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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20200805 Tom Clemens Vernell Doyle Edith WallaceAnn Aldrich Gary Rohrer Jeffrey A. Cline, BOCC Rep HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND AGENDA August 5, 2020, 7:00 p.m. VIRTUAL MEETING ONLY CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL MINUTES 1.Minutes of the July 1, 2020 meeting * OLD BUSINESS 1.Demolition Permit Process NEW BUSINESS 1.Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area FY21 Grant Award Updates OTHER BUSINESS 1.Permit #2020-02665 –Demolition permit for property located at 14510 Barkdoll Road 2.Certified Local Government Training –August 13, 2020 @2pm 3.Website Updates – Discussion of exterior changes not requiring a permit * 4.Training Workshop Offering Updates/Target Mailing Updates ADJOURNMENT UPCOMING MEETING 1.Wednesday, September 2, 2020, 7:00 p.m. *attachments The Historic District Commission reserves the right to vary the order in which the cases are called. Individuals requiring special accommodations are requested to contact the Washington County Planning Department at 240- 313-2430 to make arrangements no later than ten (10) days prior to the meeting. Notice is given that the agenda may be amended at any time up to and including the meeting. Street,|HagerstowTDD:7-1-1 WWW.WASHCO-MD.NET MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY July 1, 2020 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Due to current social meeting restrictions put in place by the Governor of Maryland because of the COVID- 19 pandemic, the Washington County Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, July 1, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. virtually using Zoom software. No physical meeting took place. Commission members present were: Tom Clemens, Ann Aldrich, and Vernell Doyle. Staff members present were: Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning: Jill Baker, Director; Meghan Jenkins, GIS Analyst; and Debra Eckard, Administrative Assistant. MINUTES Ms. Aldrich made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 3, 2020 minutes with one correction (to include additional information for the project at 55 West Oak Ridge Drive). The motion was seconded by Ms. Doyle and unanimously approved. OTHER BUSINESS Certified Local Government Report Ms. Jenkins provided a power point summarizing the CLG submission that she will be providing to the State for FFY 2016, 2017, and 2018. Each yearly report includes information on program changes, a summary of active design and development review, a summary of active survey design, Commission members’ qualifications, priorities for the upcoming year, and other general information. These reports will be submitted electronically and the County will then be current on its reporting. Website Updates and Commission Priorities Ms. Jenkins briefly reviewed comments that were submitted by members regarding the website. Several changes have been made to the tax credits webpage including the addition of graphs and a map. It was noted that the last tax credit application that was reviewed was in 2015. There was a brief discussion regarding the tax credit brochures that were produced by the Historic Advisory Committee. Some of these brochures have been distributed to the Department of Plan Review & Permitting and the Department of Planning & Zoning. The Historic Advisory Committee is planning to distribute these brochures to other businesses across the County once it is safe to do so following COVID-19. Ms. Baker discussed targeted mailings on a rotating basis to property owners of historic structures and planning a workshop with the local real estate groups. There was a brief review of the Historic Resources webpage which includes technical resources, salvage/restoration resources and recommended reading materials. Other information provided on the County’s website includes information about the Historic District Commission’s formation, its authority and its purpose, HDC meeting agendas, HDC meeting minutes, demolition and building permit review authority. There was a brief discussion regarding the term “strongly discouraged”. It was recommended that we change that to promote encouragement of preservation. Ms. Baker also discussed the $100 fine for demolition without a permit. This technically is not a fine but a civil violation of $100 per day which is assessed through the civil courts. The County does not typically pursue these cases due to the excessive cost involved; however, the County encourages compliance. Ms. Jenkins reviewed the results of the follow-up survey that was sent to Commission members to gather input on their priorities as discussed in the June meeting. The survey responses will be used by staff to set priorities for research, initiatives and policy updates in the areas of demolition alternatives, tax credits, inventory updates, prioritization and additional comments or topics the Commission members believe should be addressed. For demolition alternatives staff will be focusing on workshops, mailings and historic highlights. For Tax Credits staff will be focusing on expansion to National Register districts/Rural Villages, and expansion to other structures. For inventory updates staff will be focusing on updates to status/use of historic inventory properties and picture updates. Staff will present examples of prioritization for review. Jurisdiction Historic Survey – Demolition Process, Inventory and Tax Credit Ms. Jenkins reported that she sent a survey to the 22 counties in Maryland to gather data on historic demolition processes, inventory and tax credits for each jurisdiction. Of those 22 jurisdictions, 9 responded to the survey. She gave a brief power point presentation summarizing the data received. It was noted that only two of these counties have regulatory authority to deny a demolition permit for an historic structure – Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties. Frederick County supports a delay for demolition which allows time to work with property owners for rehabilitation or re-purposing of historic structures. Responses showed that a fine of $500 for demolition without a permit is assessed in a majority of the counties that responded. A majority of the jurisdictions that responded have no tax credits available and those that do have credits available show low usage of the programs. Ms. Jenkins noted that in Washington County, the ag tax credit program is widely used. In 2020, there were 402 tax accounts that participated in the program giving $430,000 in tax credits to participants. Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Meeting Update Ms. Jenkins reported that she, Ms. Baker and Ms. Doyle attended the June 18, 2020 virtual meeting of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area. She gave a brief update of items discussed during the meeting. Sharpsburg Dollar General Ms. Baker announced that there is a proposal for a Dollar General store to be located along Shepherdstown Pike in Sharpsburg. This project will be presented to the Planning Commission on Monday, July 6, 2020 to determine if the change in use from the current art gallery is a significant change in use. The property is currently zoned Preservation with a Rural Business overlay. If the Planning Commission determines the use to be a significant change, the applicant will need to essentially go through the rezoning process which will include public meetings and public hearings. A site plan will then be required. The property is located in the Antietam Overlay zone. The HDC has review authority in the AO zone with regard to the outside design and aesthetics of the structure and its compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood and structures. 55 West Oak Ridge Drive Ms. Aldrich asked if there was an update on the property proposed for demolition at 55 West Oak Ridge Drive. Ms. Baker stated that there are rumors that Project Cardinal has fallen through but there has been no official word. She believes that the demolition permit is still valid since it is not attached to any specific project but is held by the owner of the property, Review & Herald. She is not sure if there is a sunset clause applicable with the permit, but she will contact the Permitting Department to get an answer on that question. Ms. Baker noted that an interested party contacted her about moving the house and the barn to a different location within the County and she provided contact information for the Review & Herald. No further contact has been made with the interested party; however, she will try to contact them and provide the Commission with an update. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Doyle made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:20 p.m. The motion was seconded by Ms. Aldrich and so ordered by the chairman. Respectfully submitted, _______________________________________ Jill L. Baker, Director Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning DIVISIONOF Residential(IRC) e One- c 1. e feet. high. sto - route. e work. c 1. scenery. p storybelow. R-3 deep. work. inchesdeep. systems. y -family t-family support. e e ex nare R311.4. permit. Non- Commercial height. 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