Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout8-4-10 MinsMINUTES HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY August 4, 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, August 4, 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, Charles Stewart, Merry Stinson, Sandra Izer, Tom Clemens, 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 July 7, 2010 meeting as presented. Seconded by Mr. Rohrer. Unanimously approved. Mr. Goodrich requested that two items be added to this evening's agenda. The first item is a permit application on Fairplay Road. Motion and Vote: Ms. Izer made a motion to add the permit application on Fairplay Road to the agenda as requested. Seconded by Mr. Clemens. Unanimously approved. The second item to be added to the agenda is the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Brumbaugh-Kendle-Grove Farmstead. Motion and Vote: Ms. Izer made a motion to add the MOA to the agenda as requested. Seconded by Ms. Stinson. Unanimously approved. C. COMMUNICATIONS AND BILLS None D. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Permit #2010-01909-18846 Sandvhook Road Mr. Goodrich stated that a copy of the letter sent to the property owners regarding this project was included in the Agenda packet. No further comments have been received from the property owners. An inspection will be performed when the structure is finished to insure that all requirements set forth by the HDC were met. Memorandum of Understanding-. Brumbaugh-Kendle-Grove Farmstead Mr. Goodrich distributed copies of the Revised MOU for the Brumbaugh-Kendle-Grove Farmstead. He stated that it is his understanding that Carolyn Motz and Commissioner Kercheval have worked with the FAA to make revisions to the document. Mr. Goodrich reviewed the changes that were made in the document and noted that several of the HDC's previous comments and recommendations were not included in the latest version of the MOA. There were discussions regarding the addition of language to renovate and occupy the property, as well as the language for demolition (which seems to be the second choice if the marketing plan fails). Members also discussed "mothballing" the property until a use can be found for the property. Discussions also focused on the time frame associated with the marketing plan and if it is realistic. There was a brief discussion regarding the implementation of the "working group" Motion and Vote: Ms. Stinson made a motion to authorize Staff to prepare a letter outlining the following points as discussed by the HDC members. Seconded by Mr. Stewart. Unanimously approved. The HDC recommends immediate exterior stabilization of the structure because given enough time, the HDC believes that a suitable use can be found for the property. Item G [of the MOA] should be changed as follows: • Modify the Marketing Plan requirements and re -offer the Farmstead pursuant to Stipulations III.A through III.F • The County may choose to renovate and occupy for Airport needs or other options which may preserve the structure. • Stabilization and maintenance of the structures. Because we recommend that the property be stabilized and maintained, demolition should not be necessary and therefore should not be considered as a course of action. The HDC recommends that the Farmstead should be marketed for a minimum of 18 months and marketing should continue because this is a valuable asset to the County. After spending money to stabilize the property and marketing it, it would be counterproductive to spend additional money to demolish the structure. E. BUDGET None F. NEW BUSINESS Permit #2010-03001.21605 Leiter Street Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval Permit # 2010-03001 for property located at 21605 Leiter Street 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 320 -square foot roof over an existing slab to the rear of the property. Motion and Vote: Ms. Stinson made a motion to approve Permit # 2010-03001 for property located at 21605 Leiter Street 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 Mr. Rohrer. Unanimously approved. Permit #2010-03312-14315 Barkdoll Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval Permit # 2010-03312 for property located at 14315 Barkdoll Road in the historic portion of the Ringgold Rural Village. The applicant is proposing to construct a 192 -square foot deck on the right side of the dwelling. Discussion: Mr. Rohrer expressed his opinion that the plans for the deck are very detailed and a lot of effort has been made to make the deck a "tasteful addition". Members viewed video footage of the house and surrounding area and the description of the house from the Maryland Historical Sites Survey. There was a brief discussion regarding the small addition on the house and the materials used. Motion and Vote: Ms. Stinson made a motion to approve Permit # 2010-03312 for property located at 14315 Barkdoll Road because it is modern construction that is going to be attached to a portion of the house that is not historic and would be removable. The deck is well designed for a modern deck and does not have the characteristics opposed by the Commission on modern decks, which are attached to historic structures. The proposed deck does not change the character of the historic structure and the surrounding neighborhood. Seconded by Ms. Izer. Unanimously approved. Permit #2010-03400-7619 Fairnlav Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and approval Permit # 2010-03400 for property located at 7619 Fairplay Road in the Fairplay Rural Village; however, it is not within the historic portion of the Rural Village. The applicant is proposing to construct a 650 -square foot attached two -car garage on an existing foundation. Motion and Vote: Ms. Izer made a motion to approve Permit # 2010-03400 for property located at 7619 Fairplay 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 Mr. Stewart. Unanimously approved. Demolition Permit # 2010-03186 — Trego Road Mr. Goodrich presented for review and recommendation Permit # 2010-03186 for property located along the west side of Trego Road north of Trego Mountain Road. The applicant is proposing to demolish the old railroad building, which has been determined to be an unsafe structure. The demolition was a joint effort between the Washington County Department of Public Works and the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Discussion and Comments: Mr. Rohrer stated that the structure was leaning into the public roadway. Ms. Stinson asked if the structure was photographed and documented. Mr. Clemens commented that there were possibly underground oil tanks. Mr. Goodrich stated that the project description included the removal of underground tanks. No action was needed because the structure was removed prior to the meeting. G. OTHER BUSINESS None. H. EXECUTIVE SESSION None I. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Rohrer made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:05 p.m. So ordered Respectfully submitted, CQ c4L C4 Stephen T. Goodrich Chief Planner