Historic District Commission Regular Meeting

BEFORE THE HILLSBOROUGH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION ) Application for ) Certificate of Appropriateness ) 303 West Margaret Lane ) This request for a Certificate of Appropriateness (“COA”) for a front porch addition at 303 West Margaret Lane (the “Application”) came before the Hillsborough Historic District Commission (the “HDC”) on September 4, 2024. The HDC held a quasi-judicial hearing and, based on the competent, material, and substantial evidence presented at the hearing, voted 5-0 to approve the Application. In support of that decision, the HDC makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law: FINDINGS OF FACT 1. The property at issue (the “Property”) is located at 303 West Margaret Lane in the Town of Hillsborough. The Owner and Applicant is Jan Gittleman (the “Applicant”). 2. The Application requests that the HDC grant a Certificate of Appropriateness to: a. Extend the existing front porch across the front of the house; The porch would match the existing pitch; The roof material itself would be asphalt shingles to match the existing shingles; The trim and small amount of siding (visible on the left/east side of the house) is proposed to be white Hardie Board; The proposed porch floor is concrete with a brick border to match. All work will be in accordance with the drawings and plans entered into evidence at the hearing. 3. The Property is in the Hillsborough Historic District (the “District”), designated by Ordinance No. 4.3.1.2, adopted June 10, 2024. The Hillsborough Historic District Design Standards (the “Standards”), specifically the standards for Porches, Entrances, and Balconies were used to evaluate this request, and the Application is consistent with these standards for the following reasons: a. Because an existing front porch is proposed to be extended, the extension will have very little, if any, impact on the character defining components of the elevation. b. The porch is fairly shallow, which is an advantage in minimizing the visual impact. The project maintains compatibility with the existing house while not changing or obscuring the front elevation. 4. The following individual(s) testified during the evidentiary hearing: a. Joseph Hoffheimer, Staff Support to the Historic District Commission, presented the staff report and comments. b. David Cates, presenter for the Applicant, appeared to present testimony and evidence in support of the Application. c. Jan Gittleman, Applicant, appeared to present testimony and evidence in support of the Application.  CONCLUSIONS OF LAW Based on the foregoing FINDINGS OF FACT, the HDC makes the following CONCLUSIONS OF LAW: 1. The Application is not incongruous with the special character of the Hillsborough Historic District. Therefore, the COA is hereby approved with the following conditions: a. All necessary permits required by law must be obtained before work may commence. Town staff must be consulted prior to making any alterations to the approved plans. Any unapproved changes observed on a final inspection will be subject to additional fees and must be resolved prior to Town sign-off on the Certificate of Occupancy. This the 6th day of November, 2024. ____________________ Will Senner, Chair Hillsborough Historic District Commission APPEALS A decision of the Commission on an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness may be appealed to the Orange County Superior Court by an aggrieved party. Such appeal shall be made within thirty (30) days of filing of the decision in the office of the Planning Director or the delivery of the notice required in Section 3.12.11, whichever is later. Such appeals to the Orange County Superior Court are in the nature of certiorari and the court shall determine such appeals based on the record generated before the Commission.