HomeMy Public PortalAbout01-06-2016 Minutes HDC Regular MeetingPage 1 of 7
MINUTES
HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION
Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 7:00 PM,
Town Barn
Present: Chairman Anna Currie, Vice Chairman Reid Highley, Candice Cobb, Brad Farlow, Joe Griffin, Jill
Heilman, Virginia Smith
Staff: Stephanie Trueblood
Guests: Robbin Taylor-Hall, Holly Snyder, Tom Magnuson
ITEM # 1: Call to order, roll call, and confirmation of quorum
Chair Currie called the meeting to order. Ms. Trueblood called the roll and confirmed the presence of a quorum.
ITEM # 2: Reading of the Commission’s Mission Statement
Chairman Currie read the Commission’s Mission Statement and explained the processes.
ITEM # 3: Additions to the agenda and agenda adjustment
There were none.
ITEM # 4: Approval of minutes from the December 2, 2015 and December 10, 2015 meetings
Motion: Ms. Cobb moved to approve the December 2, 2015, minutes as amended.
Second: Ms. Heilman seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
Changes: page 2 remove redundant …. “the find as a fact that” from last paragraph, page 4 change “here”
to “her,” pages 5 and 6 change “complies” to “does not comply”
Motion: Ms. Heilman moved to approve the December 10, 2015, minutes as amended.
Second: Mr. Farlow seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
Changes: page 1 add…”Staff agreed to develop draft text amendment language and return to the board
for review in the spring.”
ITEM # 5: Application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Holly Snyder to make renovations to the
cottage including removing the stoop, replacing deteriorated exterior materials, removing a
chimney, removing a tree, installing porch railing, moving the steps, installing lattice under the
porch, painting the block foundation, and replacing a single pane window sash with an
insulated window sash at 105 W. Orange Street (PIN 9874-08-3322)
This item was addressed after Item #6.
Motion: Ms. Heilman moved to open the public hearing.
Second: Mr. Highley seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
Chairman Currie asked whether anyone had a conflict of interest regarding this application. No one did.
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Holly Snyder was sworn in.
Ms. Trueblood stated that this application is regarding 105 W. Orange Street. There are mostly contributing
structures in the vicinity.
The architecture is: 1950s C: 105 W. Orange Street: This one-story, side-gabled Ranch house is four bays wide
and single-pile and faces the rear of 409 North Churton Street, though it has a 105 West Orange Street address.
The house has aluminum siding, two-over-two horizontal-pane wood-sash windows, and a concrete-block
chimney on the rear (west) elevation. The three-light-over-two-panel door is sheltered by a two-bay-wide,
engaged shed-roofed porch supported by square posts. The house was likely constructed in the 1950s. 409 N.
Churton Street: House c. 1955, This one-story, side-gable Ranch house is five bays wide and double-pile with a
concrete-block foundation, brick veneer, an interior brick chimney, and German-profile weatherboards in the
gables. The house has stacked awning windows throughout including awning windows flanking a picture window
on the façade. The four-light-over-four-panel door and picture window bays are recessed and sheathed with
vertical wood. The right (north) bay is an engaged, screened porch that extends the full depth of the house.
There is an attached shed-roofed carport at the right rear (northwest) supported by metal posts with an
enclosed storage area on the west end. County tax records date the building to 1955. House c. 1950s, This 1-
story, side-gable, single-pile, frame house with four bays is built on a concrete block pier foundation infilled with
concrete block. Outbuilding, This shelter has a metal roof and timber posts.
The proposed work includes making renovations to the cottage including removing the stoop, replacing
deteriorated exterior materials, removing a chimney, removing a tree, installing porch railing, moving
the steps, installing lattice under the porch, painting the block foundation, and replacing a single pane
window sash with an insulated window sash at 105 W. Orange Street (PIN 9874-08-3322)
Agenda packets included: notification information and vicinity map, narrative submitted by the applicant,
inspection report, survey, and photos of existing conditions.
The applicable Design Guidelines are: Exterior Walls, Windows and Doors, Porches, Entrances and
Balconies, Site Features and Plantings, Masonry, Wood, Paint and Exterior Color, Utilities and Energy
Retrofit.
Chairman Currie asked whether there was anyone to speak for or against the application. There was no
one.
The board went through the proposed works one by one. There was general agreement that while the
Guidelines discourages removing chimneys, the chimney proposed for removal does not contribute to
the character of the house or the district.
There was question of the size of the tree that will be removed and a request that one that will grow to
a similar size can be replanted on the property in a better location.
There was discussion about the railing (horizontal railing will be cable, tubing or pipe of a narrow
diameter).
The lattice to discourage animals from living under the house would be wood.
There was discussion of painting the block foundation. Board members were comfortable with it being
painted because it’s not brick or stone (p. 15 of Design Guidelines).
For clarification, Ms. Snyder said she would be replacing all of the windows.
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Motion: Mr. Highley moved to close the public hearing.
Second: Ms. Cobb seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
Motion: Ms. Heilman moved to find as a fact that the Holly Snyder application is in keeping with
the overall character of the Historic District and complies with all relevant standards of evaluation based
on the Board’s discussion of the application and the standards of evaluation in section 3.12.3 of the
Unified Development Ordinance because the plans are consistent with Design Guidelines: Exterior Walls,
Windows and Doors, Porches, Entrances and Balconies, Site Features and Plantings, Masonry, Wood,
Paint and Exterior Color, Utilities and Energy Retrofit.
Second: Mr. Farlow seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
Motion: Ms. Heilman moved to approve the application with conditions.
Second: Ms. Cobb seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
Conditions: Horizontal railing will be cable, tubing or pipe of a narrow diameter.
ITEM # 6: Review complaint letter and staff reports regarding a charge of demolition by neglect toward
the property owner of 217 South Occoneechee Street (PIN 9864-85-0670)
Robbin Taylor-Hall was sworn in.
Ms. Trueblood stated that this item is regarding 217 S. Occoneechee Street.
The Architecture is: Contributing. 1912, This two-story, I-house is three bays wide and single-pile with a
one-story, gabled ell at the right rear (southeast). The house has rolled asphalt sheathing, two -over-two
wood-sash windows, a 5V metal roof, and one-to-six common bond exterior brick chimneys in the
gables, each flanked by one-over-one windows. The double-leaf two-light-over-two-panel entrance has
boarded-up one-light-over-one-panel sidelights and is sheltered by a near-full-width, shed-roofed porch
supported by tapered wood posts on brick piers. There is an enclosed porch at the left rear (northeast)
and the rear ell has German-profile weatherboards. Bellinger dates the house to 1912.
The Town received a complaint letter on August 18, 2015, charging that the house at 217 S.
Occoneechee Street may be undergoing demolition by neglect. The Prevention of Demolition by
Neglect Ordinance is Section 8.6 of the Unified Development Ordinance. The letter cited standards (e)
and (j) from the ordinance…
e: Ineffective waterproofing of exterior walls, roofs, and foundations, including broken windows or
doors or broken or malfunctioning gutters;
j: Overgrown plants/landscaping features which threaten the structural integrity or relevant, significant
architectural detail of a structure.
A previous demolition by neglect complaint was received for this address on May 25, 2011. Staff
conducted a site visit and reported findings to the Historic District Commission on July 6, 2011. At that
time the Historic District Commission did not find evidence that the structure was experiencing
demolition by neglect.
Staff conducted a site visit on September 4, 2015, and submitted reports of findings which are included
in the agenda packets. Staff contacted the property owner for permission to access the site for
investigation. The property owner, Robbin Taylor Hall, agreed to allow staff to walk the exterior of the
site in order to investigate the complaints. Staff also contacted Orange County Building Inspector
Michael Rettie to request his presence and expert opinion in regards to structural integrity and the
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deterioration of the building fabric. Staff also contacted and invited Fire Marshal Jerry Wagner to
attend.
On Friday, September 4, 2015, Town of Hillsborough Planner Stephanie Trueblood met Michael Rettie ,
Jerry Wagner and the property owners William Lee Hall and Robbin Taylor Hall at 10:00 am at the site.
Staff inspected the exterior of the property. Staff documented the conditions with a digital camera. The
site visit lasted about 30 minutes.
Building Inspector Michael Rettie and Fire Marshal Jerry Wagner submitted reports of their findings
which are included in the packets.
Results from the Planning Department staff are as follows. Photos from the site visit are included in the
packets.
Property owner, Robbin Taylor Hall reported that there were no leaks or signs of moisture intrusion on
the interior of the house. Michael Rettie looked under the house and reported no signs of moisture or
water intrusion. Staff did not witness signs of leaning, sagging, splitting, listing, or buckling of horizontal
structural or architectural members. Staff witnessed that wood, tongue and groove, floor boards on the
screen porch on the north elevation show signs of decay and rot at the exposed edge. (That’s a
noncontributing later addition.) Fascia on the southeast corner of the house and fascia on the screen
porch located on the northeast corner of the house show signs of decay and rot.
Mortar has deteriorated around the bricks at the base of the chimney on the south elevation. There is a
space a few inches wide between the north chimney and the house. At first glance it appears the
chimney is separating and leaning away from the house. However, upon further inspection Michael
Rettie indicated that this is the way the chimney was built and said that originally a piece of trim might
have been nailed over the seam line. There does not appear to be any moisture on the wood elements
behind the north chimney. The property owner reported that there was no water intruding into the
house from this area.
The siding which is a paper and tar product is deteriorated and crumbling in numerous areas. The paper
siding shows holes and wood clapboard siding can be seen beneath. The wood lap siding seems to be in
good condition, and no signs of rot or decay were witnessed. However, it is impossible to tell the overall
condition of the wood siding because so much of it is covered with the paper siding.
Vegetation is growing in the gutters over the screen porch on the north elevation. Vegetation is growing
on the rear of the house. Gutters have been damaged on the front porch and are nonfunctioning.
There is peeling paint of all exterior wood elements including window frames and sills, soffits, corner
boards, and fascia, and front porch columns. Columns and railings on the front porch are missing paint
and may be experiencing some water damage.
Staff witnessed deterioration and decay to the point of loss of shape and form of the floor boards and
lower siding on the screen porch on the north elevation, which is an addition to the original house. Staff
did not witness any other instability, loss of shape and form, or crumbling or architectural elements.
In 2011, Staff witnessed buckling of siding on the front wall of the house in the lower right corner. The
siding appears to be curling up and away from the wood siding beneath. The reason for this was not
evident. It may be that termite or water damage has caused decay of the sill and sinking of the front
wall. No moisture could be seen from the front side or from looking underneath the house from the
crawl space. Staff felt beneath the paper siding and the wood siding felt strong. However, it was
impossible to tell if there was any decay to the structural sill without demolition work to expose the
element. The condition remains the same in 2015.
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The results of the site visit suggest to staff that the house at 217 South Occoneechee Street is
experiencing some deterioration and is in need of maintenance but is in nearly the same condition as
when it was last inspected in 2011. There is one additional gutter that has been damaged and is
nonfunctioning on the front porch. That has since been removed. Vegetation has grown up considerably
on the rear of the structure. Exterior siding, masonry, architectural elements, trim, windows, and doors
seem to be in nearly the same condition as 2011.
Agenda packets included reports from Fire Marshal Jerry Wagner and Building Inspector Mike Rettie.
The next step for the Historic District Commission (HDC), as laid out in Section 8.6 of the Unified
Development Ordinance, is to review the complaints and the evidence in the staff reports to determine
if the structure may be experiencing demolition by neglect. If upon deliberation the HDC finds that the
structure may be experiencing demolition by neglect, the HDC shall file an order to the Planning Director
to require the corrective action. If the HDC determines that the evidence does not suggest the structure
may be experiencing demolition by neglect then no further action is required.
Chairman Currie asked Ms. Taylor-Hall whether she’d like to add anything.
Ms. Taylor-Hall said that in the time since the most recent site visit they took off the front gutter which
had been damaged by a fallen limb and removed the vegetation from the back of the house. She said
she had just finished construction on the office on Churton Street at considerable cost when she
received this complaint letter and she does not have money to fix up the house at this time. She
reminded the board that when she purchased that house, there was a small trailer parked beside it and
eight dump trucks worth of trash and appliances in the yard. She removed all of that. She needs it to
stay like it is right now, she said. She doesn’t believe it’s being demolished through neglect. There is no
water entering the house, she said.
Chairman Currie reminded Ms. Taylor-Hall that this commission cannot consider the financial cost of
repairs.
Ms. Cobb asked whether the owners would remove the downed tree that would hamper firefighting
according to the Fire Marshall report. Ms. Taylor-Hall said that the wood will be taken away eventually.
Chairman Currie asked if Ms. Taylor-Hall has an idea of what may have caused the buckling in the front
wall. Ms. Taylor-Hall said it was like that in 2004 when she purchased the property. Chairman Currie
asked if the crawlspace access door had been secured. Ms. Taylor-Hall believes she closed it that day
and will check. Ms. Smith suggested Ms. Taylor-Hall be prepared to kill the stiltgrass when it re-grows in
the spring. Ms. Heilman asked whether any action was taken to prevent the deterioration of bricks in
the chimney. Ms. Taylor-Hall said not so far but she can have it taken care of. Ms. Trueblood said it
looked the same in 2011, but it’s probably a good idea to do something now before the situation
worsens. Ms. Smith cautioned that modern mortar might cause damage to the bricks. Ms. Trueblood
offered to put Ms. Taylor-Hall in touch with someone who knows about repairs to historic chimneys and
masonry.
Mr. Highley said he agrees with Mr. Farlow that water intrusion is the primary concern. He asked Ms.
Taylor-Hall to consider making repairs as she sees the need for them and cautioned that there could be
a different finding in five years.
Ms. Heilman said this is a building that generates concern in the community and she encourages Ms.
Taylor-Hall to do something about it. Others echoed the concern and the urge to do something to care
for the building. There was a question of how to capture the agreements that Ms. Taylor-Hall is making
this evening. Ms. Trueblood advised the board doesn’t have authority to fine her if she doesn’t do the
things to which she is agreeing this evening. Rather, it would be taken into consideration if someone
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made a complaint in another few years and this property were reviewed again for Demolition by
Neglect.
Motion: Chairman Currie moved to find that 217 S. Occoneechee Street does not meet criteria
for Demolition by Neglect and that the HDC requires no further action.
Second: Ms. Smith seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
ITEM # 7: Receive presentation from Tom Magnuson about Cultural Asset Study
Ms. Trueblood reviewed that the town contracted with Mr. Magnuson to survey the town properties over the
last two years. He created a geodatabase with information about the cultural assets on town property that
indicates with color coding which areas definitely or are highly likely to have cultural assets, which areas are
likely to have them, and which areas have either been so greatly disturbed or historical items would be so
deeply buried that there are no worries about building on the soil. Mr. Magnuson explained this is a prototype
his team would like to offer to other governments. He expressed concern that sometimes lots are destroyed
without being considered an archaeological resource. Ms. Trueblood explained that the state archaeological
resources office only recognizes known resources (for instance, where a Native American village was known to
be). The state doesn’t track cultural resource reviews at this time but these types of resources can have local
significance.
Chairman Currie said she’d like to inquire of the town’s attorney, Bob Hornik, whether there is anything more
this board can do. Ms. Trueblood noted that the interpretive signs have helped raise awareness about the
cultural resources. Ms. Smith raised concern of making the map public knowledge for fear of people trying to dig
things up. There was interest in exploring amending the Town Code to forbid digging for archaeological findings.
ITEM # 8: Continue discussion with Orange County Historic Preservation Commission about joint project
for a historic properties publication
Ms. Trueblood reviewed that the HDC was interested in the project last year but did not receive funds from the
Town Board.
Peter Sandbeck, Orange County cultural resources coordinator, introduced Susan Ballard, new chair of the
Orange County Historic Preservation Society. Mr. Sandbeck reviewed the history of attempting to get this
project started. Ms. Trueblood pointed out the mill villages and West Hillsborough haven’t been inventoried at
all. Mr. Sandbeck said the book would also include pre-colonial information. The total cost is estimated to be
$80,000. He reviewed some funding options and said while it’s a large amount of money, it’s not
insurmountable and some of the cost could be recouped if the book is well marketed and sells. He expressed
interest in having a couple of members of the HDC serve on the book committee. Mr. Sandbeck believes the
application to the state for a grant would be compelling if the town contributes $5,000. The rough estimate is
that Hillsborough and Orange County would each have 125 properties listed in the 350-page book. The book
would include structures and sites of great importance – tracts of land including Native American villages, the
Daniel Boone area, cemeteries, and the race track. Mr. Sandbeck sees the project taking at least 3 years. There
was conversation about the importance of the text being well written and interesting.
Motion: Chairman Currie moved to request funding of $5,000 to match Certified Local Government (CLG)
grant to pursue expanded inventory.
Second: Ms. Heilman seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
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ITEM #9: Updates
Alliance for Historic Hillsborough: Anna Currie
Chairman Currie said the Alliance hasn’t met since the last HDC meeting, but the
Alliance is continuing to look at the vision, mission and bylaws.
Staff updates
Ms. Trueblood said she hopes downtown sidewalks and the Congestion Mitigation &
Air Quality (CMAQ) project will be under construction in mid-March but she is still
waiting for the release of the NCDOT construction authorization (which should be
coming soon). Also, the town is moving forward with beginning to work on creating
a master plan for the new fire station and police station and renovate the Town Hall
campus for offices and annex spaces.
The Planning Department is conducting several feasibility studies: the Orange Grove
Road connection through the train station site out to U.S. 70, a pedestrian project
along U.S. 70 and North Churton Street by Maxway, sidewalk project to get from
Weaver Street Market to U.S. 70 B, the feasibility of pedestrian connection over I-85
from Collins Ridge to Becketts Ridge Drive, and some other properties for park
development.
Ms. Trueblood said the tree issue on Cameron Street is resolved. There are still a
few code enforcement issues outstanding that staff is working on.
In March, Mr. Hornik may have language for improvements to the ordinance
processes for Special Use Permits and Conditional Use Permits. Ms. Trueblood
would like the HDC to dig in this spring on two topics: the materials list and the size
of signs downtown. Mr. Highley would finish up his work on the new proposed
materials list for review by this board.
Ms. Trueblood reported she will soon have interpretive sign mockups, including for
the Orange County Historical Museum building.
ITEM #10: Adjourn
Motion: Mr. Farlow moved to adjourn.
Second: Ms. Cobb seconded.
Vote: Unanimous