HomeMy Public PortalAbout05-02-2018 Minutes HDC Regular MeetingPage 1 of 6
Minutes
Historic District Commission Meeting
6 p.m. May 2, 2018
Town Barn, 101 E. Orange St.
Present: Chair Reid Highley, Vice Chair Brad Farlow, Max Dowdle, Joe Griffin, Jill Heilman, Laura
Simmons and Virginia Smith
Staff: Planner Justin Snyder
Guests: Jack Bernhardt, Lisa Napp, Krista Reddington, Amber Simpson, Philip Singer and Bill
Whitmore
Item 1: Call to order, roll call, and confirmation of quorum
Chair Reid Highley called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Planner Justin Snyder called the roll and
confirmed the presence of a quorum.
Item 2: Reading of the commission’s mission statement
Highley read the commission’s mission statement.
Item 3: Adjustments to the agenda
There were none.
Item 4: Approval of the minutes from the April 4, 2018, meeting
Motion: Member Laura Simmons moved to approve the minutes as presented. Member Jill
Heilman seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Changes: None
Item 5: Presentation on Certified Local Governments
Certified Local Government Coordinator Amber Simpson of the State Historic Preservation Office
reviewed applicable state statutes, state preservation history, and the roles and responsibilities of
state preservation offices and certified local governments. This presentation lasted until 7 p.m.
Item 6: Application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Philip and Kay Singer to add a storage
room with HardieBoard siding, a garage door, and an asphalt shingle roof supported by a
pressure-treated wood post to the existing rear garage at 120 E. Union St. (9874-17-0933)
Motion: Simmons moved to open the public hearing. Heilman seconded.
Vote: 7-0
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Highley asked whether there were any conflicts of interest among the commission members. There
were no conflicts.
Philip Singer was sworn in.
Snyder read the staff report into the record.
Highley asked whether there was anyone in the audience to speak for or against this application.
There was no one.
When asked about the exact placement of the new garage door, Singer amended the application so
that the new garage door on the right-hand side would be centered on the wall of the proposed
addition.
Motion: Smith moved to close the public hearing. Simmons seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Motion: Vice Chair Brad Farlow moved to find as fact that the Philip and Kay Singer application
is in keeping with the overall character of the Historic District and complies with all
relevant standards of evaluation based on the commission’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 the Historic District
Design Guidelines: Additions to Existing Buildings, Outbuildings and Garages, Roofs,
Exterior Walls, Windows and Doors. Member Max Dowdle seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Motion: Farlow moved to approve the application with conditions. Heilman seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Conditions: The new garage door on the right-hand side will be centered on the proposed addition
wall.
Item 7: Application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Krista Reddington to build a pressure-
treated wood screened porch with a 5V metal roof and four polycarbonate skylight panels over
an existing rear wood deck at 113 N. Hassel St. (9864-86-6651).
Motion: Simmons moved to open the public hearing. Farlow seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Highley asked whether anyone on the commission had a conflict of interest regarding this
application. No one did.
Krista Reddington was sworn in.
Snyder read his staff report into the record.
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Highley asked whether there was anyone present to speak for or against the application. There was
no one.
Reddington answered questions from the board, most of which were referenced in the staff report.
Highley said the proposed skylight is less obtrusive than others and the lot slopes quite a bit, so he
did not think the skylights would be very visible. Farlow agreed. Reddington noted a place that
commission members could find an example of polycarbonate panels is on a pergola at Duke
Gardens.
The commission asked Reddington to state her preference for painting or placing a clear finish on
the new wood for the porch frame, posts, and screen door. Reddington expressed a preference for
the clear finish.
Motion: Simmons moved to close the public hearing. Dowdle seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Motion: Smith moved to find as fact that the Krista Reddington application is in keeping with
the overall character of the Historic District and complies with all relevant standards of
evaluation based on the commission’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 the Historic District Design Guidelines: Decks, Additions to
Existing Buildings, Roofs. Simmons seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Motion: Smith moved to approve the application as modified per the discussion. Simmons
seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Conditions: None
Item 8: Application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Hillsborough Arts Council on behalf of
Taylor Hall LLC to install a full-lite wood storefront door with tempered glass to be painted
“Sunburst” in front of the existing wood storefront door at 102 N. Churton St. (9874-06-6314).
Motion: Simmons moved to open the public hearing. Smith seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Highley asked whether there were any conflicts of interest regarding this application. There was
none.
Bill Whitmore, vice chair of the Hillsborough Arts Council’s board, was sworn in.
Snyder read the staff report into the record.
Highley asked whether anyone in the audience wished to speak for or against this application. No
one did.
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Snyder said he did not approve the door as a minor works because there are no other businesses
downtown that have installed a storefront door in front of an existing storefront door.
Whitmore said the property owner was not amenable to the arts council replacing the door and
placing the existing door in storage. He said that someone who knows about door installation has
looked at the doorframe and determined there is sufficient room to install a door in front of the
existing door.
Highley said it is unusual to install a door in front of an existing door, but it is a reversible change
that is not damaging the existing building.
Heilman said it is her understanding that the installation of the door would in no way affect the
panels on the building in this doorway and that if Whitmore finds the installation would affect the
panels, then he is to return to the commission before moving forward. Whitmore said he
understood that and agreed with that.
Motion: Simmons moved to close the public hearing. Smith seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Motion: Farlow moved to find as fact that the Hillsborough Arts Council application is in keeping
with the overall character of the Historic District and complies with all relevant
standards of evaluation based on the commission’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 the Historic District Design Guidelines:
Storefronts, Windows and Doors, Paint and Exterior Color. Simmons seconded.
Vote: 6-1 (Heilman)
Motion: Farlow moved to approve the application as modified. Simmons seconded.
Vote: 6-1 (Heilman)
Conditions: The door must be affixed to the existing jamb and must not impact the side paneling.
Item 9: Application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Jack Bernhardt and Lisa Napp to install
a 6-foot-tall black welded “Majestic” galvanized steel fence with two front-facing gates in the rear
and side yard of 416 Mitchell St. (9874-28-0836).
Motion: Simmons moved to approve. Dowdle seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Simmons said she has a conflict of interest because she lives next door.
Motion: Farlow moved to recuse Simmons due to a conflict of interest. Heilman seconded.
Vote: 6-0
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Snyder read the staff report into the record.
Highley asked whether there was anyone in the audience to speak for or against the application.
Simmons asked to speak.
Simmons said her property and the Bernhardt/Napp property back up to the San Souci property
and deer are a problem. She re-measured her fence and found it to be 70 inches tall in several
places and 73 inches tall at a gate. She said Jack Bernhardt needs a 4-foot-wide gate to get a riding
lawnmower through, and she thinks the proposed fence is attractive.
Smith said according to Page 45 of the guidelines, under Fences and Walls, she does not think the
material is compatible with the neighborhood. Fences are wood in this neighborhood. Heilman
agreed that she thinks this is a contemporary fence that is not compatible with the neighborhood.
She thinks tall pickets would be an appropriate alternative.
Jack Bernhardt was sworn in.
Bernhardt said his house is contemporary and there are a number of black metal fences on West
King Street. He shared a photograph of one such fence on a residential property on the west side of
North Churton Street.
Napp said in the late 1800s, decorative fences like this were common in Hillsborough in the front
and side yards.
Smith said the fence to which Bernhardt was referring is about 4 feet tall.
Napp said the height of the fence is not only to keep the deer out but also for security because two
elderly parents live with them and there have been three attempted break-ins.
Napp and Bernhardt said they plan to landscape after installing the fencing.
Highley noted that the applicants could have possibly received an approval under minor works to
construct a solid 6-foot privacy fence around the rear and side yard and he thinks the proposed
fencing better preserves the streetscape because it can be seen through. Highley said in terms of
material, there is a lot of precedent for cast-iron fencing.
Heilman said privacy fencing has only been approved in situations where it was determined that
blocking a view was needed. She said a lot of the steel recently installed downtown is railing and
not fencing.
Snyder checked that the applicants are not proposing decorative circular rings. The applicants said
they are not.
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Motion: Farlow moved to close the public hearing. Griffin seconded.
Vote: 6-0
Motion: Farlow moved to find as fact that the Lisa Napp and Jack Bernhardt application is in
keeping with the overall character of the Historic District and complies with all
relevant standards of evaluation based on the commission’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 the Historic District
Design Guidelines: Fences and Walls. Griffin seconded.
Vote: 5-1 (Heilman)
Motion: Farlow moved to approve the application as modified. Dowdle seconded.
Vote: 5-1 (Heilman)
Conditions: None
Snyder said he would anticipate other applicants asking for this type of fence and asked the board
to determine whether he can approve it as a minor works.
Several board members said it depends on the house and type of yard.
Item 10: Consideration of approving several minor changes to the guidelines; adding minor works
for street furniture and screening for commercial sidewalk dining and merchandise displays, for
exterior commercial light fixtures and for ADA required guardrails for commercial businesses;
and allowing staff to approve additional parking lot and driveway paving materials.
Snyder referred to his staff report on this item. As Snyder and the board members reviewed the
changes individually throughout the guidelines, some changes in language were suggested, which
were noted by Snyder.
Motion: Heilman moved to approve as modified by staff. Dowdle seconded.
Vote: 7-0
Changes: Modifications by staff from the meeting and subsequent modifications by the town
attorney.
Item 11: Updates
• The poster is complete for the Preservation Award presentation.
• Farlow and Smith confirmed they would attend Certified Local Government preservation
training in Chapel Hill.
• Snyder has been following up a case of noncompliance with the terms of a Certificate of
Appropriateness on West Tryon Street.
Item 11: Adjourn
Motion: Simmons moved to adjourn at 9:37 p.m. Heilman seconded.
Vote: 7-0