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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8-1-07MINUTES HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSh FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY August 1, 2007 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, August 1, 2007 at 7:10 p.m. in Conference Room 1 of the Washington County Administrative Annex, 80 West Baltimore Street. Members present included: Michael Gehr, Charles Stewart, David Wiles, Robert Bowman II, Sandy Izer, and Carla Viar. Also present were Staff members Stephen T. Goodrich, Debra Eckard, and Chris Cochrane. C. MINUTES Ms. Izer made a motion to approve the June 6, 2007 minutes as amended. Seconded by Mr. Bowman. Unanimously approved. D. COMMUNICATIONS & BILLS Mr. Goodrich stated that the Forum News and National Preservation Conference bulletin was included in the July's Agenda packet for HDC member's information. Mr. Goodrich presented for review the following State Highway Administration projects: Project #WA1 99A21 — US 40 at Edgewood Drive; Project #2380221 -B04000 - MD 550 over Falls Creek at Milepoint 1.87; and Project #23801221-B08500 — MD 68 over Norfolk Southern Railroad. The State Highway Administration has determined that the proposed projects will not have an impact on any historic resources. Mr. Goodrich stated that the Maryland Historical Trust Preservation Bulletin #1 was included in the August Agenda packet for the HDC member's information. E. Revision to Cell Tower Review Procedures Mr. Goodrich announced a change to the cell tower review procedures. Mr. Goodrich stated that he would now review all cell tower applications to determine where historic sites are located in relationship to the location of the cell towers. If historic structures are located on the proposed site or adjacent properties, he will present them to the HDC for their review and recommendation. Mr. Goodrich explained that the next three items on the agenda were items from July's agenda. The July meeting was canceled because a quorum was unavailable. By consensus of HDC members, authority was delegated to Mr. Goodrich to review and approve or deny the following applications. Permit 2007-03987 —18421 Manor Church Road The applicant is proposing a 1,176 square foot one-story addition to the rear of an existing dwelling. The property is located at 18421 Manor Church Road in the Rural Village of Fairplay. Mr. Goodrich approved the application on July 20, 2007. Permit 2007-04589 — 24808 Pen Mar Road The applicant is proposing a 12' x 39' residential deck to the rear of an existing dwelling. The property is located at 24808 Pen Mar Road in the Rural Village of Pen Mar. Mr. Goodrich approved the application on July 20, 2007. Permit 2007-04414 —17702 Spielman Road The applicant is proposing a 1,230 square foot one-story addition to the rear right side of an existing dwelling. The property is located at 17702 Spielman Road in the Rural Village of Fairplay. Mr. Goodrich approved the application on July 20, 2007. Mr. Goodrich noted that all structures were modern construction, well concealed from any historic structures within the Rural Villages and very similar to other applications that were approved by the HDC in the past. Motion and Vote: Ms. Viar made a motion to confirm that Staff approval was authorized by the Historic District Commission for 18421 Manor Church Road, 24808 Pen Mar Road, and 17702 Spielman Road with Staff basing their decision on prior acts of the HDC, Secretary of the Interiors guidelines, historic inventories, and regulations of the Rural Villages, and consistency with their existing structures. Seconded by Mr. Bowman. Unanimously approved. F. BUDGET None. G. NEW BUSINESS Permit #2007-04329-21520 Ringgold Street Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval Permit #2007-04329 for property located at 21520 Ringgold Street in the Leitersburg Rural Village zone. Applicants Kevin and Audra Cozort were present at the meeting. The owner is proposing to construct a 30' x 50', 1500 -square foot pole building for storage for a home -based business. Mr. Goodrich presented additional information for review: a color chart indicating the colors of the proposed storage building's roof and siding and an e-mail from Commission member Merry Stinson. Mr. Goodrich noted that the house on the property is considered a contributing resource in the Rural Village. In the Washington County Historic Sites Survey, the house is described as a late 191h century two-story frame house with a covered porch, gabled roof covered with brick pattern asphalt siding, and has a chimney at either end. There is a summer kitchen located to the rear of the house. The lot includes a small frame garage and shed. A mobile home is located to the rear of the property. The house is now covered with pale green siding with an imitation stone facade on the front and new roof shingles. The mobile home has been removed. Discussion: Mr. Gehr asked how the new building would be accessed. Mr. Cozort, applicant, stated there is an extra driveway where the mobile was located that leads to the field in front of the shed. Mr. Gehr asked what the height of the building would be at the eave. Mr. Goodrich stated that according to the submitted plans, the height up to the eave is 14 -feet with an extra distance to the peak of the roof. Members discussed their concern regarding the height of the building. Mr. Cozort stated they would not be opposed to altering the plans to address the Commission's concerns. Mr. Gehr stated that landscaping would help alter the appearance of the building height. Mr. Bowman suggested change the pitch of the roof trusses and drop the height of the load bearing walls by 2 -feet would significantly help the appearance of the structure. Mr. Gehr recommended installing the copulas as shown to give the structure the character of a rural building. Members recommended using taller windows (such as 6 -foot) along the side of the building. Motion and Vote: Ms. Izer made a motion to approve Permit #2007-04329 for property located at 21520 Ringgold Street in the Rural Village of Leitersburg based on an inspection of the project plans and with the following stipulations: the eaves of the structure shall not be more than 12 -feet in height, the maximum roof pitch shall be 12:5 or 12:6, copulas shall be installed on the roof, the windows shall be at least 6 -feet tall on the side, appropriate plantings shall be installed around the building to screen the overall length of the structure, and the orientation of the building shall be as presented in the application. The stipulations would make the resulting building appearance compatible with its village setting and applicable design guidelines. Seconded by Mr. Stewart. Unanimously approved. Permit #2007-04918-25508 Military Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval Building Permit #2007-04918 for property located at 25508 Military Road in the Highfield Rural Village zone. The applicant is proposing a 464 -square foot two-story addition to the rear of his house. Mr. Goodrich distributed additional drawings provided by the applicant, Mr. Forrest. Discussion: Mr. Goodrich stated that the exterior materials will match the existing house. Mr. Forrest stated that he is replacing the entire roof so all shingles will match. Motion and Vote: Mr. Stewart made a motion to approve Permit #2007-04918 for property located at 25508 Military Road in the Highfield Rural Village zone based on an inspection of the project plans and if constructed in accordance with the project plans the addition would be compatible with other structures in the surrounding area and the design guidelines. Seconded by Ms. Viar. Unanimously approved. Permit #2007-05105 — 14615 Rock Oak Drive Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval Building Permit #2007-05105 for property located at 14615 Rock Oak Drive in the Pen Mar Rural Village zone. The dwelling is considered a contributing structure in the Rural Village. The applicant is proposing to construct a 12' x 14' sunroom addition to the rear of the dwelling. Discussion: There was a discussion to determine if the application should be reviewed by the HDC since the addition was less than 200 square feet in size. Mr. Gehr and Ms. Viar believe that requirement applies only to stand-alone structures. Mr. Wiles stated he has been told the requirement pertains only to stand-alone structures. Ms. Viar also believes that based on the Secretary of the Interior's Standards an addition to a contributing structure should be reviewed. Clarification of the requirement is required for future applications. Motion and Vote: Ms. Viar made a motion to approve Permit #2007-05105 for property located at 14615 Rock Oak Drive in the Pen Mar Rural Village zone based on an inspection of the project plans and if constructed in accordance with the submitted plans it is compatible with the existing structure and will meet the Secretary of Interior's Standards for new additions and would not destroy the historic materials of the existing structure or have a negative impact on the existing character of the building. Seconded by Mr. Bowman. Unanimously approved. RZ-07-004 — Washco Arnett Farm, LLC Mr. Goodrich presented for review and recommendation RZ-07-004 for Washco Arnett Farm, LLC for 29.53 acres located along the west side of Maryland Route 65, approximately 1,575 feet south of Col. H.K. Douglas Drive. The applicant is requesting a change in zoning from HI -2 - Highway Interchange 2 to HI -1 — Highway Interchange 1. The HI -1 zoning district allows for commercial and highway oriented business, no residential uses are allowed. The subject parcel is located within the Urban Growth Area. Access to the subject property is via entrances from Col. H.K. Douglas Drive and Battlecreek Boulevard. The farm complex located on a portion of the subject parcel does not contain any contributing historic structures and is not subject to this rezoning request. The Petre farm is located behind this parcel and does contain inventories listed historic structures. Recommendation and vote: Ms. Izer made a motion to recommend to the Board of County Commissioners and the Planning Commission that the change from an HI -2 to HI -1 zoning district would have a severe negative impact on the surrounding historic structures and the purposes of an HI -2 zoning district is to serve as a transitional buffer between an HI -1 zoning district and other uses. Because the farm is still agricultural and is an agricultural resource of Washington County, the change from HI -2 to HI -1 would have a negative impact on all the surrounding buildings. She noted that based on the applicant's argument on page 10 citing the Comprehensive Plan's 10 guidelines for the establishment of commercial sites, numbers 6 and 8 are significant issues. Number 6 states, "avoidance of areas where there is a high probability of incompatibility with existing residential development"; Ms. Izer believes the proposed use is incompatible with the existing surrounding area. Number 8 states, "adaptive reuse of existing sites or buildings as a catalyst for rehabilitation or preservation of historic or environmental resources," Ms. Izer believes the applicant would not place an adaptive reuse in those buildings or on the site if rezoned to HI - 1. Therefore, the purpose of the property as it is currently zoned, HI -2, is appropriate. Seconded by Ms. Viar. Unanimously approved. H. OTHER BUSINESS The next Design Guidelines meeting will be held on Saturday, August 25, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. The City of Hagerstown will be hosting the Preservation Maryland conference in May 2008. Ms. Viar suggested that the Historic District Commission should contact the City to offer their support and help, if needed. I. EXECUTIVE SESSION None. J. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Viar made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:22 p.m. Seconded by Mr. Wiles. So ordered. Respectfully submitted, ki 11 Stept e�Goodrich Chief Planner