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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-1-06MINUTES HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY March 1, 2006 A and B. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chairman Michael Gehr called the regular monthly meeting of the Historic District Commission to order on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in Conference Room 1 of the Washington County Administrative Annex, 80 West Baltimore Street. Members present included: Michael Gehr, Jane Hershey, Merry Stinson, Sandra Izer, Eleanor Lakin, David Wiles and Carla Viar. Also present was County Commissioner Dori Nipps and Staff member Steve Goodrich. C. MINUTES Ms. Izer made a motion to approve the February 1, 2006 minutes as amended. Seconded by Ms. Hershey. Unanimously approved. D. COMMUNICATIONS AND BILLS None. E. UNFINISHED BUSINESS RZ-06-003 Williamsport Ventures. LLC On Friday, February 24th, Ms. Stinson, Ms. Izer, Ms. Hershey, Mr. Gehr, and Mr. Goodrich made a site visit to the Williamsport Ventures property that includes the historic farmhouse and farm complex. There was a discussion by the Commission regarding the condition of the house and barn. Ms. Stinson offered the following comments: the house is a solid brick structure, not a log - cased brick structure, it appears to be dated from the 1860's, it has modern windows, it is in very poor condition, an interior wall is bowed, it has no remaining characteristic features from its time period, and it is not a distinctive looking house from the outside. Ms. Izer concurred that the house is in very poor condition. She suggested that it may have been used as a tenant house but there is no documentation to verify that statement. She would recommend retaining the house on a separate parcel to be rehabilitated. Mr. Gehr offered the following comments: the house has several structural issues and is in poor condition, the floors of the barn are in poor condition, part of the barn's foundation wall has collapsed but there appears to be some remnants of a bank barn, and many of the other outbuildings are concrete block and appear to be of modern construction. He does not believe there is much historic significance to the farm complex. Comments: Ms. Stinson stated that even though the buildings are not in good condition and are only marginally significant, she believes that the developer should develop a plan that would respect the history that is present and the landscape as it is now. She suggested placing the barn and the house each on separate lots. Someone could use the foundation or other materials to reflect the use of the landscape and the history of the farm. Ms. Lakin stated her opinion that some historical structures are not worthy of retention because of poor structural conditions. Ms. Hershey concurred that the house and barn are in very poor condition Discussion: There was a brief discussion regarding the forest retention and buffer areas. Members would recommend a dense buffer area to protect the integrity of historic structures in close proximity to the development. Ms. Izer acknowledged that the house is not a brick -cased log structure and shows significant deterioration; however, it is an example of vernacular architecture dated to the 1860's. She made a motion to recommend that the developer should retain the existing house to be sold and rehabilitated. Seconded by Ms. Hershey. Comments: Ms. Stinson suggested amending the motion to retain the existing house on a separate lot. Ms. Izer amended her motion to have the house retained on a separate lot. Seconded by Ms. Hershey. The motion failed with Ms. Izer, Ms. Hershey and Mr. Wiles voting "Aye" and Mr. Gehr, Ms. Lakin, Ms. Viar and Ms. Stinson voting "Nay". Ms. Lakin made a motion to withdraw the previous comments and recommendation from the February 1, 2006 meeting. Seconded by Ms. Viar. Motion passed with Ms. Lakin, Ms. Stinson, Ms. Viar and Mr. Wiles voting "Aye" and Ms. Hershey and Ms. Izer voting "Nay". Ms. Stinson made a motion, based on the site visit, to acknowledge that the house is a solid brick structure, not a brick -cased log structure as described in the County' Site Surveys, that it appears to be dated around the 1860's, and that itis an example of Washington County's vernacular architecture. Seconded by Ms. Lakin. The motion passed with Mr. Wiles, Ms. Stinson, Ms. Lakin and Ms. Viar voting "Aye" and Ms. Hershey and Ms. Izer abstained. Ms. Stinson made a motion to recommend that buffer areas less than 80 -feet in width should be a dense, solid buffer and buffers wider than 80 -feet should be mixed forest. Seconded by Ms. Viar. Unanimously approved. F. BUDGET None. G. NEW BUSINESS Commissioner Nipps informed the HDC that the Board of County Commissioners has decided to sell the French Lane property. Ms. Izer began a brief discussion regarding the HDC's review of homes within a Rural Village. Mr. Goodrich clarified Article 5 D of the Zoning Ordinance dealing with the Rural Village zoning designation. The HDC has the authority to determine the outside appearance of a structure that is located within a Rural Village that has had its historic sites identified. H. OTHER BUSINESS Ms. Stinson began a brief discussion regarding training. Ms. Lakin suggested having the Maryland Historical Trust to make a presentation regarding Rural Villages. Mr. Goodrich informed the members that the Annual conference would be held in May and recommended members try to attend for their training. EXECUTIVE SESSION None J. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Hershey made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m. So ordered. RespectfnZb— Stephen T. Goodrich Chief Planner STG/dse