HomeMy Public PortalAbout06-05-2019 Minutes HDC Regular MeetingPage 1 of 5
Minutes
Historic District Commission
7 p.m. June 5, 2019
Town Hall Annex Board Meeting Room, 105 E. Corbin St.
Present: Chair Reid Highley, Candice Cobb, Jill Heilman, Laura Simmons, Virginia Smith and Will Spoon
Absent: Max Dowdle
Staff: Planner Justin Snyder
Guests: George Appenzeller, David Cates and Charles Woods
1. Call to order, roll call, and confirmation of quorum
Chair Reid Highley called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Planner Justin Snyder called the roll and confirmed the
presence of a quorum.
2. Reading of the commission’s mission statement
Highley read the statement.
3. Adjustments to the agenda
There were none.
4. Minutes review and approval
A. Minutes from the regular meeting May 1, 2019.
Motion: Commission Member Jill Heilman moved to approve the minutes with changes. Commission Member
Laura Simmons seconded.
Vote: 6-0
Changes: Add to condition regarding 221 W. Margaret Lane that the storage shed must be removed from the
Historic District.
5. Old business
There was none.
6. New business
A. Certificate of Appropriateness Application: 515 N. Wake St. — Charles Woods on behalf of GRCR Recon LLC
requests approval of a new house with Hardie siding, Miratec trim, and a two-car garage with a gravel driveway
and parking pad off West Corbin Street and a circular gravel driveway on North Wake Street (PIN: 9874-05-8688).
Motion: Commission Member Candice Cobb moved to open the public hearing. Commission Member Will
Spoon seconded.
Vote: 6-0
Highley asked commission members whether they had any conflicts of interest regarding this application. No one
did.
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David Cates and Charles Woods, representing the applicant, were sworn in.
Snyder reviewed the staff report for this application.
There was clarification that the window trim would be black and there would be six 2-over-2 windows.
Cates clarified that there is a flagstone walkway to the front steps listed in the materials list.
Highley asked whether there was anyone present to speak for or against the application.
George Appenzeller was sworn in. He said that his comments would address the proposed circular driveway,
landscaping of the property, construction materials and proposed building exterior.
Appenzeller said there are currently 22 driveways on Wake Street and none of them is circular. Snyder said the
applicant has submitted a revised plan for the driveway that would be a single entrance.
Regarding landscaping, Appenzeller said most of the trees along Corbin Street are pines. He said Corbin Street
generally does not have pine trees, so he recommends removing the pines and planting native hardwoods and
native shrubs.
Regarding the materials, Appenzeller said he is not familiar with what is allowed with new construction but was
not allowed to use the proposed materials when he renovated his home.
Regarding the building exterior, Appenzeller said no houses on or near Wake Street have board and batten on the
exterior. He wondered how that would fit the materials requirements.
Highley said that the commission has accepted fiber cement on new construction and that the opinion of the
commission has evolved on that subject. Heilman noted that the composite material has to be installed smooth
side out. Snyder and Highley said that original wood materials are expected to be replaced in kind with wood.
Highley invited the board to make comments.
Driveway
Highley asked why two driveways are proposed. Cates answered that Wake Street is the more neighborly side of
the lot, so it makes sense to site the house facing Wake Street. Cates said the driveway is needed on Corbin Street
to access the garage. Cates said the driveway configuration helps to reduce the removal of trees. He added that
the circular driveway was eliminated when Woods realized several trees more than 12 inches in diameter would
have to be removed.
Heilman said she thinks the proposed driveway on Wake Street is inconsistent with Guideline 7 under Walkways,
Driveways and Off-street Parking. In general, that type of front parking area is not in character with the district.
Front yards are generally covered with vegetation in the district. Heilman read Guideline 7.
Cates said most driveways in the district are not obscured.
Heilman said it is not OK to have a driveway on Wake Street. Cates said many houses have a driveway in front.
Heilman said there are driveways off to the side but not right in front of the house. Perhaps a gravel parking pad
parallel to the street would be more appropriate in front, she added. Cates suggested one parking space to the
right of the building.
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Simmons and Snyder noted a driveway on Wake Street would have to be located on the south side of the house
due to intersection separation and sight distance requirements.
Commission members said typically guests park on the street to access a front door. Woods said OK. Cates said he
does not agree that a pull-in parking pad could not be appropriate on Wake Street. Highley said what he is hearing
from the commission is that if it were the only driveway, it would be more acceptable.
Woods suggested moving on to another part of the plan.
Highley asked whether the commission would approve crusher run gravel for the driveway. It was noted that
Stormwater and Environmental Services Manager Terry Hackett had said via email that if the gravel is installed
properly, with an apron, it should not cause problems. Woods said if it is installed properly, it compacts like
concrete.
Cates wondered if the commission was moving toward requiring everyone to install 57 stone with geotextile
fabric under it. He noted that would be quite a change and may be something for the Board of Commissioners to
discuss.
Heilman said with time and increased knowledge, the commission makes different decisions.
Snyder said the commission is relying on the testimony of the Stormwater and Environmental Services Division for
this matter.
Simmons said it irritates her that crusher run gravel spreads into the streets.
Cates said an apron would prevent the crusher run gravel from spreading into the street.
Highley said if it is installed correctly, he would feel comfortable with crusher run as a material.
Cates asked where there is an installation of 57 stone with geotextile. There was no answer. It was noted that the
commission had suggested it for the Burwell School Historic Site.
Highley checked that the apron is proposed for Corbin Street. Woods affirmed that and said it would be a
concrete apron.
Trees
Woods and Cates said no trees more than 12 inches in diameter are proposed for removal. The commission said
the applicant could bring a landscaping plan to staff for approval under Minor Works. It was noted that the
commission recommends native plants. There would be a condition to bring a landscaping plan to staff.
Regarding screening, Woods said the HVAC unit would be screened. It was noted that the screening could not be
significantly taller than the unit.
Materials
Regarding the garage door, there was discussion that the proposed door clearly does not look like wood. Instead
of a faux wood grain, it is dimpled. Commission members asked if smooth metal garage doors are difficult to find.
Snyder said they exist but conceded that they are hard to find. Woods said he has this proposed garage door on
his new house on Thomas Ruffin Street. Snyder said he approved it because it does not look like a wood grain.
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Some commission members urged Woods to find a smooth metal door. Woods said smooth metal doors look
cheap and actually are less expensive than the proposed door. He would prefer the proposed door. Commission
members said they would consider this material the next time the commission reviews the materials list.
Simmons said her garage door is textured and was approved by the commission.
Spoon said he had concerns since other people had been turned down for a textured garage door.
Commission Member Virginia Smith said she could approve the proposed garage door if the commission would
make an explicit decision to accept this type of door in the future.
Woods asked if the commission accepts Masonite. Commission members said yes, as long as it’s smooth. Snyder
said a stucco textured Masonite door has also been approved.
Simmons said the proposed garage door is not wood grained but textured or pebbled and she can accept this.
Highley said he is comfortable with the proposed garage door.
Heilman said it’s a faux surface. It is imitating something that garage doors were not.
Cobb said it is just a rough textured material because it wears better.
Exterior
The commission briefly discussed Appenzeller’s concern regarding the board-and-batten siding. It was noted that
the exterior of a relatively new house on East Queen Street is entirely board and batten.
The applicant answered brief questions from the board: It was noted that the porch lights would be metal
recessed lights. The soffits would be white. The back door would be mahogany. A polymeric sand would be
between the flagstones. The front door would be custom made to be extra wide. Woods explained the door
would match the design on the application. The glass would not be beveled. When asked about plans for exterior
security lights, Woods indicated where he would like to install a floodlight on the south end. Smith suggested the
floodlight be black metal because another exterior light would be black.
Heilman asked for clarification about door panels and window panels for the garage doors. She noted the
materials narrative and drawing do not match. Woods answered the photo of his own garage door is a good
representation of what he is proposing. Snyder agreed.
Motion: Heilman moved to close the public hearing. Smith seconded.
Vote: 6-0
Motion: Smith moved to find as fact that the Charles Woods application on behalf of GRCR Recon 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: Site Features and Plantings; Exterior Lighting; New Construction of
Primary Buildings; New Construction of Outbuildings and Garages; Fences and Walls; and Paint and
Exterior Color; Walkways, Driveways, and Off-street Parking. Simmons seconded.
Vote: 6-0
Motion: Smith moved to approve the application with conditions. Heilman seconded.
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Vote: 6-0
Conditions:
1. The floodlight requested on the south elevation by the applicant shall be made of metal and
oriented downward.
2. The front door shall match the design on the elevations and shall have non-beveled glass.
3. The Wake Street driveway and parking area shall be removed from consideration and a revised
driveway/parking design shall be submitted to staff or the commission for reconsideration.
4. The crusher run driveway along West Corbin Street shall have a concrete apron installed on the
portion located within the public right of way.
5. A landscaping plan containing native hardwood trees shall be submitted to staff for review and
approval as a minor works.
6. All Miratec and fiber cement exterior materials shall be installed smooth side out with no wood
grain.
7. The garage door design shall match the photo submitted by the applicant of his home’s garage.
8. The garage door texture is approved only because the evidence shows the texture to be an
abstract dimpled texture that is clearly not trying to mimic wood grain.
9. All battens shall be white to match the rest of the exterior siding.
10. The material for the front stone walkway shall be flagstone as submitted by the applicant.
11. The mechanical screening fence shall be installed friendly side out and shall be equal in height to
the item(s) being screened and no taller.
12. The rear doors shall be stained to match the mahogany front door.
13. Tree protection fencing to the edge of the dripline of the tree canopy and soil and sedimentation
control measures shall be installed prior to land disturbance.
8. Staff and commission updates and comments
Cates asked for examples in the district of recently approved retaining walls. Snyder told him to look at a retaining
wall on North Hassell Street.
The commission said a quorum may not be able to meet July 3. It was agreed to work out a date via email.
Snyder reported that the preservation awards were presented.
Snyder noted Highley’s term would be ending in October. The commission said it would be fine for Highley to join
Snyder in interviewing candidates to fill his position.
7. Adjournment
Motion: Simmons moved to adjourn at 8:20 p.m. Heilman seconded.
Vote: 6-0