City Council

TOWN OF OCCOQUAN Town Hall, 314 Mill Street, Occoquan, VA 22125 www.occoquanva.gov | info@occoquanva.gov | (703) 491-1918 ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD MEETING February 27, 2024 | 7:30 p.m. 1. Call to Order 2. Citizen Comments 3. Approval of Minutes a. January 23, 2024 Meeting Minutes 4. Exterior Elevation Applications a. ARB2024-002 440 Mill Street (Rockledge Repairs) 5. Reports a. Town Council Report b. Deputy Town Manager’s Report c. Planning Commission Report d. Chair Report 6. Adjournment Brenda Seefeldt Chair, Architectural Review Board Portions of this meeting may be held in closed session pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.  TOWN OF OCCOQUAN ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD MEETING MINUTES January 23, 2024 In Attendance: Brenda Seefeldt, Darryl Hawkins, Teo Daubresse, and Lisa Terry; Alternates: Mary Craig and Rick Fitzgerald Excused Absences: Carol Bailey Unexcused Absences: Jennifer Shown Call to Order- Brenda called the meeting to order at 7:35 pm 1. Citizen’s Comments – None 2. Election of Officers a. Nomination and the Election of Officers for Calendar Year 2024 • Chairperson – Brenda Seefeldt Brenda made a motion to be Chairperson and Rick 2nd, Approved unanimously. • Vice – Chairperson – Darryl Hawkins Brenda made a motion to appoint Darryl as Vice-Chairperson, Rick 2nd, Approved unanimously. • Secretary – Merial Currer Brenda made a motion to appoint Merial as Secretary, Rick 2nd, Approved unanimously. 3. Approval of Minutes 1. December 12, 2023 Meeting minutes Lisa made a motion to Approve the Minutes of December 12, 2023 and Mary 2nd, Approved. 4. Exterior Elevation Applications 1. ARB2023-004 – 204 Ellicott Street – Porch Railings - Brenda moved to deny the application because the wood rail was changed to vinyl and vinyl is not accepted within town limits in accordance with ARB Guidelines Section 13. Lisa 2nd. Motion Approved Unanimously.  2. ARB2024-001 – 209 Washington Street – Paint Exterior Siding – Lisa moved to Approve the application as is. Merial 2nd. Motion Approved Unanimously. 5. Reports 1. Town Council Report – Theo noted the continuing of the River Walk Committee and that the Town approved and updated the Seal for official documentation. 2. Town Manager’s Report – The Town Seal will change on all documents over the next month. New signage was installed at the entry ways into Town and the new sign at River Mill Park is going through the County permitting process. Mr. Whitmoyer provided a sign violation report. 3. Planning Commission Report – Darryl reported that the Planning Commission had the Green Infrastructure Report and that the Mill at Occoquan wants to demolish the steel but doesn’t have the required permits yet. 4. Chair Report – Brenda noted that Carol Bailey has resigned from the ARB. Rick Fitzgerald has moved to the permanent spot from the alternative position. 6. Adjournment – 8:12 pm  TOWN OF OCCOQUAN ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD Agenda Communication 4. Exterior Elevation Applications Meeting Date: February 27, 2024 4A: ARB2024-001 209 Washington Street Attachments: a. ARB2024-002 440 Mill Street (Rockledge Repairs) Submitted by: Philip Auville Town Clerk Explanation and Summary: This is an Architectural Review Board (ARB) Exterior Elevation Application for the replacement of windows, doors, exterior wall sections, roof, and dormers, and the addition of gutters at Rockledge Mansion at 440 Mill Street. Relevant Sections of ARB Guidelines: The proposed work alters the material of the windows and portions of the exterior walls, the material and color of the doors to red, the material and color of the roof and gutters, and the material of the dormers. It is therefore covered under Sections 5, 6, 12, 14, and 22 of the ARB Guidelines, which read as follows: 5. Colors Exterior paint colors shall be appropriate for the architectural period of the building. Colors of a building shall take into consideration roof and foundation colors. It is encouraged that when rehabilitating Craftsman or Victorian style homes to use period- appropriate color pairings. In addition, for rehabilitation or replacement of windows, “earth tone” colors are appropriate. The book A Century of Color is an excellent reference. Another resource is the following color chart which is taken from the website Archive.org and the document “Every Man His Own Painter!” which was originally written in 1872. Note that none of these colors are modern paint chips. Use these colors as a guide as you pick out your exact paint colors. Most popular exterior paint brands now have historic palettes available. Painting of brick or stone is not recommended. Existing paint may be removed if done in a manner which will not damage the surface of the structure. Methods such as sandblasting, chemical application and heat guns tend to damage the structure. 6. Doorways The placement and proportions of windows and doors are of paramount importance in achieving an historic reproduction. Original doors should be repaired and rehabilitated if possible. Storm doors shall allow visibility of the original door. Sliding glass doors are not considered to be in keeping with the character and architectural detail of the Old and Historic District and are prohibited if visible from the street (waterfront is also considered a street). Style of doors from: 18th Century: Six-panel (cross and open Bible); small glass light above door Solid wood or stone header over top of door. 1775-1800 had very elaborate doorways, with sidelights and fanlights above front door and columns beside door or entry porch. 19th Century: Wide variety of elaborate doorways. Stained glass in doors. Double doors Columns. On storefronts, doors may be constructed of painted wood or wood-look-alike, and may include large areas of glass. Paneled or glazed paneled doors are appropriate for residential buildings. Unfinished aluminum is not recommended. Security and fire- resistant updates to doors are welcomed. 12. Materials Siding – Original siding materials shall be repaired to retain the original character of the surface rather than removed or covered. Often this is not possible so a look-a-like and modern material will be sufficient as long as all efforts are made to maintain the same appearance. Exterior trim – Dentil molding and crown molding were simple in the early part of the 18th Century, and elaborate in the later with columns added. 18th Century trim consisted of dentil and crown molding on the fascia boards, corner moldings, and lentils above windows. Lentils were of brick, stone, or a solid piece of wood. Brick lentils were laid to form an arch, either a “jack” arch or a “segmented” arch. The segmented arch was curved rather than straight. In the 19th Century trim was elaborate. The mid- to later part of the 19th Century has often been called the “Gingerbread Age” with immigrant skilled laborers providing elaborate trim on fascia boards, soffits, rake boards, windows, doors, and porches at low costs. Brackets attached to the soffits were commonplace. 14. Roof Pitch and Material Pitch - The pitch of a roof shall be a minimum of 8/12 except on a hip roof, mansard, or gambrel (barn). On a flat roof, a parapet with trim should be erected above the roofline (such as a store or Italianate Victorian). Materials – Cedar shingles were widely used during the 18th Century (approximately 90 percent), and the remainder of the structures most often had oak shingle roofs. Shakes were used on outbuildings only. During the 19th Century, roofs were standing ridge (metal) or slate shingles. Modern composition shingles shall be chosen in colors to match the color of weathered historic roofing materials. Wherever pressed tin or standing seam style roofs exist an effort should be made to preserve and/or refurbish. The same roof style shall be extended on any addition to buildings with existing pressed tin roofs. 22. Windows The placement and proportions of windows and doors are of paramount importance in achieving a historic reproduction. Most glass manufacturers 125 years ago did not have the capability to create large sheets of glass. That’s why old window sashes are comprised of a collection of smaller pieces of glass separated and held in place by muntin bars.  Traditional windows have depth and a windowsill, as well as true divided lights or interior and exterior fixed muntin with internal spacers to reference traditional designs. No mirrored or tinted glass. The architecture style of Craftsman homes and Victorian homes often used colors for muntin and sashes. That is encouraged using the earth tone colors. In new construction simulated true divided light windows in the appropriate style and color (earth tones) shall be used. Storm windows shall not be used unless the design allows the original window to show through. 18th Century Small panes; six over six window lights and up 1775-1800 arched at top, shutters Proportions – one-half the width of the height Placement – Lined up one above the other and over doorways Headers – Wood, solid beam; stone; brick; jack arches or segmented arches; lighter brick often used around windows 19th Century Windows in the early 19th Century were usually six over six. The emergence of styles such as neo-Gothic, Italianate and Queen Anne led the use of two over two, one over one, and in Queen Anne a multiplicity of combinations. By the end of the 19th Century, two over two dominated and this is the pattern most often seen in 19th Century houses in Occoquan Proportions – Usually, one-half width of height Headers – Elaborate, eyebrow, segmented and jack arches Staff Recommendation: Make a determination based off the proposed work’s compliance with the ARB guidelines, including its congruence with the styles and appearances of neighboring siding colors in the Historic District. Any denial of an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness must include the reason for denial and a reference to the relevant ARB guideline(s). Proposed/Suggested Motion: “I move to approve ARB2024-002 440 Mill Street (Rockledge Repairs) as is.” OR “I move to not approve ARB2024-002 440 Mill Street (Rockledge Repairs) for the following reason: _______________________.” OR Other action the Architectural Review Board deems appropriate.