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HomeMy WebLinkAbout200603 - Minutes, Historic District CommMINUTES OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY June 3, 2020 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Due to current social meeting restrictions put in place by the Governor of Maryland because of the COVID- 19 pandemic, the Washington County Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. virtually using Zoom software. No physical meeting took place. Commission members present were: Tom Clemens, Edie Wallace, Ann Aldrich, Vernell Doyle and Gary Rohrer. Staff members present were: Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning: Jill Baker, Director; Meghan Jenkins, GIS Analyst; and Debra Eckard, Administrative Assistant. MINUTES Ms. Aldrich made one correction to the minutes of the March 4, 2020 meeting. The minutes were then approved by acclamation. OLD BUSINESS 55 West Oak Ridge Drive Update Ms. Baker reported that the developer of "Project Cardinal" is not proceeding according to the schedule that was originally given to the County. A DAC (Development Advisory Committee) meeting was held in May; however, no revisions to the site plan have been submitted following comments received at the meeting. There are rumors that this project is not going to come to fruition; however, there has been more interest from other entities concerning the historic structures on the property. One person has expressed interest in moving both structures in their entirety to his property. Ms. Baker noted that she has tried on several occasions to contact the developer in order to gain access to the site to start documentation of the structures. She also noted that there has not been any movement toward demolition of the structures. Discussion and Comments: Mr. Rohrer expressed his concern that the structures will be demolished and then the project never comes to fruition. Mr. Clemens expressed his opinion that the demolition of structures should be tied to a project and demolition should not occur before all building permits are issued. There was a brief discussion with regard to who holds the permit, who can demolish the structures, and a time limit on the demolition permit, which has already been issued for this particular site. Ms. Baker stated that, in this case, the demolition permit is held by the Review & Herald who currently owns the property. She is not sure if there is an expiration on the permit; however, she will check with the Permitting office to find out. Mr. Rohrer believes there should be a sequence of events tied to the issuance of permits that assures the County will ultimately benefit from the plan. Demo Permit Process Ms. Baker began a discussion regarding proposed changes to the demolition permit process. She presented a proposed change to the meeting schedule for the HDC. Members discussed various ways to lengthen the amount of time between the HDC and Planning Commission meetings, changes to the application deadlines, and review time for the public and Commission members. There was a discussion regarding documenting the historic resources prior to applying for a demolition permit. Staff will revise the demo permit process and bring it back before taking it to the County Commissioners. NEW BUSINESS P2020-0411 - 17701 Reiff Church Road Ms. Baker presented for review a demolition permit application for 17701 Reiff Church Road. The owner is proposing to demolish a 105 sq. ft. mudroom and a 320 sq. ft. storage room. Ms. Baker explained that when she arrived to take photographs, the mudroom and storage room had already been demolished. Discussion and Comments: There was a brief discussion with regard to issuing the $100 fine that is applicable when demolition occurs without a permit. Motion and Vote: Ms. Aldrich made a motion to recommend that the County issue a fine in the amount of $100 for demolition without a permit. The motion was seconded by Ms. Wallace and unanimously approved with the following members voting in favor of the motion: Ms. Wallace, Ms. Aldrich, Mr. Clemens, Mr. Rohrer and Ms. Doyle. Completion of Repairs to Bridge 2102000 Ms. Baker presented a letter from the Maryland Department of Transportation for remedial repairs to Bridge structure #2102000 along US Route 40 Alt. over Beaver Creek. The letter is requesting concurrence of the findings by the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration that the proposed project will have no adverse effect on historic properties. Discussion and Comments: Mr. Rohrer gave a brief summary of the repairs being proposed. Motion and Vote: Mr. Rohrer made a motion to concur with the MDOTSHA determination that the repairs will have no adverse effects on nearby and surrounding historic structures. The motion was seconded by Ms. Doyle and unanimously approved with the following members voting in favor of the motion: Ms. Wallace, Ms. Aldrich, Mr. Clemens, Mr. Rohrer and Ms. Doyle. OTHER BUSINESS Historic Tax Credit Brochure Ms. Jenkins demonstrated an on-line, interactive version of the Historic Tax Credit Brochure that she created. The Commission then discussed ideas to increase participation in the tax credit program. Ideas included: expansion to contributing structures, not just houses, such as bank barns, stone walls/fences, increase percentage of credit to meet state and federal levels of 20%, targeted mailings, and promotion of tax credits program. Update of Historic Inventory Ms. Jenkins gave a brief power point presentation. She noted the various categories of historic resources in Washington County, which include: Districts (approximately 50), Sites (approximately 60), Objects (approximately 75), Structures (such as bridges, etc.) (approximately 100), and Buildings (approximately 3400). A summary of the historic sites inventory survey was presented showing the year in which the survey was completed and the number of contributing resources. There was a brief discussion with regard to what updates are currently needed and funding resources. Washington County is a certified local government, which is one requirement to receive funding through the Maryland Historical Trust. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Aldrich made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 p.m. and was so ordered by the chairman. Respectfully submitted, Jill.. Baker, Director Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning