Historic District Preservation Commission (HDPC)

TOWN OF MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA OLD VILLAGE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION JUNE 10, 2019 MINUTES Green arrows in minutes are hyperlinks to the recording Attachment 1--STAFF REPORT Present:Ann Dovre, John Hackenberg, Leigh Rowe, Louisa Montgomery Gene Gallogly. Staff:Austin Rutherford, Joe Juan, Jane Yager-Baumrind Mr. Rutherford called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. Mr. Rutherford stated that a chair would need to be appointed for this meeting. The Commission voted Ms. Rowe as chair. I.Approval of Agenda Ms. Montgomery moved to approve the agenda. Ms. Dovre second the motion. All in favor. II.Approval of Minutes May 13, 2019 Ms. Montgomery moved to approve the minutes. Ms. Dovre second the motion. All in favor. III.Correspondence Mr. Rutherford reviewed correspondence with the Commission. IV.General Public Comment No general public comments V.Consent Motions No Consent motions VI.Business A.313 Queen Street – Survey 6096 – (TMS 532-05-00-061) Applicant is seeking Final Review for a new front porch and door.  Mr. Rutherford reviewed staff comments with the Commission (attachment 1). Ms. Linda Balzac reviewed the request with the Commission. There being no comments, Ms. Rowe closed public comment. Mr. Hackenberg moved for the approval of the porches and front setback reduction to two feet. Ms. Dovre second the motion. All in favor. B. 301 Center Street – (TMS 532-13-00-122) Applicant is seeking Final Review to replace the existing driveway with drivable grass, addition of an uncovered patio and pool to the rear of the home, new fireplace to an existing covered porch, and to unscreen a portion of the existing rear porch. Mr. Rutherford reviewed staff comments with the Commission (attachment 1). Mr. JR Kramer, Remark, reviewed the request with the Commission. Ms. Montgomery asked about the size of pool. Mr. Rutherford answered nine foot by twelve feet. Ms. Montgomery asked if the fireplace is woodburning. Mr. Kramer answered it was a gas fireplace. Mr. Hackenberg asked if this was a wading pool. Mr. Kramer answered that the pool was a plunge pool and only four feet deep and will not be a hot tub. There being no comments, Ms. Rowe closed public comment. Mr. Hackenberg recommended using grass for impervious coverage. Ms. Dovre liked the idea of the pool and grass. Ms. Montgomery recommended that the concrete should be removed and replaced by grass, there should be no cable railings and the fire bowls need to be lowered. Mr. Gallogly agreed with staff in decreasing impervious coverage. Ms. Dovre did not approve of the setback encroachment, the fire bowls or the cable railings.  Mr. Gallogly moved for approval of grass for impervious surface coverage. Ms. Montgomery second the motion. All in favor. Ms. Montgomery moved to deny the pool as currently designed with the fire bowls raised, more information is needed about the pool equipment, the cable railing is not appropriate, and the rear yard encroachment not in keeping with adjoining lots. Mr. Gallogly second the motion. Motion passed on a 4 to 1 motion with Ms. Montgomery, Mr. Gallogly, Ms. Rowe and Mr. Hackenberg in favor, Ms. Dovre opposed. C. 101 Pitt Street – Historic 5934 – (TMS 532-01-00-079) Applicant is seeking Final Review for revisions to approved plans including enclosing the covered walkway, exterior revisions on a non-historic addition, and replacing a door. CORRESPONDENCE Mr. Rutherford reviewed staff comments with the Commission (attachment 1). Ms. Madison Ansley, Synchronicity, 721 King St., Charleston, SC. Ms. Ansley reviewed the request with the Commission. Mr. Luke Jarrett, Synchronicity, 721 King Street, Charleston, SC, distributed a letter addressing the concern with the HVAC noise. Mr. Mike Tinkey, 208 Venning Street, thanked Mr. Jarrett for his response. Mr. Chris Coleman, 118 Pitt Street, suggested that the appropriate HVAC system should be used to guard against having a sound wave. He suggested that the Commission should require that the location of the HVAC equipment be shown on the submitted plans and that elevated HVAC units should only be allowed in commercial districts. He suggested that combined systems should not be allowed within the historic district. Mr. Jarrett confirmed the door is not an egress door and does not connect to any public access. There being no comments, Ms. Rowe closed public comment. Mr. Hackenberg asked if the door was solid or two panes of glass. Mr. Rutherford responded that the door will be two panes of glass and showed  examples. Ms. Dovre asked about the door being fixed and evacuation in an emergency. Mr. Rutherford and Mr. Juan responded that they must meet the building code standards and that this would not be under the purview of the Commission. Mr. Hackenberg asked if door was in a hallway. Mr. Jarrett responded the door is in a location with no public access. Ms. Montgomery expressed concern with the HVAC noise. Mr. Rutherford responded this was already approved by the Commission Mr. Hackenberg moved to approve the closed addition and fixed door to match the existing with two pane glass. Ms. Montgomery second the motion. All in favor. D.975 Pitt Street – Survey 5889 – (TMS 532-13-00-033) Applicant is seeking Preliminary Comment for the demolition and replacement of a single- family home. Mr. Rutherford reviewed staff comments with the Commission (attachment 1). Mr. Joel Wenzel, Thomas & Donzinger, 138 St. Phillips Street, Charleston, SC. Mr. Wenzel reviewed the design with the Commission. Mr. Mike Tinkey, 208 Venning Street. expressed concern with the design of the home. Mr. Bob Burns, 9 Pierates Cruz. expressed concern with the design of the home. There being no further comments, Ms. Rowe closed public comment. Ms. Rowe asked Mr. Rutherford about the demolition issue for this home. Mr. Rutherford answered that the Commission could discuss the demolition, but they did not need to approve or deny at this time. He reiterated that staff comments recommend that this be deferred. Mr. Hackenberg agreed with staffs recommendation to defer. Ms. Dovre also agreed with deferring this item. Ms. Montgomery expressed concern with the roof line and asked if the home sustained any damage during Hurricane Hugo. Mr. Lee Richardson, 975 Pitt Street, answered that he does not believe there has been any damage from previous storms. He stated that if the demolition is not approved, then there is no reason to continue with the request. Mr. Rutherford stated that based on the information provided, that the application does not meet the requirements to allow demolition. Mr. Gallogly agreed that there does not appear to be a need to demolish the existing structure. Mr. Richardson explained the home should be demolished based on the economic rehabilitation rule, and that any improvements would be over the 50% requirement and therefore the entire structure would have to come into compliance with current building code. Mr. Rutherford stated the economic rehabilitation was not provided in the application and cannot be considered with this request. Mr. Gallogly moved to defer the application. Ms. Montgomery second the motion. All in favor. E. 131 Live Oak Drive – Survey 6246/6246.01 – (TMS 517-15-00-139) Applicant is seeking Final Review to install artificial turf in the front yard Mr. Rutherford reviewed staff comments with the Commission. (Attachment 1). Ms. Jennifer Dickerson, 131 Live Oak Drive, reviewed request with the Commission. Mr. Mike Tinkey, 208 Venning Street, stated he is opposed to turf and suggested that it does not fit within the historic district Ms. Dickerson stated that he originally had the same concerns with using turf for the front yard and wanted to make sure that it close to the neighboring yards. She stated that they have been battling fungus and pet issues over the years. She suggested that it would be a vast improvement with the aesthetics of the yard. There being no comments, Ms. Rowe closed public comment. Mr. Hackenberg has no issue with the turf and stated that the yard does not receive a lot of sunlight which is a problem. He asked if it could also be placed on the side of the house. Ms. Dickerson answered in the negative and stated that they had concerns with how it would look over the exposed roots. Ms. Dovre asked how the turf is would be cleaned. Ms. Dickerson answered that it can be cleaned with a cleaning solution administered through a garden hose attachment. Ms. Montgomery expressed concern with the use of artificial grass in this area as it is a historic street. She suggested that the turf would not be appropriate for this area. Mr. Gallogly expressed concern with setting a precedent Ms. Rowe agreed that turf would not be appropriate for the historic district. She also suggested that it would be difficult to determine which types of turf would be allowed. Mr. Gallogly moved to deny the request for installation of turf. Ms. Dovre second the motion. Ms. Rowe, Ms. Montgomery and Mr. Gallogly in favor. Mr. Hackenberg and Ms. Dovre Opposed. 118 Live Oak Drive – Survey 6239/6239.01 – (TMS 517-15-00-05 Applicant is seeking Preliminary Comment for a new pool. Mr. Rutherford reviewed the application with the Commission (Attachment 1). Mr. Ben Prillaman, Aquatica Pools & Spas, reviewed the request with the Commission. There being no comments, Ms. Rowe closed public comment. Ms. Montgomery asked about the privacy and if a buffer is required. Mr. Prillaman answered that it is up to the homeowner. Mr. Gallogly suggested that the fence should be at least eight feet. Mr. Rutherford answered that fences cannot exceed six feet in height. Ms. Rowe asked about the length of pool. Mr. Prillaman stated it is approximately twenty-four feet long. Ms. Montgomery moved to approve preliminary approval. Mr. Gallogly second the motion. All in favor. F.237 Middle Street – Survey 6045 – (TMS 532-09-00-022) Applicant is seeking Final Review for extensive alterations to a single-family home. Mr. Rutherford reviewed staff comments with the Commission. (Attachment 1). Charlie Miraziz, Herlong Architects, reviewed the request with the Commission. Mr. Bob Burns, 9 Pierates Cruz expressed concern with the possibility of two home renovations at the same time and the protection of the historic trees on these lots. He also expressed concern with the parking of contractor vehicles during construction. Mr. Sam Lisi, Village Restoration, stated he potentially could be the contractor for this project and he as well as the homeowners are aware of the tight area and will make adjustments for the parking as well as the care of the trees. Ms. Montgomery moved to approve the design deviation for horizontal lattice, stoop and step moved over out of TPZ and setback for parking. Ms. Dovre second the motion. All in favor. G.102 Live Oak Drive – Survey 6242 – (TMS 517-15-00-057) Applicant is seeking Final Review of a not-in-kind window replacement. Mr. Rutherford reviewed staff comments with the Commission. (Attachment 1). Ms. Parker Best, Patty Wilbourne Designs, 107 Pitt Street reviewed the request with the Commission. Ms. Montgomery asked about the curtains currently on window. Ms. Best responded that there are curtains but they most likely will be  replaced. Ms. Rowe suggested a casement window. Mr. Gallogly recommended that all the windows match. There being no comments, Ms. Rowe closed public comment. Ms. Montgomery moved to deny since it does not match the design guidelines or other windows on home. Mr. Gallogly second the motion. All in favor. VII.Staff Approvals – None There were no staff approvals for May. VIII.Review and Approval of Design Guideline Alterations Concerning Porch Fans Mr. Rutherford reviewed the guideline changes with the Commission. The Commission did not move to change the Design Guidelines having noted needed text changes to those proposed. IX.Election of Chair and Vice-Chair The Commission elected Ms. Rowe as chair and Ms. Montgomery as vice- chair by secret ballot. X.Motion to Adjourn Ms. Rowe moved to adjourn at 7:40 pm. Mr. Gallogly second the motion. All in favor. Submitted by Jane Yager-Baumrind