleton, representing the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc., provided written comment stating that some of the details of the rear addition were out of character for the district. Danae Peckler, 1410 Prince Edward Street, spoke at the meeting and questioned the details of the foundation paneling at the original structure and how this would interact with the new proposed addition. Ms. Ross said she had reviewed the previous application for an addition submitted in 2020 and thought this design was more compatible. She noted the lack of visibility from the street and clarified the details of the driveway regrading with Ms. Colombo. She noted that the concrete retaining wall along the driveway appeared to date to 1948 and recommended using the same type of material for new retaining walls. She and Ms. Colombo discussed the use of brick veneer on the retaining wall surrounding the garbage enclosure. Ms. Colombo said it referenced the brick porch piers. Ms. Ross recommended the use of concrete or smooth masonry for consistency. Ms. Weitzman discussed the wood paneling at the foundation level and said she was concerned about maintenance of this material and said that the pier foundation should be visible rather than entirely obscured. Ms. Colombo described the current conditions, noting that the foundation had previously been enclosed and the area beneath the house functioned as a semi-conditioned crawl space. Discussion followed on the evolution of the structure, variation in existing pier types, and alternatives for cladding/treatment at the foundation level. Ms. Galke noted that she had visited the site and thought the application materials were clear. She said she believed the application met the district standards and said she agreed with Ms. Ross’ recommendation on smooth masonry for material continuity at the garbage enclosure. Ms. Moss said the height and massing of the rear addition were complementary to the original structure. She asked the applicant to explain the use of the inset gables and the shake shingles proposed as details on the rear addition. Ms. Colombo said the gable had been incorporated to break up the long run of the addition. It aligns with the bump-out and column spacing on the side porch. She noted that visibility would be extremely limited and that the shingles would have a painted finish to match the siding and would not stand out. Board members asked several clarifying questions about the City’s new archaeological ordinance and its application to this project. Ms. Schwartz noted that land disturbance would be minimal due to the slab foundation, but that archaeology would be evaluated separate from the ARB process. Ms. Irvin said she also had concerns about the foundation paneling, but was generally in support of the application. She said she was not concerned about the use of shingles. Ms. Weitzman noted that the addition had a large footprint in comparison to the original house, but said that the design was secondary to the original house in every way. She said that the long footprint and side porch took advantage of a unique lot configuration and were a good solution for the site. Chairman Gerlach said he was in favor of the project as long as some of the issues brought up by other Board members were addressed. He recommended the use of pervious pavers for at least 3  some portion of the driveway. Ms. Colombo clarified the type of visuals that would be needed to show new options for addressing the foundation paneling and agreed to submit these for the next meeting. The application will be included on the June 28, 2021 meeting agenda for action. C. COA 2021-36 – 307 Lewis Street – Fence Installation The applicant was not present. Gretchen Pendleton, on behalf of the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc., submitted written comment stating that the design of the fence/wall was not appropriate for the site. Ms. Irvin said she had requested that this item be removed from the consent agenda because the reduction in height of the gate would require some redesign and the Board needed to see these details. Ms. Galke agreed. Ms. Weitzman said that the use of iron or aluminum would impact the design and requested clarification from the applicant. Ms. Ross shared a photograph from a 1968 survey of the property showing that no picket fence was in place at the property. She recommended that a fence that preserved the open setting might be more appropriate. Chairman Gerlach agreed that more detail was needed on the metal type and the redesigned gate. He noted that the application would be continued to the meeting on June 28, 2021. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT Danae Peckler, 1410 Prince Edward Street, stated that the withdrawn 2020 application at 202 Frederick Street had not included the foundation paneling that is currently installed and should be evaluated by the ARB. OTHER BUSINESS A. Discussion of NAPC Webinar: Community Outreach Strategies for Historic Preservation Commissions and Boards Several Board members said they had attended this recent webinar held by the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions. Ms. Weitzman noted that many communities struggle to show preservation in a positive light and noted that Fredericksburg was much more successful. Ms. Moss said she could put together notes and handouts from the session to discuss with the Board in more detail at the next meeting. B. Discussion of feedback from HFFI consultant Dan Becker Ms. Schwartz noted that the observations letter, which was HFFI’s deliverable from working with consultant Dan Becker, had been distributed to the Board. Chairman Gerlach provided background on the Historic Preservation Working Group’s process since 2018 and HFFI’s role in that group. Chairman Gerlach invited Danae Peckler to speak on HFFI’s process. Ms. Peckler provided some observations on processes in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Mr. Becker is based and said HFFI had sought outside review of the City’s preservation documents and processes due to hurried review processes with the City. 4  Ms. Schwartz noted that the observations from Mr. Becker would be taken into account as the working group and City staff developed the next phase of preservation work. She said that she would be setting a meeting with the City Attorney and Chairman Gerlach to address any concerns about a defensible record with the ARB and adapt processes and documents as needed. Board members noted their support for some aspects of the process that is currently established, but spoke in support of the working group looking closely at the recommendations. STAFF UPDATE There was no staff update. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REPORTS There were no announcements or reports. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Gerlach adjourned the meeting at 8:47 p.m. _______________________________________ Jonathan Gerlach, Chair 5