Historic Zoning Commission

Regular Meeting Minutes of the Historic Zoning Commission January 21, 2020 MEMBERS PRESENT: ABSENT: Jim Thompson, Chairman Gib Backlund David Becker Deborah Belcher Bill Jakes Linda Anderson Jeff Davis Marimae White STAFF PRESENT: Amelia Kerr, Planner Matthew Blomeley, Assistant Planning Director Brenda Davis, Recording Assistant Katie Driver, Staff Attorney Chairman Thompson called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. Mr. Jakes made a motion to approve the December 17, 2019 minutes. The motion was seconded by Mr. Becker and carried unanimously in favor. New Business: H-20-001 – 449 East College Street, Thomas Holden Jennings – Requesting final review for construction of a new residence on a vacant lot on East College Street. Ms. Kerr reviewed the application and the Staff comments contained in the HZC agenda package. The applicant was present. Mr. Jennings, 449 East College Street, came to the podium to answer questions from the Commission. Mr. Becker asked about the Fibrex material Mr. Jennings plans to use on the house. He was approved for a material like Fibrex and said a material he used previously on a home in the Historic District was a Fibrex material but not a clad material. He said the material was made of ground wood and a synthetic material. Mr. Becker said it appears in the detail that Mr. Jennings’ application refers to a clad material with Fibrex on the outside. HZC Minutes January 21, 2020 Mr. Jennings said the Fibrex is the same, adding it is 40% wood and 60% PVC and 200% stronger than vinyl. Mr. Becker was glad to hear it was the same type of material he was approved for when he lived in the Historic District. Chairman Thompson said the cut-sheet from Anderson shows something that looks like an extruded applied material. He asked if maybe this was the wrong cut-sheet. After some discussion, Mr. Jennings said he probably pulled the wrong cut-sheet and will go back to Anderson and obtain the correct one. Chairman Thompson suggested breaking the approvals into sections for discussions and motions. Front Elevation: Chairman Thompson said the back of the house cannot be seen from the front, so it does not need to be reviewed. He asked if the Commission had any questions regarding the front elevations. Mr. Blomeley pointed out with the City Core regulations that go into effect on Friday, for the plot plan that was submitted the front setback will be reduced to be consistent with what is already on that block. The house depicted on the plot plan that is submitted will be pulled up closer to the front lot line, more consistent with what is around it. Chairman Thompson said the front porch slope from the front of the porch to the body of the building appears to be 1 and 12, but the sides of the hip on either the short end to the porch is steeper. He recommended Mr. Jennings match the sides to the front pitch. He said when it is built, it will look clumsy on the sides as the ridge of the hip of the porch would be closer to the windows where it meets the body of the building, but it should match. Chairman Thompson said architecturally that is the way they do it adding it should match to make it look more cohesive. Mr. Jakes said the front elevation shows siding and asked if the brick is for the sides. Mr. Jennings said the brick is for the foundation only. Mr. Jakes verified the exterior is siding. Mr. Jennings said yes, the entire exterior is hardi-plank. Mr. Jakes asked if the chimneys will be hardi-plank as well. 2 HZC Minutes January 21, 2020 Mr. Jennings said yes. Mr. Becker made a motion to approve the elevations as submitted. The motion was seconded by Ms. White. Chairman Thompson asked if there were any acknowledgements about his comment about the porch slope or not. Mr. Becker amended the above motion to approve the elevations as submitted with the exception on the porch roof, the pitches on the side would be the same as the pitch over the porch. An amended second was made by Ms. White and the motion carried unanimously in favor. Site Plan: Chairman Thompson referred to a fence, but it was not noted where the fence would be located. Mr. Jennings said the fence is indicated in red on the site plan. Chairman Thompson said the driveway is not shown on the site plan and asked for a revised site plan. He asked Mr. Jennings to submit a new site plan to Ms. Kerr so it can be approved administratively. Mr. Jennings said yes. Chairman Thompson asked Mr. Jennings to include the type of material for the driveway. He suggested Mr. Jennings take into consideration getting out of the garage to pull forward out of the driveway instead of backing out since the garage doors are on the rear wing facing to the right-side lot line. Chairman Thompson asked Mr. Jennings to resubmit the site plan referring to the fence and driveway for administrative approval. Mr. Jakes asked if there will be a gate on the front of the driveway. Mr. Jennings said no. He also mentioned there are no other fences on the street. Hardi-plank Surface: Chairman Thompson confirmed Mr. Jennings submitted the Cedarmill which has the rusticated face to it. 3 HZC Minutes January 21, 2020 Mr. Jennings said yes. Mr. Jakes made a motion to approve the surface of the Hardi-plank as submitted. The motion was seconded by Ms. White and carried unanimously in favor. Columns: Chairman Thompson said the columns are round, tapered, and permacast. He asked if they were a synthetic material. Mr. Jennings said the columns are fiberglass. Chairman Thompson asked if the columns were hollow inside. Mr. Jennings said yes. Chairman Thompson asked if he was going with the smooth-faced column or the fluted column. Mr. Jennings said smooth. Mr. Jakes asked if this is a paintable product. Mr. Jennings said they intend to keep it white, so he didn’t explore if it was paintable. Mr. Becker made a motion to approve the smooth-face Tuscan columns as submitted. The motion was seconded by Mr. Davis and carried unanimously in favor. Windows: Chairman Thompson verified Mr. Jennings will resubmit the windows with a new cut-sheet. Mr. Jennings said he will resubmit with the Fibrex material. Chairman Thompson said the windows show several options. He suggested when Mr. Jennings resubmits to inform them of which option he chooses. He referred to the grill options of the windows and asked if Mr. Jennings would have muttons on the outside of the windows. Mr. Jennings said he plans to have muttons on the outside and inside of the windows marked Colonial Traditional. Chairman Thompson said he has seen it where the muttons are on both sides of the glass but in the middle between the glass there is nothing. He said at the right angle, you can look up 4 HZC Minutes January 21, 2020 between them. He recommended Mr. Jennings get the inserts between the panes of glass to fill in the muttons; otherwise, it looks very fake. When the windows are resubmitted, the Commission will look at the muttons. Mr. Jennings appreciated the advice. French Quarter Gas Lights: Mr. Jakes said the lights are a great addition to the house. Mr. Jakes made a motion to approve the French Quarter gas lights. The motion was seconded by Mr. Becker and carried unanimously in favor. Metal Roof: Chairman Thompson verified Mr. Jennings is proposing a metal roof. Mr. Jennings said yes. Chairman Thompson said it appears there are two styles submitted and asked which option he will be going with. Mr. Jennings said the standard 14-inch unless the Commission suggests otherwise. Chairman Thompson said if he goes with the 14-inch, there will be a 1/2-inch standing seam. He said that is up to Mr. Jennings, as it is just a visual. Mr. Jennings said he will go with 16-inch metal roof. Mr. Becker asked what color Mr. Jennings plans to go with. Mr. Jennings said a final decision has not been made but leaning toward a black or bronze color. Mr. Becker made a motion to approve the 16-inch panel for a metal tin roof. The motion was seconded by Ms. White and carried unanimously in favor. Gutters & Downspouts: Mr. Becker asked if the gutters are 4-inch or 6-inch. Mr. Jennings left the size to the Commission’s discretion. 5 HZC Minutes January 21, 2020 Mr. Becker and Mr. Jakes both recommended 6-inch. Mr. Jennings said he will go with the 6-inch size. Mr. Becker made a motion to approve 6-inch gutters and downspouts. The motion was seconded by Ms. White and carried unanimously in favor. Brackets Under Front Elevation: Chairman Thompson asked what type of material these brackets are made of. Mr. Jennings was not sure the type of material but stated it is decorative millwork. He assumes it is some type of composite but there wasn’t that much detail or spec sheets available online at their website. Mr. Jakes said waterproofing DF is probably the ideal material. Ms. White made a motion to approve the brackets under the front elevations as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Davis and carried unanimously in favor. Garage Doors: Chairman Thompson asked if the garage doors are steel doors. Mr. Jennings said yes. He was not sure if the Commission needed to approve them as they cannot be seen from the road. Chairman Thompson agreed. Mr. Jennings said the vacant lot next door to him has just been sold and assumes they will build in a reasonable timeframe and that would take away any possibility of seeing them from the road. Mr. Jakes asked if the doors have a wood-grain look to them. Mr. Jennings said the doors are textured to look like wood, but they are not wood. Mr. Jakes made a motion to approve the garage doors as submitted. The motion was seconded by Mr. Becker and carried unanimously in favor. 6 HZC Minutes January 21, 2020 Fence: Chairman Thompson asked the height of the fence. Mr. Jennings said a 6-foot fence is being requested. He wasn’t sure if an 8-foot fence would be allowed. Ms. Kerr said the maximum height would be 8-feet but generally they are 6-feet high. Mr. Jennings said he will propose a 6-foot high privacy fence. Chairman Thompson asked if he would paint the fence. Mr. Jennings said no adding he will just leave it. Mr. Becker made a motion to approve a 6-foot privacy wood fence as submitted. The motion was seconded by Ms. White and carried unanimously in favor. Entry Way Doors: Chairman Thompson asked Mr. Jennings to describe the entry way doors. Mr. Jennings said the doors are similar to the Anderson product stating they are a “wood-core product” that can have the aluminum cladding or not. Chairman Thompson asked if all the doors are the same. Mr. Jennings said the middle and the left side will be fixed doors and they don’t intend those to be working. He thinks the fixed doors come in the same material as the windows, Fibrex. Chairman Thompson said this looks different than the window submittals. He said if Mr. Jennings went with something like the doors, it would be consistent. Mr. Jakes asked if the doors will be under a covered porch. Mr. Jennings said yes. Mr. Jakes asked if Mr. Jennings had a preference for wood or metal-clad. Mr. Jennings said the metal cladding makes sense to him but understands there is an aspect of its wood is less likely to rot under porch cover but it is also 20/20. 7 HZC Minutes January 21, 2020 Chairman Thompson said the Commission has different standards stating if it were a historic home versus a brand-new home that we give more leeway to the newer homes. He said the Commission has approved metal-clad in the past. He said a metal-clad door will protect the finish and you won’t have to paint it and it gives a bit of security. Mr. Jennings agreed and said it is the same thought process with the columns. He would like to use the advanced technology with the aspect of aluminum cladding, adding they will look the same for the next 20 years. Mr. Jakes made a motion to approve the doors as submitted. The motion was seconded by Ms. White and carried unanimously in favor. Elevation of the House: Chairman Thompson said the house should not be any taller than the house across the street. He asked if Mr. Jennings has checked to see if his house will be taller than or the same size. Mr. Jennings checked the heights stating the house next door is 28-feet tall and the one across the street is 24-feet to the start of the roof and assuming 10-12 feet from there. He said his house will be 30-feet 9-inches in height. He said the height of their house will be somewhere between the house next door and the house across the street. Driveway: Ms. Kerr said there was previous mention about the proposed driveway and asked if it would be concrete. Chairman Thompson said Mr. Jennings will submit a drawing and it should label what type of material will be used. Mr. Jennings said they currently have a shared driveway entrance. He asked if a new angled entrance for his side of the driveway needs to be cut. Mr. Blomeley said in order to make any modifications to the right-of-way (planning to widen or add an additional driveway or modify the curb cuts), Mr. Jennings will need to obtain a right-of- way permit from the City Engineering Department. Brick: Chairman Thompson asked if the brick sample submitted will only be for the foundation. Mr. Jennings said yes. 8 HZC Minutes January 21, 2020 Chairman Thompson asked if the Commission had any issues related to the brick. Mr. Jakes made a motion to approve the brick as submitted. The motion was seconded by Mr. Becker and carried unanimously in favor. Mr. Jakes asked when Mr. Jennings plans to break ground. Mr. Jennings is looking at March, depending on the weather. Ms. Kerr asked if the Commission is giving Staff the authority to approve the items for administrative approval or does the Commission need to be included by e-mail or additional meetings. Chairman Thompson requested the information be e-mailed to the Commission Members for input/administrative approval. He said if a majority of the Commission Members (5 total) approves the requests, it will be equivalent to being at a meeting. Ms. Kerr asked Mr. Jennings to send the resubmittals in one document to her and she will then forward it to the Commission Members for review. Staff Reports and Other Business None Mr. Becker made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Mr. Jakes and carried unanimously in favor. Meeting adjourned at 4:05 P.M. _____________________________________ ____________________________________ CHAIRMAN SECRETARY 9