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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6-5-24MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY June 5, 2024 The Washington County Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 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, Justin Bedard, Vernell Doyle, Ann Aldrich, and Brianna Candelaria (arrived at 7:08 pm). Staff members present were: Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning: Meghan Jenkins, GIS Coordinator and HDC Staff member. Mr. Ronnie Martin and Mr. Adam Merrbaugh were also present at the meeting. MINUTES Motion and Vote: Ms. Aldrich made a motion to approve the minutes of the May 1, 2024 meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Bedard and unanimously approved. NEW BUSINESS Demolition Permit 2024-02384, 22637 Cavetown Church Road, Smithsburg Ms. Jenkins presented a demolition permit for existing structures located at 22637 Cavetown Church Road. As part of the Comprehensive Town Growth Area Rezoning in 2014, this property was changed from a residential zoning designation to Business Local designation, per the property owner's request. A preliminary consultation (concept plan) has been submitted to the Department of Planning & Zoning for this property. Ms. Jenkins stated there is a house, barn, garage and several sheds currently located on the property. The barn appears to be in good condition while the house shows some deterioration on the outside. The main house has had extensive additions and changes to the exterior, except for the windows. Members viewed a collection of recent photographs of the structures taken by Ms. Jenkins. Staff recommends against support of the demolition permit at this time. Staff also recommends that the property owner initiate the Maryland Historic Trust (MHT) review process and pursue a viable site plan alternative to avoid demolition. If demolition is eminent, the property owner should provide an addendum to the MIHP inventory and the updated documentation should include revisions to the materials, status updates on the buildings including photos, as well as a more thorough analysis of the buildings, and the property owner should have the buildings evaluated for salvageable and hazardous materials. Discussion and Comments: Mr. Martin stated that the roof and windows need to be replaced. There was a lack of maintenance through the years by the previous owners who could not afford the upkeep. Mr. Martin is willing to salvage any usable materials from the structures. Mr. Martin repeatedly expressed his concern regarding liability issues if someone gets injured while these structures are waiting for demolition. Motion and Vote: Mr. Bedard made a motion to recommend against support of the demolition permit at this time with the stipulation that the owner proceed with the Maryland Historic Trust project review process and provide information to staff regarding the salvage options as discussed for the barn and any salvageable materials at the house. If those two processes are completed prior to the Planning Commission's July 1" meeting, staff would complete the permit review process and release the demolition permit at that time. The motion was seconded by Ms. Candelaria and unanimously approved. Permit 2024-02144, 4425 Main Street, Rohrersville Ms. Jenkins presented a permit application for a 512 sq. ft. pool pavilion on a concrete slab with a 224 sq. ft. enclosure with rubberized sports floor to be used as an exercise room. The property is located at 4425 Main Street in the Rohrersville Rural Village and is outside of the Main Street survey area. The property is currently zoned RV (Rural Village). The proposed materials for the project will match the existing porch on the brick residence. The proposed pavilion will not be visible from the Rohrersville Main Street area or from Maryland Route 67. The new construction meets the applicable Secretary of Interior Standards as it is subordinate to the existing brick house and outbuildings with sufficient distance from those structures allowing for minimal impact to the spatial relationship of the existing historic buildings on the property; it allows for the form and integrity of the property and its environment to be retained; it meets the applicable Washington County Design Guidelines for new construction as it proposes to be compatible in form, design and materials with the existing structure; it is sited in a way to maintain the existing characteristics of the property and will minimally impact the viewshed; and it complies with the review criteria of Section 20.6 and 53.5 of the Zoning Ordinance. Therefore, staff recommends approval of the permit application. Motion and Vote: Ms. Candelaria made a motion to support the approval of the permit application for the reasons stated above. The motion was seconded by Ms. Doyle and unanimously approved. Review and Update of Historic Tax Credit Brochure Ms. Jenkins provided copies of the current Historic Tax Credit brochure to begin discussions of updating the brochure. Staff will forward recommendations to the Public Relations Department to make the changes. Members agreed on the following changes: • Too much text — keep it simple • Better graphic design on the Tax Credits Programs page • Focus on information that will entice citizens to want to learn more about historic preservation opportunities • Have a better on-line presence for information • Trifold instead of bifold brochure • Impactful pictures • Brochure should mimic the website Consensus: Members agreed to have the Historic Tax Credit Brochure updated. OLD BUSINESS By-laws Update Ms. Jenkins presented a draft copy of the updated By-laws and discussed the various changes or updates made to the previous document. She noted that the HOC agenda typically starts with New Business and then proceeds to Old Business. The County Attorney's Office changed the order of business to start with Old Business and then proceed to New Business. Motion and Vote: Mr. Bedard made a motion to approve the updated By-laws with the amended order of business to follow the current process we've been using. The motion was seconded by Ms. Aldrich and unanimously approved. OTHER BUSINESS Correspondence —Trileaf, Milestone Towers, 21536 Leitersburg Smithsburg Road Ms. Jenkins stated that correspondence was received asking the HDC if they would like to be a consulting party for a new monopole cell tower in the vicinity of Leitersburg. Leitersburg is a National Register district and there is an HP overlay property nearby. Staff recommends the HDC become a consulting party for this particular project. Consensus: The HDC would like to become a consulting party for this project. Staff Report • Staff Reviews - Ms. Jenkins provided a written summary. • Staff received correspondence regarding an existing cell tower at Red Hill. There has been a change in the height of the installation of equipment on the tower, but no change to the height of the cell tower itself. • A site plan has been submitted for a proposed Sheetz at Exit 1 in Williamsport. There will be a Section 106 review because the developer is requesting Federal funding for the project. A notice has been received by our office asking if the HDC would like to be a consulting party for this project. Staff recommends against being a consulting party because there are no historic sites directly adjacent to this property. MHT has already reviewed this project and determined there will be no adverse effects on historic structures. • The Director of Public Works and the Director of Engineering will be available for a meeting with the HDC on August 7`h for a presentation and discussion of bridges, specifically Price's Bridge. Preservation Month Recap Ms. Jenkins distributed a spreadsheet showing the number of likes and impressions from Facebook comparing 2023 to 2024's campaign. This was a very positive campaign with a lot of interaction from the public. Appointments to Boards/Commission Ms. Jenkins stated there has been a change to the process for making appointments to County Boards/ Commissions. The Commissioners have decided that each Board or Commission should conduct an interview with its top three choices and then send their recommendations to the County Commissioners. She also discussed the process for re -appointments and choosing interview questions, which must be approved by the County Attorney and the Director of Human Resources. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Aldrich made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:10 pm. The motion was seconded by Mr. Bedard and so ordered by the Chairman. K Gregg S ith, Chairman