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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7-1-26MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY July 1, 2026 The Washington County Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Washington County Administrative Complex, 100 W. Washington Street, Room 2001, Hagerstown, Maryland CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The Chairman called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Commission members present were: Lloyd Yavener, Chairman; Ann Aldrich, Michael Lushbaugh, Brianna Candelaria, and Tyler Milam. Staff member present was: Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning: Meghan Jenkins, GIS Coordinator and HOC Staff member. MINUTES Motion and Vote: Ms. Aldrich made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 3, 2026 regular meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Lushbaugh and unanimously approved. NEW BUSINESS Residential New Construction Permit 2026-02372-22335 Old Georgetown Road Ms. Jenkins presented a permit application for a 440 sq. ft. one-story detached garage on a concrete slab to the rear of the existing dwelling. The owner is constructing a pole building with vinyl siding and metal roofing. The structure is 20' x 22' in size which is set back on the property and is not clearly visible from the roadway. The property is located in the Cavetown Rural Village, and the house is a contributing structure to the district. However, after renovations in 2022, most of the original features of the primary facade have been replaced. The Cavetown Rural Village is a mixture of construction materials, and the proposed siding and roofing are consistent with other examples in the Village. It was noted that the garage was started without building permits and a stop work order was issued in May 2026. Motion and Vote: Mr. Lushbaugh made a motion to approve permit application 2026-02372 as presented. The motion was seconded by Ms. Candelaria and unanimously approved. OLD BUSINESS Historic Properties Grant Ms. Jenkins clarified that the grant draft ordinance is ready; however, legislation is needed for the yearly tax credit. The grant funding source did not make it into the budget for FY 2027. A letter is needed to forward to the Board of County Commissioners requesting funding for the grant. The Director of Budget & Finance previously recommended an increase in the recordation tax to fund the grant. Legislative Priorities Ms. Jenkins recommended that a flat rate tax credit for structures with the HP (Historic Preservation) overlay would be the best. This credit program will be recommended for legislation for next year. OTHER BUSINESS Correspondence • Telecommunications Tower -10944 White Hall Road o MHT has requested that the consultant, Trileaf, work with HDC for updates on the GIS viewshed for this application. Ms. Jenkins stated that no further information has been provided; however, the GIS staff could provide the data that the HDC is interested in obtaining. It was the consensus of the members that the developers should be providing the information requested and should be expected as part of the application process. • Proposed Telecommunications Tower— 3417/3413 Rohrersville Road o Trileaf hosted a Section 106 review meeting last week with the consulting parties. This meeting focused on the Appalachian Trail and whether the tower would be visible from White Rocks or other nearby viewpoints. Trileaf has determined that it will not be visible from any of these viewpoints. The South Mountain State Park, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and the National Park Service have all completed their review and have signed off on this project. This proposed cell tower is currently in litigation in Circuit Court where an appeal has been filed for the variance in setbacks granted by the Board of Zoning Appeals. No permits have been applied for or issued because this is an ongoing case in the Circuit Court. If the developer proceeds with the project before a decision is made by the Court, they will do so at their own risk. Consensus of the members on this project is for staff to respond to Trileaf concurring with their determination of no adverse effects. However, the HDC wants better documentation for the resources in our jurisdiction because the consultant (Trileaf) has not been consistent in their documentation. Staff Report • Staff Reviews - A written report was provided to members in the agenda packet. • Review of Building Code/Ruins Workshop — Members thanked staff for putting together this workshop and believe the information obtained will be useful in the future. Members would like to have a recurring workshop each year. Preservation Maryland visit Price's Bridge — Preservation Maryland is planning a visit to Price's Bridge on July 29`h. The Director of Public Works, Director of Engineering, Director of Planning & Zoning, Deputy Director of Planning & Zoning, Ms. Jenkins, and possibly Commissioner Leatherman as well as some of the Board members of Preservation Maryland will be attending. Ms. Aldrich made a motion to adjourn to Closed Session at 7:10 p.m. The motion was seconded by Mr. Milam and so ordered by the Chairman. CLOSED SESSION To discuss potential candidates to be recommended to the Board of County Commissioners for appointment to the Historic District Commission to fill an upcoming vacancy. Motion and Vote: Ms. Aldrich made a motion to forward the recommended candidates to the Board of County Commissioners for appointment to the HDC. The motion was seconded by Ms. Candelaria and unanimously approved. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Lushbaugh made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:31 pm. The motion was seconded by Mr. Milam, unanimously approved and so ordered by the Chairman. UPCOMING MEETINGS 1. Wednesday, August 5, 2026, 6:00 p.m. Respectfully Lloyd Yavener,