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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4-7-10MINUTES HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY April 7, 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, April 7, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. in Conference Room 1 of the Washington County Administrative Annex, 80 West Baltimore Street. Members present included: Chris Horst, Merry Stinson, Rob Bowman, Sandy Izer, Chip Stewart, and Gary Rohrer. Also present were Staff members Stephen Goodrich and Debra Eckard. B. MINUTES Mr. Rohrer made a motion to approve the minutes of the January 6, 2010 meeting as amended. Seconded by Mr. Bowman. Unanimously approved. C. COMMUNICATIONS AND BILLS Mr. Goodrich stated that the MAHDC Newsletter was included in the agenda packets received prior to this evening's meeting. He distributed copies of the NAPC Guide to Parliamentary Procedure. D. UNFINISHED BUSINESS South Mountain Battlefields National Register nomination status Mr. Goodrich provided the Commission with an update on this issue. He briefly explained the notification process for the property owners affected by this nomination application and the process that has been followed to date. Mr. Goodrich stated that members of the Board of County Commissioners expressed concern regarding the inclusion of private property owners within the boundary of the district and deferred its comments and approval until all private property owners have been contacted. A letter was written and mailed to each of the property owners affected and Staff is awaiting responses. Mr. Goodrich noted that he has written a letter to the Maryland Historical Trust acknowledging the HDC's recommendation for approval of the application. Mr. Goodrich noted that after all correspondence is received from the property owners, he will be making another presentation to the Board of County Commissioners. HDC members asked to be notified when the next presentation will be made to the BOCC. E. BUDGET Mr. Bowman noted that Preservation Maryland will be holding a conference in Easton in May 2010. Mr. Goodrich briefly explained that members are required to take training each year and the opportunities that exist for training. Training courses must be related to preservation issues. Mr. Goodrich stated that there is $500.00 in the HDC budget for training. Members briefly discussed reimbursement for training. Mr. Goodrich asked members to make their own reservations and then apply for reimbursement from the County. Mr. Goodrich announced that the budget for FY 2011 is extremely tight and there will not be any funds for CLG projects next year. Several budget categories have been reduced for next year. F. NEW BUSINESS Permit #2010-00797-17820 Spielman Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval Permit # 2010-00797 for property located at 17820 Spielman Road in the Fairplay Rural Village zone. The structure is considered a non-contributing structure within the historic portion of the Rural Village due to the many changes of the structure over time that has caused the structure to loss its historic significance. The applicant, Robert L. Huntzberry, is proposing to construct one new wall and a new roof on one side to meet the new wall. Motion and Vote: Mr. Rohrer made a motion to approve Permit # 2010-00797 for property located at 17820 Spielman Road, which is a non-contributing structure within the historic portion of the Fairplay Rural Village, and based on an inspection of the proposed plans and if constructed in accordance with the plans the change would reflect no significant change to any portion of the historic Rural Village and would not be visible from Maryland Route 63. Seconded by Mr. Stewart. Unanimously approved. Ms. Izer abstained from the vote due to a personal friendship with the owner. AP2010-008 Cell Tower at 3907 Trego Mt. Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and comments an application for a cell tower to be located at 3907 Trego Mt. Road. The applicant is proposing to erect a 124 -foot monopole telecommunication tower. Mr. Goodrich stated that a balloon test was performed at various locations around the proposed site and a photo -simulation was prepared. He stated that there are no historic inventoried structures within a %-mile radius of the site. Discussion: Ms. Izer made an inquiry regarding the status of the proposed cell tower at the intersection of Trego Mt. Road and Maryland Route 67, which was previously reviewed by the HDC. She noted that comments for that particular tower were focused on the view shed from South Mountain based on topography. Some members believe the tower at 3907 Trego Mt. Road would be less visible and less offensive to the surrounding view shed. Ms. Izer expressed her objection to two cell towers within 1 -mile of each other if the previous tower is still being considered. Members discussed the photos provided and the proximity of the proposed tower to historic structures. Members expressed concern with regard to the previous application and that two cell towers could be located in close proximity to each other. Motion and Vote: Ms. Izer made a motion to forward the following comment with regard to AP2010-008 to the Board of Zoning Appeals: "After reviewing the balloon test and photo -simulation for the proposed cell tower at 3907 Trego Mt. Road, the HDC believes there is no significant impact on any historic structures within the'/2-mile impact area." Seconded by Ms. Stinson. Unanimously approved. The HDC also requested that an additional comment be forwarded to the Board of Zoning Appeals with regard to the previously proposed cell tower to be located at the intersection of Maryland Route 67 and Trego Mt. Road. The HDC expressed its opinion that, "the proposed cell tower at 3907 Trego Mt. Road is a better mitigation of visual impact than the proposed tower at the intersection of Maryland Route 67 and Trego Mt. Road. The HDC would not look favorably on two cell towers in close proximity to each other." Potential Cell Tower —14145 Breezy Acres Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and comments a proposed 199 -foot lattice tower at 14145 Breezy Acres Road. He pointed out there are four historic inventoried sites within the'/ -mile impact area. Discussion and Comments: Members expressed their concern regarding the close proximity of the proposed tower to Leitersburg, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and other historic inventoried sites. They discussed the height of the proposed tower, topography of the proposed site, and the appearance of the lattice tower as opposed to a monopole. Members also expressed their opinions that a balloon test and photo simulation should be provided from various historic sites and other areas around Leitersburg in order to determine the visual impact on the surrounding area. Motion and Vote: Ms. Izer made a motion to submit the following concerns regarding the proposed cell tower at 14145 Breezy Acres Road: the appearance and size of the proposed lattice tower in close proximity to Leitersburg, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and other historic inventoried sites; the proposed design of the cell tower is similar to those seen along an interstate and not in a rural section of the county with significant historical sites; a balloon test should be conducted with photo simulations to determine the visual impact on the surrounding area, including the northernmost boundary of the perimeter of the National Register Village of Leitersburg. Seconded by Mr. Bowman. Unanimously approved. SHA Historic Bridge Inventory Re-evaluation Mr. Goodrich presented a request from the Maryland State Highway Administration to comment on the National Register eligibility of bridges in Washington County. SHA prepared a comprehensive inventory of bridges across the State of Maryland in the mid -1990's. At this time, the SHA is re-evaluating some of the bridges to determine if they are eligible for a National Register listing, which includes four bridges in Washington County. Mr. Goodrich pointed out that the SHA has determined that the US 522 bridge over MD 144 and Tonoloway Creek has been determined to be eligible for the National Register because this type of bridge is unique to the State of Maryland. Discussion and Comments: Ms. Stinson expressed her opinion that the SHA is very knowledgeable about bridges and she would defer to their expertise. Mr. Rohrer stated that he is very familiar with bridges and he believes that the SHA is very conscientious with regard to historic structures. He noted that page 4 of the SHA's letter states, "It was the non-standard bridges that reflected the truly distinctive characteristics and work of master engineers that make those bridges eligible under NRHP Criterion C because they are important in Maryland's engineering context." Ms. Izer expressed her concern regarding the bridge located on MD Route 62 over Little Antietam Creek. The SHA is not recommending eligibility for this bridge because "the bridge has lost integrity because of a continuous loss of materials, design and workmanship." She noted that the evaluation states, "the structure retains the majority of its Character Defining Elements (CDE's). Mr. Goodrich explained the reasons for the SHA re-evaluating the lists of bridges and their eligibility for National Register listing. Mr. Rohrer noted that the SHA has gone throughout the State cataloging historic bridges and making an effort to protect samples from every era. Ms. Stinson believes that the SHA should provide a list of better examples of the type of bridge located on MD Route 62 over Little Antietam Creek. Mr. Rohrer stated that several former State Highway structures of this character have been turned over to the County. Ms. Stinson requested that Staff check the Historical Sites inventory for concrete bridges in Washington County that would be National Register eligible for the Commission to review before submitting comments to the SHA. Members discussed the deadline date for comments to be submitted to the SHA. The letter from the SHA gave a deadline date of March 191h; however, Mr. Goodrich stated that the SHA would continue to consider comments after that date. Motion and Vote: Ms. Izer made a motion that the Commission should submit a comment to the SHA expressing its concern regarding the bridge located on MD Route 62 over Little Antietam Creek being changed from eligible to ineligible. This bridge retains many of its character defining elements. The Commission expressed concern for the number of similar bridges within the County that are National Register eligible. Seconded by Mr. Rohrer. Unanimously approved. G. OTHER BUSINESS Ms. Stinson asked for a status report on the French Lane property. Mr. Goodrich stated that the County has been working with the Maryland Historical Trust regarding the requirements for an easement. Ms. Stinson asked Staff to get an update on the status. Ms. Stinson noted that the Commission previously requested information sheets dealing with the various zoning districts and tax credits applicable for the State and County. Ms. Izer stated that she has prepared that information as part of the Design Guidelines and would e-mail them to members. H. EXECUTIVE SESSION None I. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Stewart made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:55 p.m. Seconded by Mr. Bowman. So ordered. Respectfully ubmitted, Steppe T. Goodrich Chief lanner