HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-6-24MINUTES OF THE
HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION
FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY
November 6, 2024
The Washington County Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday,
November 6, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. in the Washington County Administrative Complex, 100 W Washington
Street, Room 2001, Hagerstown, MD.
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
The Vice -Chairman called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Commission members present were: Lloyd Yavener, Vice -Chair; Ann Aldrich; Michael Lushbaugh, Justin
Bedard and Tyler Milam. Staff members present were: Washington County Department of Planning &
Zoning: Meghan Jenkins, GIS Coordinator and HDC Staff member, and Debra Eckard, Office Manager.
Also present was Rorke Eichholz; Brooks Thacker with Trileaf Corporation; and Matt Penning with
Milestone Towers.
MINUTES
Motion and Vote: Mr. Bedard made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 4, 2024 meeting
as presented. The motion was seconded by Ms. Aldrich and unanimously approved.
NEW BUSINESS
HTC-24-001 Eichholz — 718 Antietam Drive
Ms. Jenkins presented for initial review a tax credit application for property located at 718 Antietam Drive.
This property has a historic preservation overlay. The applicant provided the application, clarifying
information and photographs of the current condition of the historic structure. The applicant is proposing
to replace the roof on the 1803 stone springhouse.
Members had no comments or discussion regarding this application.
OLD BUSINESS
Tax Credit Application
Ms. Jenkins presented a copy of the new Tax Credit Application with the changes suggested at the last
meeting. This application will be available on-line as well as hard copies if the applicant does not want to
fill out the form on-line.
Comments: In Part II — Property Data, add another checkbox "Other" as a use.
Consensus: After the change is made as suggested above, this document is ready to be posted to the
website.
OTHER BUSINESS
Milestone Towers — 21536 Leitersburg Smithsburs Road
Ms. Jenkins stated that updated information for this project has been provided by the applicant and was
included in the agenda packet. Commission members reviewed the updated photographs provided by the
applicant. The proposed cell tower will be near the boundary of the Rural Village and will not be visible
from the square in Leitersburg.
Discussion and Comments: Mr. Bedard asked if the archaeological survey has been completed including
the access roads to the site. Ms. Jenkins could not find any results from archaeological surveys; she will
make a note of this in the comments submitted to MHT for both this site as well as the Lehman's Mill
Road site.
Milestone Towers — Reed/Trileaf Project #745580 — 20026 Lehman's Mill Road
Ms. Jenkins explained that the proposed cell tower recently went before the Board of Zoning Appeals. She
showed members updated photographs provided by the applicant.
Discussion and Comments: Mr. Bedard asked if the applicant provided an independent study to look for
other historical structures in the area. The developer is only looking at what the Section 106 review
requires.
There was a brief discussion among members that the HDC should review all cell tower applications to
ensure there are no adverse impacts to historic properties and viewsheds.
Staff Report
• A written report of staff reviews for the past month was provided to members in the agenda
packets.
• The proposed 2025 meeting calendar was presented to members. Meetings will begin in 2025 at
6 pm. Everyone approved the proposed schedule.
• 2501h Update: The historic subcommittee continues to meet and review historic dates of events.
The County will be holding a July 41h celebration at the County's Ag Center. The subcommittee is
discussing demonstrations at some of buildings at the Ag Center's Rural Village. Members
suggested contacting the following organizations for participation: Smithsburg Tractor Society, C
& O Canal Trust, Master Gardners, Conococheague Institute (18`h century re-enactments).
• Historic Structures Grant Update: The Assistant County Attorney is reviewing the document and
researching the enabling legislation for the document. A sample grant agreement has been
obtained from Frederick County.
• Comprehensive Plan Update: The Plan has been released for a second round of public comments.
The document can be found on the County's website. A public hearing will be held with the
Planning Commission on Monday, January 13, 2025 at 6:00 pm at the Public Safety Training Center
off of Sharpsburg Pike.
• The December meeting will include the Election of Officers and the CLG Annual Report.
• Members should send all completed training to Meghan for inclusion in the Annual Report and
new members should provide a resume.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms. Aldrich made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:05 pm. The motio �as seconded by Mr. Bedard
and so ordered by the Vice -Chairman. c» - ,,...-----'
Lloyd Yavener, Vic,- hairman