Board of Historic & Architectural Review

The Smithfield Board of Historic and Architectural Review (BHAR) held its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 20th, 2024 at the Smithfield Center. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. Members present: Trey Gwaltney – Chairman Julia Hillegass – Vice Chair Russell Hill Justin Hornback Leigh Abbott-Leaman Members absent: Julie Hess Judith Lally Staff present: William Riddick, III – Town Attorney Mark Kluck – Planner Press: None Citizens: 2 Chairman Gwaltney welcomed all attendees to the meeting. Planner’s Report: Mr. Kluck reported that Town Staff continued to work on the Historic District Guidelines updates. Public Comments: Chairman Gwaltney confirmed that there were no members of the public that wished to make comment. Board Member Comments: Chairman Gwaltney welcomed the BHAR’s newest member, Mrs. Leigh Abbott – Leaman. Assorted Exterior Changes – 100 Main Street – Contributing – Goodlynn Ventures Real Estate Holdings LLC c/o Mischelle Goodman, applicant. Mr. Kluck reported that the applicant was seeking approval for exterior changes to a commercial building, which included the addition of a 7’ 9” by 9’ 8” walk-in cooler screened by an 8-foot tall stained wooden fence and a 9’ 6” tall stained wooden awning located at the rear of the building. He continued that the proposed outdoor seating area would have additional pavers to match the existing ones, and nine (9) new planter boxes will be installed along the sidewalk to create a barrier between the patrons and passersby. He stated that the stand-alone planter box and the light pole on the right side of the building would be removed to make way for the new seating area. Mr. Kluck reported that the red phone booth, currently located near the Isle of Wight County Board of Historic and Architectural Review February 20th, 2024 Museum, will be repositioned at the front of the building, facing Main Street. He said that the applicant would perform a like-for-like replacement of the standing seam metal and flat roofs in the same style and color and install a roof-mounted exhaust fan for their commercial kitchen during the roof repairs. Mr. Kluck said that the applicant would like approval to erect three signs: one wall sign, one canopy sign, and one detached sign. He detailed that the first sign would be a 5.3 square foot (6’ 4” wide by 10” tall) awning sign attached and hanging from the larger pergola facing Main Street. He added that second sign would be a 18.8 square foot (12’ 6” wide by 1’ 6” tall) wall sign erected on the side of the building facing North Church Street, and noted that the applicant would need to remove the lattice attached to the building to mount the proposed wall sign. He specified that the awning and wall sign would feature the restaurant name “The Fiddlin’ Pig” in gold lettering on a green background. Mr. Kluck reported that the third sign would be a 10.7 square foot (2’ 8” wide by 4’ tall) detached sign erected on the existing pole and bracket near the front right corner of the building and would feature the restaurant’s name in gold lettering and a fiddling pig on a green background. He reported that Town staff recommended approval from a zoning standing point and deferred to the BHAR for architectural discretion. Mishelle Goodman reported that she was present to answer any questions. Vice Chair Hillegass reported that the Planning Commission had reviewed the application the week prior at their meeting and had recommended approval. Chairman Gwaltney noted that the layout in the building was interesting and was a creative way to make the necessary components fit in the space. Mrs. Abbott-Leaman asked for confirmation that the canopy sign would be added onto the existing pergola. Mrs. Goodman stated that was correct, adding that it was a wooden panel that would be hanging. Chairman Gwaltney asked if there was any specific plan for what to do with the phone booth. Mrs. Goodman reported that it would a photo opportunity feature. She stated that the sign it was near was in a “pub sign” style making it the perfect spot to place the phone booth. Chairman Gwaltney asked if they were aware that the phone booth did not have door on it and how that came to be. He explained that when the phone booth came 40 years ago it had been a gift from the community in Isle of Wight, England, and had initially been a working phone booth. He continued that unfortunately the issue of people leaving unsavory things in the booth became a recurring problem, thus the door was eventually removed. He cautioned the owners that if the door was returned to the booth, this may become an issue again. Mrs. Goodman reported that they would have cameras in that area to deter that type of behavior. Chairman Gwaltney speculated that the type of person to do that may not care if there were cameras. Mrs. Goodman stated that her daughter was interning at the Isle of Wight County Museum, and they had spoken with the Museum’s Director, Jennifer England, about their plan. She added that the museum had agreed to get some items they had out of storage that would highlight the pub 2