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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20130109MINUTES HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY January 9, 2013 A. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The regular monthly meeting of the Historic District Commission was called to order on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 7:05 p.m. in Conference Room I of the Washington County Administrative Annex, 80 West Baltimore Street. Members present included: Tom Clemens, Gary Rohrer, Christine Toms, and Kurt Cushwa Also present was Staff member Stephen Goodrich. B. MINUTES Mr. Rohrer made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 5, 2012 meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Cushwa and unanimously approved. C. COMMUNICATIONS AND BILLS None D. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Design Guidelines Ms. Toms distributed copies of a template she designed for Chapter 5 describing each style of archi- tecture addressed in the Guidelines. She would also like to include pictures of each style. Mr. Goodrich began a review of Chapter 7 of the Guidelines. He expressed his opinion that some of the Guidelines are vague and there will not be an opportunity to apply them with building permit application review, such as the Guidelines dealing with Viewsheds. He also believes that some of the Guidelines are too restrictive by using the phrase "must duplicate the original". Mr. Goodrich noted that the Secretary of Interior's Standards are the Guidelines that the HDC currently follows. They are used nationwide and by the Federal government as well. He suggested using the Secretary of Interior's Standards as the actual guidelines for reviewing building permit applications. Ms. Toms expressed her opinion that if the HDC is going to follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for reviewing permit applications, that is what should be included in the Design Guidelines. Mr. Cushwa suggested renaming the section. Mr. Clemens stated that the intent of Chapter 7 was to clarify and make it easier for people to understand the Secretary of Interior's Standards. There was a discussion between the members regarding the way to best present the information. • Members agreed that the descriptions of the elements of architecture (roofs, windows, doors, etc.) should be kept, that the DOI Guidelines should be included along with pictures of, local examples describing what is recommended, and choose, revise and Include some of the Guidelines as presented in the HDC's Design Guidelines. • When referring to a house, building, or structure, there needs to be consistency of term used. • Stone walls and stone fences — language to encourage preservation • As an example of a Guideline that is too vague, Mr. Goodrich read Guideline #21 on page 131 in Chapter 7, which states: "For buildings constructed prior to 1900, a very low Portland cement mortar mix should be used." Members agreed that an additional sentence should be added that explains the mortar mix should match the original mix in terms of content of materials. • A second example of vagueness was found in Guideline #32 on page 140 in Chapter 7, which states "If repair is not possible due to advanced deterioration, replacement windows on primary facades should duplicate the original in design, material, sash and light configuration as closely as possible." Mr. Goodrich believes this is already covered in the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, which states: "Deteriorated historic features will be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the feature will match the old in design, color, texture and, where possible, materials." He expressed his opinion that this gives a property owner some flexibility. E. BUDGET None F. NEW BUSINESS TC-12-001 — 465 North Potomac Street Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval a Tax Credit Application for property located at 465 North Potomac Street, Hagerstown, Maryland in the Potomac -Broadway Historic District. Mr. Goodrich noted that this District represents the architecture of the upper and middle class residents of Hagerstown around the turn of the century and the industrialization and development of Hagerstown. This particular building is a contributing building in the District. The owner is applying for a tax credit based on expenses incurred to replace the roof and the columns on the front. Discussion and Comments: Mr. Durham, the property owner and applicant, briefly described improvements that have been made to the structure. Motion and Vote: Mr. Rohrer made a motion to approve the Tax Credit Application [TC-12-001] for property located at 465 North Potomac Street, Hagerstown, Maryland. The motion was seconded by Mr. Clemens and unanimously approved. G. OTHER BUSINESS Membership Appointments Mr. Clemen's term on the Commission expired on December 31st He is eligible for re -appointment and is interested in continuing on the Commission. Mr. Cushwa resigned his position on the Commission. He explained that he has been accepted into another organization that meets on the first Wednesday of each month. Mr. Cushwa suggested someone to fill his position and will be contacting her to see if she is interested in being considered for the appoint- ment. H. CLOSED SESSION None I. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Cushwa made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 p.m. The motion was seconded Ms. Toms So ordered. Respectfully submitted, Stephen T. Goodrich Director of Planning