Historic Zoning Commission

CITY OF MURFREESBORO HISTORIC ZONING COMMISSION Regular Meeting February 18, 2014 3:30 PM, Council Chambers, City Hall I. Call to Order, Roll Call and determination of a quorum II. Approve Minutes of the Regular Meeting on January 21, 2014 III. New Business • 315 Main Street, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, requesting to demolish a portion of the church structure and rebuild a new 3,790 sq. ft. building in its place IV. Staff Reports and other Business V. Adjourn City of Murfreesboro Historic Zoning Commission Staff Comments Regular Meeting February 18, 2014 New Business: 315 Main Street, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church - requesting to demolish a portion of the church structure and rebuild a new 3,790 sq. ft. building in its place This property is located on the northeast corner of East Main Street and Academy Street. The church was originally built in 1892 and since then added a parish hall in 1949, a parking lot in 1967 and Ferguson Hall in 1988. The church property was not included in the East Main Street or the North Maney Avenue Historic Districts of the National Register of Historic Places when that designation was made in 1985. The property is located in the City’s East Main Street Historic District. The church is planning to demolish the existing parish hall and construct a new larger parish hall in its place. Please see the attached architectural drawings, photos and site plan of the proposed project. The church property is designated with two zoning classifications, (Residential Single- Family RS-8 and Commercial Highway CH). The church received approval for a special use permit from the Board of Zoning Appeals at the December 19, 2013 meeting because of the church expansion in the RS-8 zone. The BZA approved the expansion with the condition that a Type A buffer which is 10 feet in width will be constructed along the eastern side of the property adjacent to 320 E. College Street. The Planning Commission approved the site plan for the construction of the 3,790 sq. ft. building on January 22, 2014. The Historic Zoning Commission will now consider the demolition of the old parish hall along with the construction of the new parish hall on the church property. The new parish hall will be constructed with a masonry exterior as shown in the elevations submitted in your agenda materials. Also included in your materials is a site plan for the property. Mr. Matt Taylor from Site Engineering Consultants (SEC) will be representing St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at the meeting to answer any question the Commission may have regarding the proposal. Location Map Ê E COLLE GE ST Site N ACAD EMY ST E MAIN S T 315 East Main Street View from E. Main St. 315 E. Main St. View of East Side adjacent to 331 E. Main St. 315 E. Main Street View from west side 315 E. Main Street View from north side 315 E. Main St. View from northeast - adjacent to 320 E. College St.  HISTORIC ZONING COMMISSION Regular Meeting January 21, 2014 MEMBERS PRESENT: ABSENT: David Becker Jim Thompson Linda Anderson Rick Cantrell Deborah Belcher Marimae White Kirt Wade Gib Backlund Paul Cross STAFF PRESENT: Robert Lewis, Planner David Ives, Assistant City Attorney Brenda Davis, Recording Assistant Chairman Cross called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. and confirmed a quorum was present. Mr. Wade made a motion to approve the minutes from the August 13, 2013 Special Historic Zoning Commission meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Becker and carried unanimously in favor. New Business 13-H-013 – 435 E. Main Street, Robert and Barbara Deaton, requesting to replace all 3rd floor windows at their residence. Mr. Lewis reviewed the application and staff comments contained in the Historic Zoning Commission agenda package. Mr. and Mrs. Deaton and their contractor, Jamie Bush was present to answer questions. Chairman Cross asked the applicant or contractor explain why they want to change to vinyl windows. Mr. Jamie Bush, Design Consultant with American Home Design came to the podium stating their windows are designed to look like wooden windows and have the benefit of being maintenance free and energy efficient. The window frames are shaped like crown molding similar to what is found on exteriors of homes. He said from a distance the windows look HZC Minutes January 21, 2014 wooden. In this case, the applicant is requesting windows be replaced on the third floor of the house. Chairman Cross asked to see the sample window that Mr. Bush brought to the meeting. Mr. Bush passed the sample to the Commission members. Mr. Becker asked if Mr. Bush would replace the chapel-style windows that curve at the top. Mr. Bush said yes, the arched windows and also the double-hung windows on the 3rd floor. Mr. Becker asked if everything will look just as it looks now. Mr. Bush said yes, it will look exactly the same. He said there would be some repair work done around the windows because of rotted wood and gaps. Chairman Cross asked if the glass is Low E. Mr. Bush said yes and the windows are energy efficient with the Argon gas Chairman Cross asked if the vinyl windows have a problem with mold build-up. Mr. Bush said there is a chemical in the vinyl windows called Tye Shield that is titanium dioxide that prevents it from molding. Mr. Bush said they have this same type of chemical in their siding as well as the windows to prevent mold, mildew, sun-fade, and oxidizing. Ms. Anderson said vinyl siding gets a bad name because of its shiny aspect in comparison to wood. She noticed the sample window has a sheen and asked if there is a matt finish that can be obtained on vinyl windows. Mr. Bush said no and added the sheen is designed to keep it from oxidizing and color fading. Mr. Wade asked how many windows would be replaced on the 3rd floor. Mr. Bush said there would be 12 windows replaced, 10 double-hung and 2 arch windows. Mr. Becker asked what type of paint would be used and would it match the window or the paint that is already there. Mr. Bush said he would match the paint that is already there. Mr. Becker asked if the paint would be a satin or semi-gloss. 2 HZC Minutes January 21, 2014 Mr. Bush said a semi-gloss paint would be used. Mr. Becker commented the semi-gloss would match close to the window. Chairman Cross asked if the windows that are in place are the original windows. Mr. Bush said yes. Chairman Cross confirmed the glass in the windows is the original glass. Mr. Bush said yes and they are single-pane windows. Chairman Cross asked what the applicant plans to do with the existing window glass as the windows are removed. Mr. Bush said his company usually disposes of the old windows but they can do whatever the Commission requests. He said the applicant could store the windows. Vice-Chair Backlund asked if American Home Design sells wood windows. Mr. Bush said no, American Home Design only sells vinyl windows. Vice-Chair Backlund asked the brand name. Mr. Bush said Preservation. Mr. Lewis asked if the applicant investigated repairing the existing windows instead of replacing them. Ms. Deaton said no. Vice-Chairman Backlund asked Ms. Deaton if they looked at wooden windows comparison to vinyl windows. Ms. Deaton said no as they were told wooden windows were more expensive. Vice-Chairman Backlund asked the condition of the windows located on the first and second floors of the house. Ms. Deaton said they are fine. 3 HZC Minutes January 21, 2014 Vice-Chairman Backlund asked if the windows on the first and second floor are original to the house. Ms. Deaton said yes. Chairman Cross said the problem is primarily maintaining windows at the higher level. Mr. Bush said yes, the third floor windows only. Mr. Becker said there are windows that are wood and vinyl clad. He was wondering if the Commission has approved any of those type windows. Chairman Cross said he thinks the Commission has approved some vinyl clad wooden windows in the past. Vice-Chairman Backlund said the most recent issue was located on College Street. He thinks the Commission required wood for that location. Mr. Lewis said wooden windows were required on any part of the house that faced East Main Street. Mr. Bush said there are only five windows on this application that faces toward East Main Street. Mr. Lewis showed a picture of the house pointing out the third story windows in question and the directions they are facing in reference to East Main Street. Chairman Cross asked if it would be possible to get a wooden sash window, double-paned, with low E glass. Mr. Bush said Anderson Windows sells vinyl wood windows at a cost of approximately $2,000 a window. Chairman Cross asked how long these windows have been in place. Ms. Deaton said estimated 116 years as the windows are original to the house. Chairman Cross asked the life expectancy of the vinyl windows. Mr. Bush said American Home Design gives a lifetime installation, lifetime product, lifetime materials, lifetime glass breakage; lifetime seal fuel (the gas that leaks out of it). Mr. Bush said they give a full lifetime warranty. 4 HZC Minutes January 21, 2014 Vice-Chair Backlund asked whose lifetime. Mr. Bush said the owners and it transfers one time so it is a double life-time warranty of transfers. Chairman Cross said this is an issue the Commission has dealt with on numerous occasions, different building fabric replacing original material with a modern material because it is cost effective and because it would appear to outlast the existing. Chairman Cross said he does not doubt the windows that are there have been there that long and they probably need to be replaced. It is a matter for the Historic Zoning Commission to make a determination about whether or not they want to approve switching to a vinyl product or requiring they go back with the original product. He agreed, in all probability those windows are made of clear, hard poplar which any new windows are not going to be made of anything that is that durable and will not hold up like the original popular wood windows. Mr. Becker said he does not have a problem with vinyl wood clad windows. He does not think there will be a noticeable difference if vinyl wood clad windows are used at this location especially since they will be located on the third floor of the house. Ms. Anderson said if the Commission decided to accept this, do they need to make some kind of stipulation. She is concerned about how they have required wooden windows on first and second floors, especially on East Main Street. Vice-Chairman Backlund agreed with Ms. Anderson asking where you draw the line. The last time the Commission had this issue they said no to vinyl windows. Mr. Becker said the Commission said no to vinyl windows fronting East Main Street. Vice-Chairman Backlund said front and side visible to East Main Street. Mr. Lewis said every case is different and it needs to be documented as to why you are going to do it or why you are not going to do it. Vice-Chairman Backlund asked Mr. Lewis to explain the application where the Commission did approve the vinyl windows. Mr. Lewis said he could not remember the house address but several years ago a house facing East Main Street replaced vinyl windows with vinyl windows and doors. The house was a vinyl house with vinyl windows. Vice-Chairman Backlund asked if that particular house would have been contributing to the National Registry. 5 HZC Minutes January 21, 2014 Mr. Lewis said probably not. Vice-Chairman Backlund said that would make a difference and asked how long ago that application came to the Commission. Mr. Lewis said he is guessing about 10 years ago, in the early 2000’s. Mr. Wade said he agrees with Mr. Becker stating the Commission should look at this on a case to case as every situation is different. He said there are homeowners that want to put money back into their property. The Commission needs to be looking at what is good for the area, what is going to keep people in this area. If the Commission says they are not going to allow any vinyl in the Historic District, people will begin to move out. There need to be limitations on what will be approved and what will not be approved. Mr. Wade said in this case, it is the third floor of a house, not the whole front of the house. Mr. Wade said he feels this is something the Commission should approve. This shows the Commission is taking care of the homeowners but still doing the right thing by doing it case by case. Mr. Becker mentioned wood replacement on chapel windows is very expensive. He was talking from personal experience. He said when they replaced their windows; they replaced with wood but did not touch the chapel windows. Ms. Anderson verified the cost of $2,000 per window was discussed earlier in the meeting. Mr. Bush said that is the estimated cost for wood replacement windows by Anderson Windows. Chairman Cross asked the cost on the vinyl clad replacement windows. Mr. Bush said $800 per window, installed. Vice-Chairman Backlund suggested obtaining an estimate for wood windows. He replaced some wooden windows with wooden windows from another company, not Anderson and they weren’t outrageously priced. Chairman Cross asked if they were comparable, energy efficient. Vice-Chairman Backlund said yes, double-hung with argon. He said they were smaller windows for his kitchen. He said one other thing they need to consider is the National Register District. The fact that these are historic houses and what the historic district tries to do is to retain that integrity of materials on workmanship, design and feeling. These things lend value to the properties Historic integrity. 6 HZC Minutes January 21, 2014 Chairman Cross said the Secretary of Interior Standards would recommend go back with the original material. Chairman Cross said there are exceptions to that recommendation. He said going to the vinyl windows would not change the National Register status of this house. That would be the standard they have established, if it is wood, stick with wood. He does not know of any place where they advocate vinyl, not that there is anything wrong with vinyl. He said those are just the standards and our standards are based on the Secretary of Interior Standards for Historic Preservation projects. Vice-Chairman Backlund made a suggestion to defer the application and get an estimate for wood as a comparison. Mr. Becker asked Vice-Chairman Backlund for explanation of vinyl clad windows and the feel. Vice-Chairman Backlund said feel is a word in the language for the National Register that has to do with the association, not the touch. It means what the neighborhood is like. He added that Mr. Lewis’ meaning was on a vinyl house we have done that. He said there may have been others, he just doesn’t recall. Ms. Anderson suggested making note of what Mr. Wade has said and the homeowners in keeping our good homeowners in the District and also from what Chairman Cross said that he doesn’t feel that this would take this house off the National Register. She also understands Vice- Chairman Backlund’s response that this might be setting precedence. Chairman Cross asked Ms. Deaton how long they have owned this home. Ms. Deaton said she has owned the house since 1986 when she inherited it from her father. Her father purchased the home in 1954, about 60 years ago. Chairman Cross said the Mr. and Mr. Deaton have been good stewards of a historic resource. Ms. Deaton said they appreciate the old concept of historic preservation and wants what is best for the district. She said they are also looking at something that is more cost effective. They have enjoyed working with the American Home Design company as they do a great job. She said it was a comfortable decision on their part. Mr. Bush said after American Home Design sold the job, they didn’t realize there was a historical deal that needed to be approved. Mr. Bush said when he turned it in; his installation Manager told him this property was located in the historic district. At that time, Mr. Bush’s manager reached out to Mr. Lewis to follow the natural steps that needed to take place. 7 HZC Minutes January 21, 2014 Mr. Becker made a motion to approve the windows as submitted. The Commission will look at installation of vinyl windows on a case to case basis as every situation is different. Mr. Becker added going to vinyl windows would not change the National Register status of this house. The motion was seconded by Mr. Wade. Chairman Cross suggested an amendment be made to the motion for the windows and framework be removed, the glass and framework be stored and made available for reuse in this house or by another historic site in need of glass. Ms. Anderson made an amendment to the motion for the windows and framework be removed, the glass and framework be stored and made available for reuse in this house or by another historic site in need of glass. Mr. Bush asked Ms. Deaton if she has a place to store the glass and framework. Ms. Deaton said they could be stored in her attic. The amended motion was seconded by Ms. Belcher. The amended motion was approved unanimously. Chairman Cross asked for a vote on the original motion to approve the windows as submitted. The motion was approved with a vote of 5 yes and 1 no (Vice-Chairman Backlund). Chairman Cross said the no vote and the questions asked were relative to the Commission’s concern about establishing a precedent of replacing original historic fabric with modern fabric that bears no resemblance to it other than shape. Chairman Cross said because of the level, exposure of it and long record of ownership the Commission voted to make an exception. 8 HZC Minutes January 21, 2014 Staff Reports and Other Business Mr. Lewis said he expects a site plan next month for the Episcopal Church. The Planning Commission will be reviewing it this month and the next step would bring it to the Historic Zoning Commission. There being no more business, Mr. Becker made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Mr. Wade and carried unanimously in favor. The meeting adjourned at 4:05 P.M. _____________________________________ CHAIRMAN _____________________________________ SECRETARY 9 HZC Minutes January 21, 2014 10 HZC Minutes January 21, 2014 The meeting adjourned at 4:05 p.m. _________________________ _________________________ CHAIRMAN SECRETARY 11