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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20220706MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY July 6, 2022 The Washington County Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, July 6, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in the Washington County Administration Complex, 100 W Washington Street, Room 2001, Hagerstown, MD. 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, Lloyd Yavener, Vice -Chairman, Vernell Doyle, Michael Lushbaugh, and Ann Aldrich. Staff members present were: Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning: Meghan Jenkins, GIS Coordinator and HDC Staff member. MINUTES Motion and Vote: Mr. Yavener made a motion to approve the minutes of the May 4, 2022 meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Lushbaugh and unanimously approved. Motion and Vote: Mr. Yavener made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 8, 2022 public hearing and regular meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Ms. Aldrich and unanimously approved. NEW BUSINESS Permit 2022-03024 -18840 Sandyhook Road, Knoxville Ms. Jenkins presented a new construction permit for property located at 18840 Sandyhook Road in Knoxville. This property is in the Sandy Hook Historic Rural Village. The property is currently improved with a mobile home, which will be removed and replaced with an 1,120 square foot single family dwelling on an unfinished, walkout basement. Motion and Vote: Ms. Aldrich made a motion to support approval of the construction permit. The motion was seconded by Mr. Lushbaugh and unanimously approved. Bridge Replacement 2109000 — US 522 over 1-70 Eastbound Ms. Jenkins presented a proposed project from the Maryland DOT State Highway Administration for the replacement of Bridge No. 2109000 on US 522 over 1-70 Eastbound. The State has performed an evaluation of the Area of Potential Effects for this project and has determined there would be no historic properties affected by this project. Concurrence: The Historic District Commission concurs with SHA's findings that no historic properties would be affected by the project. Historic Tax Credit Ordinance Updates Ms. Jenkins noted that there have been no tax credit applications received by the County since 2013. A survey was taken of surrounding jurisdictions to determine the use of their historic tax credit programs. During the survey, staff was asked to identify reasons for the lack of use of the various programs. The following reasons were cited: • Lack of promotion • Requirement for documentation via receipts and photos • Easement requirements/Property Restrictions • Amount of credit is too low to be worth the effort • Complicated process with taxes involved and year over year application • Too narrow of qualification criteria Staff has been discussing ways to improve the County's program. The main focus right now is to increase the percentage of tax credits given. Currently, Washington County provides a 10% tax credit on real property taxes based on the amount expended by a property owner for contributing structures which have an Historic Preservation (HP) overlay or contributing structures to the Antietam Overlay zone. There is also a 5% credit for compatible new construction attached to an existing structure. All rehabilitation or restoration projects must follow the HDC's Guidelines. Jurisdictions that have a higher percentage have shown slightly better participation rates. Staff has also discussed extending the participation areas to include the Rural Villages. An additional credit option is an annual Historic Preservation program, similar to the County's Agricultural Preservation Districts program. The Historic Preservation program would require a change in the law at the State level. A recorded document for participation in the program would be required. This program would also require semi-annual or annual inspections. There was a brief discussion about the next steps in the process and the timeline for the possible adoption of this type of program. Consensus: The Historic District Commission members were in consensus for staff to move forward with exploring the options presented and updates to the existing ordinance. OTHER BUSINESS Staff Report Ms. Jenkins provided a written report of staff reviews for the previous month. Ms. Jenkins reported the following: • The Design Guidelines have been posted on the County's website. • She attended the Frederick Historic Preservation Roundtable. They are in the process of updating their Historic Preservation Ordinance. • A Staff Report will be provided for future agenda items that members will be reviewing. Members acknowledged that the Staff Report was very helpful and informative for this evening's meeting. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Lushbaugh made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 p.m. The motion was seconded by Ms. Doyle and so ordered by the Chairman. The next meeting is scheduled for August 3, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, /01=�z / JillL//�aker, Director Wakhington County Dept. of Planning & Zoning