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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20230201MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY February 1, 2023 The Washington County Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in the Washington County Administration Complex, 100 W Washington Street, Room 1301, 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, Vernell Doyle, Michael Lushbaugh, Kourtney Lowery, Ann Aldrich and Brianna Candelaria. Staff members present were: Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning: Meghan Jenkins, GIS Coordinator and HDC Staff member. MINUTES Motion and Vote: Ms. Aldrich made a motion to approve the minutes of the December 7, 2022 meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Ms. Candelaria and unanimously approved. Motion and Vote: Mr. Lushbaugh made a motion to approve the minutes of the January 4, 2023 meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Yavener and unanimously approved. NEW BUSINESS Non -Capital Grant Onoortunities through MHT Ms. Jenkins provided copies of the MHT road show power point. She noted that the MHAA grant deadline was yesterday; however, there is an MHT grant that would be available in July. Previous discussions by the members expressed interest in documenting structures from the 20`h century that were missed in the previous survey, updating the current inventory, or photographing structures within the Growth Area. Ms. Aldrich noted that both grants require local matching funds. She believes we should start discussions now with the County Commissioners relative to the availability of matching funds. Ms. Jenkins recommended including a list of a projects in each agenda packet or sharing a list on-line where every member could add projects they would like to see completed with grant monies. OLD BUSINESS Historic Property Incentives Ordinance (Draft) Ms. Jenkins gave updates on topics from previous discussions. A name needs to be chosen for the historic preservation areas cited in the yearly credit program. Suggestions were: Historic Landmark Area, Historic Landmark District, or Historic Preservation Site. Members also need to decide if they want to rely on the MIHP inventory or establish a County only inventory. Ms. Jenkins briefly explained how other jurisdictions handle this issue. Members liked the idea of a County only inventory but questioned if it is feasible. Members continued their review of the draft Ordinance. Following is a brief summation. • Add a bullet under Section 3.04 to clarify when a Certificate of Appropriateness is required when there is no building permit. • Sections 3.09A and 3.09B need to be more clearly defined forthe 50% credit and the 100% credit. This needs to be clarified by the County Attorney's office. • During previous discussions, members asked for clarification for water/sewer/drainage issues that would qualify for tax credits. According to MHT, only those areas inside the building footprint would be eligible. • There was a brief discussion among members to determine if they wanted to set an income limit for individuals to be eligible to apply for a grant. It was decided not to set a limit but make the grant eligible for anyone in order to save more historic structures. • There was a discussion regarding the point system to be used specifically citing the diversity of resources type and the equitable county -wide distribution categories. The next step is to distribute the document to other County departments for review and comment. OTHER BUSINESS Staff Report Ms. Jenkins reported that a demolition permit application was received [2022-0145] for property at 21016 Twin Springs Drive in Chewsville. Unfortunately, the structure was demolished prior to any site visits and issuance of the permit. Ms. Jenkins spoke to the applicant, at length, at which time the applicant stated that he had applied for several permits for the same property and he believed that all permits had been issued. He has been made fully aware of our processes and was given the Design Guidelines. Because this was the third incident of this nature, Ms. Jenkins met with staff in the Division of Permits & Inspections. All demolition permit applications are now applied for on-line. The Division has now updated their on-line permitting screens with a note saying that the permit has been applied for, but this is not an approval; do not proceed with work until permit is approved and issued. Ms. Jenkins reported that a preliminary plat has been received for the Valencia development located off Poffenberger Road. Professional Organization Outreach Ms. Jenkins stated she has received a list consisting of builders, developers, consultants, engineers, surveyors, etc. from the Division of Permitting & Inspections that she will be using to send out the Design Guidelines. Appalachian Trail Ms. Jenkins announced that the Appalachian Trail has been nominated for the National Register. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Aldrich made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:45. The motion was seconded by Mr. Lushbaugh and so ordered by the Chairman. t 3j J Jill L. baker, Director