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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-6-10 MinsMINUTES HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY October 6, 2010 A. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chairman Chris Horst called the regular monthly meeting of the Historic District Commission to order on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 6:08 p.m. in Conference Room 1 of the Washington County Administrative Annex, 80 West Baltimore Street. Members present included: Chris Horst, Charles Stewart, Merry Stinson, Sandra Izer, Tom Clemens, Rob Bowman, and Gary Rohrer (arrived at 6:55 p.m.). Also present were Staff members Stephen Goodrich and Debra Eckard. B. MINUTES Mr. Clemens made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 1, 2010 meeting as presented. Seconded by Mr. Bowman. Unanimously approved. C. COMMUNICATIONS AND BILLS None D. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Design Guidelines Mr. Horst stated that during the last meeting, members decided to review the Design Guidelines section prior to thisevening's meeting. Ms. Izer began a brief discussion regarding the photographs to be inserted in the Design Guidelines and the computer program to be used. Mr. Horst recommended a brief introduction prior to the section on the Secretary of the Interior Standards. The introduction should describe how the "Standards" apply to the applicant's proposed plans. Mr. Horst volunteered to prepare the introduction. Mr. Clemens suggested making the Secretary of the Interior Standards an appendix to the document. There was a brief discussion regarding recent changes to the "Standards" and the differences between the four categories within the "Standards" for historic structures [rehabilitation, retention, preservation and reconstruction]. Members discussed the information they believe is important and necessary for applicant's to know and follow when submitting permit applications. There was also a discussion regarding the guidelines necessary to follow for tax credit applications. Consensus: Mr. Horst will prepare a summary of the Secretary of Interior's Standards to be inserted where the "Standards" are currently and the "Standards" will become an appendix or new chapter in the Design Guidelines. The Commission continued with the Design Guidelines section suggesting that a chapter regarding cell towers should be added. A discussion was held regarding all public utilities, such as wind turbines, solar panels, etc. being included in the Design Guidelines. Consensus: The Committee agreed that there should be a chapter dealing with public utilities [cell towers, wind turbines, solar panels, etc.]. There was a brief discussion regarding language on page 87 with regard to stone fences and walls. Members agreed that this language needs to be changed to develop the idea that although there seems to be a lot of stone fences in the County, they are a valuable asset to the County that are disappearing quickly. Ms. Izer will rewrite this section. Members moved on to the section dealing with rehabilitation to existing structures. Mr. Horst pointed out there appears to be redundancy in the section dealing with doors and windows on page 95. Members discussed the manufacture of items that meet the criteria being addressed in the guidelines and the cost of these items. They also discussed the influence of the quality of materials used for preservation versus rehabilitation of structures. Mr. Goodrich advised members that the preservation philosophy needs to be a single concept and there should not be different standards. There was a lengthy discussion regarding the financial aspects of rehabilitating a property and how the Commission's standards should affect these costs. Mr. Goodrich advised members that if they are going to have a different level of philosophy for Rural Village districts versus Historic Preservation districts, these should be detailed in the Design Guidelines. Members discussed demolition permit reviews. Mr. Goodrich suggested that the Commission's philosophy on demolition of historic structures should be included in the Design Guidelines. Members discussed the criteria that should be required for structures within the Historic Preservation, Antietam Overlay and Rural Village districts. Members decided that additional information is needed in the Signs section of the Design Guidelines. Discussions focused on limitations on signs already written in the County's Zoning Ordinance. However, it was also discussed that additional guidelines for historic districts could be included in the Design Guidelines. Mr. Clemens will research design guidelines for signs for the historic area surrounding Gettysburg. Members decided that masonry facades would be the topic of the next workshop meeting. Members should review this section to determine format and standards. E. NEW BUSINESS None F. BUDGET None G. OTHER BUSINESS None H. CLOSED SESSION None I. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Stinson made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 p.m. Seconded by Mr. Bowman. So ordered. Respectfully submitted, Stephen T. Goodrich Chief Planner