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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20120201MINUTES HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY February 1, 2012 A. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The regular monthly meeting of the Historic District Commission was called to order on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in Conference Room 1 of the Washington County Administrative Annex, 80 West Baltimore Street. Members present included: Chairman Charles Stewart, Robert Bowman, Tom Clemens, Christine Toms, Kurt Cushwa and George Anikis. Also present were Staff members Stephen Goodrich and Debra Eckard. B. MINUTES Mr. Bowman made a motion to approve the minutes of the December 7, 2011 meeting as presented. Second by Mr. Anikis. Unanimously approved. C. COMMUNICATIONS AND BILLS Mr. Goodrich noted that copies of the MAHDC Newsletter and the 2012 Meeting Schedule were included in the agenda packets mailed to each Commission member. D. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None E. BUDGET None F. NEW BUSINESS Permit #2011-02590-21422 Leiter Street Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval Permit # 2011-02590 for property located at 21422 Leiter Street in the Leitersburg Rural Village zone. The applicant is proposing to construct a 599 sq. ft. masonry pavilion. Mr. Goodrich noted that the pavilion would be located to the rear of the property and would probably not be visible from the street. Motion and Vote: Mr. Bowman made a motion to approve Permit # 2011-02590 for property located at 21422 Leiter Street as presented because it is consistent with the Rural Village design guidelines. The motion was seconded by Ms. Toms and unanimously approved. Demolition Permit #2012-00137-5341 Red Hill Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and comment Demolition Permit # 2012-00137 for property located at 5341 Red Hill Road, Keedysville. The two-story dwelling proposed for demolition is listed in the Washington County Historic Sites Survey as Site WA -II -341. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cukier, were present at the meeting. They believe that the dwelling is uninhabitable and that there are no materials that are salvageable. Mr. Goodrich noted that the property is in the Rural Legacy Program, which prohibits more than one dwelling on the property. Mr. Clemens asked if the owners would be willing to make any of the architectural elements of the house available for interested parties. Mrs. Cukier stated that they would not be opposed to someone obtaining the salvageable materials, such as hardware, windows, etc. The Commission suggested the names of some organizations and persons to contact that may be interested in the materials. Motion and Vote: Mr. Clemens made a motion, that while the Commission regrets the demolition of the structure, it understands that it is a liability for the property owners due to unsafe conditions and recommends no opposition to the demolition. The HDC further recommends that the salvageable materials be made available to interested parties. The motion was seconded by Mr. Bowman and unanimously approved. Ms. Toms expressed her interest in documenting the structure [inside and outside] for future use by the County and the Historical Society of Keedysville. She will contact the owners. RZ-12-001 - 20519 Beaver Creek Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and comment RZ-12-001 for property located at 20519 Beaver Creek Road in the Beaver Creek Rural Village zone. The applicant, Cornerstone Community Church, is proposing to rezone the property from RB-E (Rural Business Existing) to RV (Rural Village). Mr. Goodrich explained that a church is not a permitted use in the RB-E zoning district; however, it is a permitted use in the RV district. Discussion: Mr. Cushwa noted that the Church would be considered an assembly occupancy and 5B Construction Assembly Occupancy requires a sprinkler system in the structure; however, this property does not have public water. Therefore, a holding tank and a pump with a back-up generator and large fuel tank would be required, which would be a considerable cost to the Church. Mr. Anikis questioned if the septic system would be adequate for the occupancy. Mr. Bowman expressed his opinion that a business at this location could create traffic and parking issues and safety concerns in the Rural Village. Motion and Vote: Mr. Bowman made a motion to recommend that the Commission has no objection to the rezoning request because there would be no adverse effects on the Rural Village. The motion was seconded by Ms. Toms and unanimously approved. Mr. Clemens requested that the comments discussed regarding traffic and parking issues, safety concerns, and the lack of public water and sewer at this location be forwarded to the property owner. Environmental Review — Sharpsburg Pike improvements south of 1-70 Mr. Goodrich presented a request for an Environmental Review of the Sharpsburg Pike improvements south of the 1-70 interchange. The Commission received a copy of a letter sent to the Maryland Historical Trust from Bohler Engineering. According to Bohler Engineering, proposed road improvements on Sharpsburg Pike will affect historic properties; however, the impact is anticipated to be negligible and will consist of disturbance along the front of those properties (approximately 4,500 sq. ft. +1-). Mr. Goodrich briefly explained why these improvements are needed. He further explained that the historic inventory sites addressed in Bohler's letter have already been razed. The HDC had no further comments. G. OTHER BUSINESS None H. CLOSED SESSION None I. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Bowman made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Seconded by Mr. Anikis. So ordered. Respectfully submitted, Stephen T. Goodrich Director of Planning