Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAbout05-03-2023 Minutes HDC Regular Meeting 101 E. Orange St., PO Box 429, Hillsborough, NC 27278 919-732-1270 | www.hillsboroughnc.gov | @HillsboroughGov HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES | 1 of 6 Minutes HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Regular meeting 6:30 p.m. May 3, 2023 Board Meeting Room of Town Hall Annex, 105 E. Corbin St. Present: Chair Will Senner, Elizabeth Dicker, G. Miller, Mathew Palmer, Hannah Peele and Bruce Spencer Absent: Vice Chair Max Dowdle Staff: Planner Joseph Hoffheimer and Town Attorney Bob Hornik 1. Call to order, roll call, and confirmation of quorum Chair Will Senner called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Senner called the roll and confirmed the presence of a quorum. 2. Commission’s mission statement Senner read the statement. 3. Agenda changes Senner asked staff if there were any agenda changes, and Planner Joseph Hoffheimer responded that there were three revisions. Hoffheimer said that, on the written decisions for 318 W. Queen St., the vote has been updated to 4-1 from 5-1 to reflect Member Bruce Spencer’s recusal on the vote. The updated 4-1 vote has been reflected on the written decision that will be signed. Hoffheimer noted that another change was a spelling error on 404 N. Churton St. that was corrected prior to the meeting. He said the third change was to the staff report for the 418 Calvin St. application. The address of 113 N. Churton St. was used in the staff report when it should have been 418 Calvin St. All other information is correct, Hoffheimer said. 4. Minutes review and approval Minutes from the regular meeting on March 1, 2023. Senner called for comments on the minutes. There being none, he asked for a motion to approve. Motion: Spencer moved approval of the March 1, 2023, minutes as submitted. Member G. Miller seconded. Vote: 6-0. Nays: 0. Minutes from the regular meeting on April 5, 2023. Senner called for comments on the minutes. Miller stated that he had a comment on the minutes. He stated that he had voted against the application for 318 W. Queen St. at the April 5, 2023, meeting, and he asked to insert a note into the minutes to support his vote of nay. Town Attorney Bob Hornik advised that, although it is not appropriate to add it to the minutes because it is not contemporaneous with the meeting, Miller could provide comments that explain his nay vote that would become part of the record. HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES | 2 of 6 Senner asked Hornik for clarification on whether the vote on the minutes should be taken before Miller’s comments, and Hornik confirmed that the vote should proceed first. Senner called for a motion on the April 5, 2023, minutes. Motion: Member Hannah Peele moved approval of the April 5, 2023, minutes as submitted. Spencer seconded. Vote: 6-0. Nays: 0. Miller read a statement to explain his nay vote on the 318 W. Queen St. application. He stated that, although he did not have a problem with the application in general, the absence of a condition regarding floodlights gave him reason to vote nay on the request. He stated that he felt the use of floodlights would negatively impact the neighboring property and would not meet the Historic District’s exterior lighting standard. 5. Written Decisions review and approval Written Decisions from regular meetings on: March 1, 2023 April 5, 2023 Senner asked Hornik for clarification regarding the procedure for written decisions review and approval. Hornik stated that each decision should be approved separately unless there is no objection to approving them collectively. Hoffheimer said his understanding was that if there were no comments, then they could be approved collectively but if there were comments on a particular decision, then that decision should be reviewed and approved separately. He noted that this was the first time the commission was following the procedure set forth in Chapter 160D of the General Statutes and that staff would be looking to streamline the process for future meetings. Hornik stated that under Chapter 160D every quasi-judicial decision must include the written rationale for the decision. He said that, while this has been done in the past, following the new state standard will provide clearer evidence in the event of an appeal. Hoffheimer stated that the language should be taken from the minutes that have been approved. He noted that appeals are now heard by Orange County Superior Court and not by the Board of Adjustment. Hornik stated that he had read through the decisions and believes they reflect the discussion, rationale and findings made by the commission. Senner called for comments or corrections. Member Elizabeth Dicker expressed her satisfaction with the written decisions. Senner called for a motion to approve the March 1, 2023, written decisions. Motion: Dicker moved to approve the March 1, 2023, written decisions. Miller seconded. Vote: 6-0. Nays: 0. Senner asked for clarification on when the written decisions should be signed. Hoffheimer said they could be signed at the end of the meeting. HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES | 3 of 6 Senner called for a motion to approve the April 5, 2023, written decisions. Motion: Spencer moved to approve the April 5, 2023, written decisions. Peele seconded. Vote: 6-0. Nays: 0. 6. New business A. Certificate of Appropriateness Application: 418 Calvin St. — Applicant is requesting to construct a 7.5-foot by 13-foot rear bathroom addition. Senner asked if there were any conflicts of interest and opened the public hearing when none were raised. He called for any witnesses to come forward to be sworn in. Hoffheimer and applicant Stephanie Trueblood were sworn in. Hoffheimer stated for the record that although he and the applicant both work for the town, he can maintain impartiality. He provided a background description for the property at 418 Calvin St. He stated that it is a contributing structure to the National Register Historic District and is over 50 years old. Hoffheimer reviewed the application materials including the Certificate of Appropriateness application, project narrative, proposed exterior materials, existing photos, plot plan and elevations. He stated that the applicable design standards are additions to residential buildings. He reviewed the inventory information for the one-and-a-half-story, craftsman-style bungalow. He invited the applicant to speak on the application. Trueblood spoke regarding previous renovations not noted on the inventory description. She stated that metal columns have been removed and that the vinyl, turned posts on the porch had been replaced previously with wood posts. She stated that the house has a shed-roof bathroom that was not part of the original structure built in 1919 as a one-room house. She proposes to follow the same roof slope for the addition to match the existing bathroom. She also proposes to use the same metal roof and wood siding to match existing materials. She stated that a slab foundation and French drain are proposed. She explained the design considerations regarding the window placement. Trueblood confirmed that the extension of the roof trim would match the existing roof. She requested that the last plank be allowed to be cement HardiePlank and not wood to protect it from rot and termites. She clarified that the single HardiePlank would match the look and finish of the wood siding. Senner asked the commissioners if there were any objections to the request to use HardiePlank for the last board, and there were none. Senner asked if there were any questions. Miller asked for clarification on the roof overhangs. Trueblood stated the intent was to match the rear addition and questioned whether the drawing was misleading. She restated her intent to match the rear addition on both sides and stated that could be included in the record and that she would modify the application if needed. HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES | 4 of 6 Senner asked for any additional comments. Senner asked for any additional references on the standards. Peele commended the applicant’s decision to use wood for the addition. Senner closed the public hearing. Member Mathew Palmer commended the applicant on the level of detail in the application. Motion: Miller moved as a finding of fact that the application for a bathroom addition at the rear of the residence at 418 Calvin St. 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 Standards for additions to residential buildings. Senner seconded. Vote: 6-0. Nays: 0. Motion: Miller moved to approve the application as submitted with the condition that the roof overhang on the addition be the same as the overhang on the current bathroom. Senner seconded. Senner asked if there was any discussion. Spencer asked if it needed to be noted that the commission approved the use of HardiePlank for the lowest board. Senner confirmed with Hornik that because that would be included in the minutes, that was sufficient. Palmer asked if commissioners were certain they wanted to add the condition to the motion. Dicker said she supported including the condition because the exhibit they were reviewing did not reflect that the overhangs were balanced. Senner stated that while he did not view the submitted application as incongruent, the suggested modification is more congruent and preferred. Palmer expressed his concerns with setting a precedent and maintaining consistency from case to case. Spencer spoke regarding his belief that the motion is consistent with the commission’s past actions. Senner reopened the public hearing to allow Trueblood to provide a clarification. Trueblood stated that she believes that the drawing is incorrect and not reflective of her intention to match the roof overhangs. She supports the condition as a point of clarification. Palmer referred to previously discussed best practices about avoiding making decisions that might be perceived as arbitrary. Senner requested an opinion by Hornik who confirmed that, based on the drawings, it was an appropriate condition. Peele stated that because the drawings were not completely reflecting the intended result, she believes it is appropriate to include the condition. Senner closed the public hearing. 7. Amend updated Rules of Procedure Senner asked Hoffheimer to provide an overview of the proposed amendment. Hoffheimer stated that a previous update had not included language that is now proposed to be inserted into the Rules of Procedure. He said that in Section 12 of the Historic District Design Standards, the language should be added back in that HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES | 5 of 6 “applications for changes to landmark properties will be evaluated against the secretary of the interior standards for rehabilitation,” which is consistent with language in the Unified Development Ordinance. He clarified that it is for properties that have already been designated as Local Landmarks. Currently, he said, this includes just the two mill properties. Senner asked for a motion to approve the amendment. Motion: Miller moved approval of the amendment. Spencer seconded. Vote: 6-0. Nays: 0. Dicker asked if Local Landmarks applications coming before the commission will be tagged for review. Hoffheimer confirmed that they would and restated that it only applies to two properties at this point. 8. Updates A. Nash Street property code enforcement case Hoffheimer reported that the property had obtained permits. Dicker clarified the property location as being between Tryon and King streets. Hoffheimer confirmed that the work being undertaken has been permitted. B. Subcommittees Senner asked about subcommittees. Hoffheimer responded that staff is working to schedule the meetings. Hoffheimer stated that he is seeking training opportunities to maintain Certified Local Government status. Senner mentioned online training opportunities through the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office that the town had previously participated in. Hoffheimer said he will confirm with Shannan Campbell, planning and economic development manager, but many training sessions are moving to in-person events. Hoffheimer said there were no more updates. There was discussion on whether the July commission meeting would be canceled. Hoffheimer stated that the application submittals have not been heavy lately but said it is beneficial to have a meeting just to approve the written decisions. He said that a canceled meeting pushes back the approval of the written decisions by a month and can cause hardship for applicants. He said it is difficult to generate a record of the decision at the meeting because the minutes provide the basis for the decision. Hornik stated that the date of entry of the written decision is the starting point for work as well as for someone to appeal the decision. Miller asked if the property owner at 404 N. Churton St. had contacted an arborist. Hoffheimer said there was no additional support provided by the owner. Dicker asked if others had received literature on maintaining stone walls from Preservation Hillsborough. She said it included design standards for stone walls, an inventory of stone walls and their condition and a list of stone masons. Commissioners discussed the information, and Hoffheimer said he would be glad to receive a copy of the package. Senner asked for other updates and there were none. 9. Adjournment Senner adjourned the meeting at 7:15 p.m. HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES | 6 of 6 Respectfully submitted, Joseph Hoffheimer Planner Staff support to the Historic District Commission Approved: 7/19/2023