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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7-7-10 MinsMINUTES HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY July 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, July 7, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. in Conference Room I of the Washington County Administrative Annex, 80 West Baltimore Street. Members present included: Chris Horst, Charles Stewart, Merry Stinson, and Gary Rohrer. Also present were Staff members Stephen Goodrich and Debra Eckard. B. MINUTES Mr. Stewart made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 2, 2010 meeting as presented. Seconded by Mr. Rohrer. Unanimously approved. C. COMMUNICATIONS AND BILLS None D. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Permit #2010-01909-18846 Sandyhook Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval Permit # 2010-01909 for property located at 18846 Sandyhook Road, a contributing structure, in the Sandy Hook Rural Village zone. The applicant is proposing to construct a 138 -square foot covered front porch made from pressure treated lumber with a shed roof. Mr. Goodrich reminded members that this application was reviewed during the previous meeting. At that time, the Commission believed that it did not have enough information to give approval for the permit application. Subsequently, Mr. Goodrich contacted the applicant by letter and specified the items that the Commission wanted to see on the drawings. The applicant submitted a revised drawing, a roof plan for the porch, and a narrative outlining the details for the porch addition. Discussion and Comments: Mr. Rohrer expressed his opinion that the proposed porch would not be historically compatible with the existing house. Mr. Stewart expressed his concern that there are no decorative architectural details (like the decorative trim) that was on the original porch. Ms. Stinson noted that the applicant has not addressed the treatment of the porch (paint, stain...). Mr. Goodrich stated that the applicant has indicated that the porch would be left untreated, unless it is a condition of the Commission's approval. The space under the porch is to be left open, unless lattice or other covering is required as a condition of approval. The applicant also indicated that the proposed material for the floor of the porch would be 2 x 4" lumber and the inside ceiling will be covered with plywood. The Commission briefly reviewed the Secretary of Interior's Standards, which is one of the references used by the HDC when reviewing permit applications for historic structures. The Commission did not believe that criteria # 6 and # 9 of the Standards have been met. Commission members discussed the date of the house and features of the original porch that are lacking from the proposed plans. Ms. Stinson expressed her opinion that the proposed porch is not compatible with the existing house or with the surrounding neighborhood. Members discussed the features of the porch that they believe are important, which included the balusters, pickets, chamfered posts, decorative brackets and paint. They discussed various alternatives to what is proposed and the type of materials that should be used that would be in keeping with the original structure and compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Ms. Stinson expressed her opinion that lattice should be used to cover the space beneath the porch because it would look more complete and finished. Mr. Stewart expressed his opinion that b -board would be preferable to the plywood for the porch ceiling. Motion and Vote: Ms. Stinson made a motion to approve Permit # 2010-01909 for property located at 18846 Sandyhook Road contingent upon the applicant using more historically appropriate materials and incorporating the following design changes in the construction of the proposed porch: chamfered posts, half -round or molded handrail, decorative brackets between porch posts and roof (simple Victorian style brackets similar to those shown in the historic photo), enclosing the underside of the porch with lattice work (similar to historic photo), the floor boards shall be constructed of five -quarter lumber, and painting the entire porch. The Commission recommends the use of beaded board instead of plywood for the ceiling. By incorporating these changes, the porch would more closely resemble the porch as shown on the photograph in the Maryland Historical Trust Historic Sites Inventory form, WA -III -098. These changes would comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, specifically criteria 6 and 9 (materials and style) and would make the structure more compatible with the neighborhood. Seconded by Mr. Stewart. Unanimously approved. E. BUDGET None F. NEW BUSINESS Permit #2010-02590-13509 Little Antietam Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval Permit # 2010-02590 for property located at 13509 Little Antietam Road in the Leitersburg Rural Village zone; however, the structure is not in the historic portion of the Village. The applicant is proposing to construct a new dwelling, which would be 1232 square feet of finished space, one story modular with crawl space and a covered front porch. Discussion and Comments: Ms. Stinson expressed her opinion that the proposed structure would be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood, which is outside the historic portion of the Rural Village. Motion and Vote: Mr. Rohrer made a motion to approve Permit # 2010-02590 for property located at 13509 Little Antietam Road because this is a non-contributing structure outside the historic portion of the Rural Village and based on an inspection of the proposed plans and if constructed in accordance with the plans the proposed structure will be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Seconded by Ms. Stinson. Unanimously approved. Permit #2010-02514-20312 Landis Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and recommendation Permit # 2010-02514 for property located at 20312 Landis Road, known as Ditto Knolls at Black Rock Golf course, Lot 1. Mr. Goodrich noted that the property is listed in the Maryland Historic Sites Survey and the National Register of Historic Places and is zoned Agriculture with the Historic Preservation overlay. The applicant is proposing to demolish a shed and well house. Discussion and Comments: The Commission reviewed video footage of the property showing the two buildings proposed for demolition. After reviewing the video, the Commission did not believe that either building had any historic value. Motion and Vote: Mr. Rohrer made a motion to recommend approval of Permit # 2010-02514 for property located at 20312 Landis Road. Seconded by Mr. Stewart. Unanimously approved. G. OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Goodrich stated that the draft of the Rural Communities Survey for Bakersville, Weaverton, Brownsville, and Gapland has been completed and received by Staff. The project came in on time and under budget. Ms. Stinson encouraged the HDC to complete its work on the Design Guidelines. Following a brief discussion, Mr. Horst stated he would coordinate a meeting for members as soon as possible. The date of July 15th was tentatively scheduled at 6:30 p.m. H. EXECUTIVE SESSION None I. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Rohrer made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:10 p.m. So ordered. Respectfully submitted, Steph n T. Goodrich Chief Planner