Architectural Review Board

Architectural Review Board City of Petersburg, Virginia Minutes of the Special Meeting February 27, 2020 6:00 p.m. Council Chambers, City Hall 135 N. Union Street, Petersburg VA 23803 Members Present: Chair, Joe Battiston Vice-Chair, Dino Lunsford Lisa Jordan Larry Murphy Members Absent: Terry Ammons Celeste Wynn Mitchell Pradia Staff: Secretary to the ARB, Kate Sangregorio 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Joe Battiston called to order a special meeting of the City of Petersburg Architectural Review Board on Wednesday, February 27, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. at Council Chambers, City Hall, 135 N. Union Street, Petersburg, Virginia 23803. 2. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. REVIEW OF MINUTES No minutes were presented, Mr Murphy motioned to dispense of the review of the minutes, with a second from Ms Jordan. The motion passed unanimously. 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mrs Jordan motioned to approve the agenda as presented, with a second by Mr Murphy. The motion passed unanimously. 5. PUBLIC INFORMATION PERIOD Chair Battiston opened the Public Information Period to anyone who wished to speak on any subject not on the agenda. With there being no comments, Chair Battiston closed the Public Information Period. 6. REQUEST(S) FOR CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS a. Appomattox River Trail- Friends of the Lower Appomattox River 1 Applicant present, Heather Barrar. Staff recommended general approval until further details were provided. Ms Barrar said the only real change has been a set of steps over the brick wall in Patton Park, which leads to the river. Mr Battiston mentioned that that the asphalt path showed as new construction, and asked if that would be fine because he disapproved of the use of gravel for safety reasons in this case. Ms Barrar noted that the only private site on this trail would be through the Peter Jones Trading Post, owned by the Historic Petersburg Foundation (HPF). After meetings with their board, they requested the use of colored asphalt through their property. Mr Malon, president of HPF, explained that some members of the board wanted the colored asphalt to minimize the intrusion of the site. Ms Barrar stated that the plaza/landing that marked the transition from Grove Avenue into the Trading Post site would follow on a later application when more detail is available. Me Battiston said that concrete aggregate might be more cost effective than the colored asphalt because it would be a very long distance to ship it, plus there would already be concrete aggregate used on the driveways along Grove Avenue. Ms Barrar noted that concrete aggregate was more expensive than normal asphalt, but they hadn’t yet looked into problems transporting colored asphalt. She expected they would look into a brick/terracotta color. Ms Barrar said the storm water details and such would be included in the 100% plans, but that wouldn’t require ARB review. Mr Battiston asked where exactly the trail would go behind the Southside Depot. Ms Barrar said behind the gravel parking lot on Pike Street, then along the existing gravel road/driveway behind the Southside Depot. There was some discussion about past and potential future uses of the Southside Depot site, such as outdoor event space. Mr Battiston suggested moving the trail closer to the fence along the Depot to leave more open space behind it. It was noted that the proposed placement was because of a separate investor interested in constructing a dog park in that area. No public comment. Mr Lunsford motioned to approve the application as submitted, and approve either the use of colored asphalt or concrete aggregate for select portions of the trail. also to include items deemed appropriate at the October 2019 review of the 35% complete plans. The motion was seconded by Mr Murphy. Ms Jordan motioned to amend the motion with the addition that there should be consideration for moving the trail behind the South Side Depot closer to the building if the proposed dog park falls through. This amendment was seconded by Mr Murphy. The motion and amendment were approved unanimously. 2  Staff inquired about the gravel parking lot on Joseph Jenkins Roberts St, which is not in a Local Historic District; Ms Barrar said railroad workers would still be able to access the area. 7. OLD BUSINESS 8. NEW BUSINESS 9. WORK SESSION a. Code Compliance partnership Staff explained that the City needed a plan for preventing future blight, and a meeting between Code, Planning, and the ARB was discussed. Mr Battiston suggested getting rid of the worst or most dangerous buildings to improve property values to entice people. Mr Murphy suggested finding target areas and making an inventory of resources. It was also suggested to consult with the Department of Historic Resources. 10. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Mr Murphy to adjourn the meeting, with a second from Mr Lunsford. The motion was passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned. 3