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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20220202MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSII FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY February 2, 2022 The Washington County Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. virtually. No physical meeting took place. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The Chairman called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Commission members present were: Greg Smith, Chairman, Ann Aldrich, Vernell Doyle, Michael Lushbaugh, Kourtney Lowery, Edie Wallace and Ex -officio County Commissioner Jeff Cline. Staff members present were: Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning: Meghan Jenkins, GIS Coordinator and HOC Staff member; and Debra Eckard, Administrative Assistant. Also in attendance were Jenn Ford and Andrew Clark of Renewable Energy Solar Corp. and Shane Ritondo, property owner of 4304 Main Street, Rohrersville [Permit #2022-00017]. MINUTES Motion and Vote: Mr. Lushbaugh made a motion to approve the minutes of the December 1, 2021 Joint Workshop meeting with the Historical Advisory Committee as presented. The motion was seconded by Ms. Lowery and unanimously approved. Motion and Vote: Mr. Lushbaugh made a motion to approve the minutes of the December 1, 2021 regular meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Ms. Doyle and unanimously approved. NEW BUSINESS Permit 2022-00017-4304 Main Street, Rohrersville Ms. Jenkins presented for review and approval a permit application for the placement of solar panels on property located at 4304 Main Street in Rohrersville. This is a contributing structure in the Rohrersville Rural Village. Ms. Jenkins showed photographs of the property and plans of the proposed placement of the solar panels. She noted that this system is going to be used as a battery back-up for the home. There are some obstructions on the roof that would make parts of the roof unusable for the panels. Discussion and Comments: Ms. Aldrich asked if the property owner had given any consideration to using ground mounted panels to the rear of the property or a community solar project where more home- owners would benefit from the project. Ms. Ford said a ground mounted system is not viable for this property. A shade analysis was performed and the panels are placed where they will receive the most sunlight and would allow the system to function properly. Ms. Ford noted that the panels and the frames will be black (the same color as the roof). Ms. Doyle expressed her opinion that the solar panels on the front of the roof would not be distracting to the structure. Mr. Smith believes that the panels may be seen but will not dominate sightlines. He expressed his opinion that the panels are not haphazardly placed on the roof and that the layout of the panels creates a clean, sharp line which is pleasing to the eye. Ms. Lowery agreed with both comments. Ms. Wallace believes the HDC needs to be flexible when dealing with sustainable energy sources. She noted that the panels are not a permanent change to the historic structure and will not be damaging to the structure; therefore, she is not opposed to the project. Motion and Vote: Mr. Lushbaugh made a motion to approve the permit as presented. The motion was seconded by Ms. Wallace and unanimously approved. AP2022-002 — Corner of Chestnut Avenue & Maryland Avenue, Cascade Ms. Jenkins presented for review and comment a special exception application for a property located at the corner of Chestnut and Maryland Avenues in Cascade within the Pen Mar historic Rural Village. The property owner would like to construct a single-family dwelling from which to operate a bed and breakfast to serve people using the Appalachian Trail or weekend visitors to the area. Discussion and Comments: Ms. Aldrich is in favor of the special exception and encourages its approval. She noted that Pen Mar has historically been an area for vacation homes. She believes the design will be a key factor to maintaining the rural, historic character of Pen Mar. Both Ms. Doyle and Ms. Wallace concurred. Ms. Lowery expressed her opinion that the development of this property may contribute to the overall appearance of the neighborhood. Mr. Smith believes the current proposal shows a good layout of the property and likes the retention of the wooded area around the site. Members look forward to review of the architectural plans for this property. OTHER BUSINESS Design Guidelines Ms. Jenkins reported that work is on -going on the Design Guidelines; and, she is hoping to send a draft to members within the next two weeks. She noted that the document is currently being reformatted. She also noted the following updates and changes to the document: • Two new sections have been added: solar and other new technologies for environmental sustainability and hazard mitigation • A Rural Village inventory has been added • Each section of the plan will host additional resources • A summary of Rural Village review authority by the HDC has been added • A new extensive Glossary has been incorporated After members have reviewed the document, a public hearing will be held with the HDC to obtain comment from the public and other interested parties. Following the public hearing, changes will be incorporated and the document will be brought back to the members for final approval. The public hearing will probably be held sometime in the Spring. Ms. Doyle expressed her opinion that this could be a good public outreach event during May, which is preservation month. Staff Report • Staff Reviews: Ms. Jenkins stated a written report was provided with the agenda packets. Customer Inquiries: Ms. Jenkins noted there have been several inquiries made recently for tax credits for historic structures in Washington County. Unfortunately, some of these structures are located within the Towns that do not have Historic District Commissions. Ms. Jenkins suggested that we reach out to these towns to gain an MOU whereby the HDC could do the reviews for the tax credits. Following are recent inquiries: o 139 West Potomac Street, Williamsport — Homeowners are considering renovation and want to use the tax credits. Williamsport is not eligible for tax credits because they do not have an HDC. o 33 North Main Street, Boonsboro - Homeowner is trying to get an easement before he sells the property. Ms. Jenkins suggested he contact MHT since this is a contributing structure in a National Register Historic District. o Big Cork Winery— Interested in help to renovate an existing barn known as the Fink Dairy Barn. This barn has a rubble stone foundation and timber construction. The barn needs a significant amount of work and stabilization. Members suggested that the owner contact Doug Reed for assistance with the barn. o 3940 Trego Road — Homeowner is interested in an archaeologic study. There was an historic house and barn on the property that was demolished due to unsafe conditions. Ms. Jenkins suggested she contact local colleges in the area that have archaeology programs to see if there are students that would be interested in performing a study. Members also suggested that she contact the owner of Little Antietam Creek, Inc. in Waynesboro. o 14517 Barkdoll Road —This is a contributing structure in the Ringgold Rural Village. This structure has been changed many times throughout the years. Contact was made by the contract purchaser who may wish to make renovations to the structure. • Staff Updates: o Growth Area Mailing List and Draft Letter — Mr. Lushbaugh has notified staff of several structures on the list that are no longer in existence. Ms. Aldrich also sent comments and asked that the HDC's mission be included in the letter. o National Pike Logistics Center Update —The letter that was sent from MHT to the property owners was included in the agenda packet. The developer is moving forward with documenting the property to MHT standards. o Price's Bridge Update — This bridge is a 5 span stone arch bridge in poor condition. The County is working toward documenting the bridge for the National Register and investigating funding to help stabilize and preserve this structure. o 9004 National Pike — This was a Section 106 staff review project for the replacement of equipment on a silo placed cell tower. Staff had no comment since this was just for the replacement of equipment. o Ms. Jenkins showed members the new web pages that have been added to the HDC website and she shared an update of all the information pertaining to cemeteries that has been placed there. UPCOMING MEETING The next meeting is scheduled for March 2, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Lushbaugh made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:10 p.m. The motion was seconded by Ms. Aldrich and so ordered by the Chairman. Respectfully submitted, L/ cS'c i I L. Baker, Director Washington County Dept. of Planning & Zoning