Board of Architectural Review

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Board of Architectural Review met on October 12, 2011. During the meeting, the board considered 14 agenda items, took 5 motions and votes, and heard 2 public comments. Of the items reviewed, 11 were approved, 1 was postponed, and 1 was deferred. The approved projects included tree removal at 293 South Ashland Avenue, roof replacement at 554 Central Avenue, sign replacement at 456 East High Street, structural renovations at 211 East Bell Court and 216 Market Street, front porch step renovation at 218 Bell Place, fence installation and replacement at 423 South Upper Street and 621/625 West Main Street, chimney cap installation at 700 West Short Street, masonry wall treatment at 478 West Second Street, window replacement at 446 East High Street, and porch enclosure with siding and opening modifications at 411 West Sixth Street. The board postponed consideration of a paved areas construction project at 607 North Broadway and deferred a canopy construction proposal at 324 South Upper Street.

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included five votes, all conducted by voice vote.

Fencing Installation at 621/625 West Main Street 3:48 The motion to approve fencing installation at this address passed by voice vote.

Masonry Walls at 478 West 2nd Street 5:59 The motion to approve leaving masonry walls unpainted at 478 West 2nd Street passed by voice vote.

Window Replacement at 446 East High Street (Identifier: 0929-0446-C) 34:33 The motion to approve window replacement with applied mullion and bronze-tempered glass passed by voice vote. The approval includes the following conditions: the applied mullion must be at the same dimensional height as the existing horizontal element, and all details must be submitted to staff before Certificate of Appropriateness issuance.

Porch Enclosure and Siding Changes at 411 West 6th Street (Identifier: 17310411-H) 1:09:16 The motion to approve porch enclosure and siding changes passed by voice vote. The approval is subject to conditions requiring that final details of window openings and rear entry stoop/railing be submitted to staff for review, and that all exposed wood be painted.

Postponement of 607 North Broadway Paved Areas Construction 1:13:06 The motion to postpone consideration of paved areas construction at 607 North Broadway to October 26, 2011 passed by voice vote.

Public Comment

Two members of the public provided comments during the meeting.

Chris Kelly 6:34 spoke regarding window replacement at 446 East High Street. Kelly expressed regret about not seeking approval earlier and noted that the windows had already been purchased and installed. He argued that the new design improved both the building's appearance and energy efficiency. Kelly also emphasized his background in historic preservation.

Carl Leonard 1:07:02 addressed a porch enclosure project at 411 West 6th Street. Leonard explained the urgency of completing foundation work before winter and cited time constraints as a factor in his request. He offered to revise the window configuration if the project were approved as submitted, though he emphasized that he could not be stopped from proceeding with the work.

Contested Items

Window Replacement at 446 East High Street

The board engaged in a heated discussion regarding a proposed window replacement project. The central disagreement concerned whether to permit the removal of the horizontal mullion and installation of bronze-tinted glass, despite existing guidelines that require preservation of original window design and materials. The applicant advocated for the new design, arguing that it would provide improved energy efficiency and visual enhancement to the property. Board members, however, prioritized the preservation of the building's historic character and expressed concern about deviating from established guidelines.

Porch Enclosure at 411 West 6th Street

A split vote resulted from disagreement over a proposed porch enclosure project. The primary point of contention was whether the design maintained the open character of the porch as required by guideline 1.13D. Board members held differing perspectives on the proposal: some members felt the design blended the new and old elements too seamlessly, raising concerns about the preservation of the porch's original open character. Other members acknowledged practical constraints affecting the project, including time limitations and restrictions imposed by fire code requirements that limited the amount of glazing that could be used. This division in viewpoints led to a split vote on the matter.

293 South Ashland Avenue: Remove dying tree

1:32

Staff approved the removal of a dying tree located at 293 South Ashland Avenue in the South Ashland Historic District.

The applicant did not appear at the meeting. However, the applicant had agreed with the staff findings regarding the tree's condition and the necessity of its removal.

Outcome: The request was approved.

554 Central Avenue: Replace roof

1:32

Staff approved the roof replacement project at 554 Central Avenue, located in the Central Historic District.

No applicant appeared at the meeting. However, the applicant had agreed with the staff findings regarding the proposed roof replacement.

Outcome: The roof replacement was approved.

456 East High Street: Replace sign

1:32

Staff approved the sign replacement at 456 East High Street, located in the Aylesford Historic District.

The applicant did not appear at the meeting. However, the applicant had agreed with the staff findings regarding the proposed sign replacement.

Outcome: The sign replacement was approved.

211 East Bell Court: Renovate structure

1:32

Staff approved the renovation of the structure located at 211 East Bell Court in the Bell Court Historic District.

The applicant did not appear at the meeting. However, the applicant had agreed with the staff findings regarding the proposed renovation project.

Outcome: The renovation was approved.

218 Bell Place: Renovate front porch steps

1:32

Staff approved the renovation of front porch steps at 218 Bell Place, located in the Bell Court Historic District.

No applicant appeared at the meeting. However, the applicant had agreed with the staff findings regarding the proposed renovation project.

Outcome: The renovation was approved.

216 Market Street: Renovate structure

1:32

Staff approved the renovation of the structure at 216 Market Street, located in the Grass Park Historic District.

The applicant did not appear at the meeting. However, the applicant had agreed with the staff findings regarding the proposed renovation project.

Outcome: The renovation was approved.

423 South Upper Street: Replace and install new fencing

1:32

Staff approved the replacement and installation of new fencing at 423 South Upper Street in the South Hill Historic District.

No applicant appeared at the meeting. However, the applicant had agreed with the staff findings regarding the project.

The proposal was approved.

700 West Short Street: Install chimney caps

1:32

Staff approved the installation of chimney caps at 700 West Short Street, located in the Western Suburbs Historic District.

The applicant did not appear at the meeting. However, the applicant had agreed with the staff findings regarding the proposed work.

Outcome: The installation of chimney caps was approved.

621/625 West Main Street: Fence common area between structures

2:35

An application for a Certificate of Appropriateness to install fencing in the common area between the structures at 621/625 West Main Street was presented for consideration.

The applicant was not present at the meeting but had agreed with the staff findings regarding the proposed fence installation. No objections to the application were raised during the discussion.

The application was approved as submitted.

478 West Second Street: Leave masonry walls unpainted

4:20

An application for a certificate of appropriateness to leave masonry walls unpainted at 478 West Second Street was presented to the meeting.

Staff reviewed the proposal and confirmed that tuck pointing work performed on the building was minimal in scope and did not negatively affect the building's character. No objections were raised during the discussion.

The application was approved.

446 East High Street: Replace windows

6:34

This agenda item concerned a Certificate of Appropriateness application for window replacement at 446 East High Street. Chris Kelly presented the matter to the board.

The application was approved with conditions. The board required that an applied mullion be added at the same height as the original windows. Additionally, all details must be submitted to staff before the Certificate of Appropriateness is issued.

A notable aspect of this case was that the applicant had already installed the windows prior to obtaining approval.

411 West Sixth Street: Enclose porch, change siding and add openings

This agenda item addressed a certificate of appropriateness application for modifications to 411 West Sixth Street, including enclosing the porch, changing the siding, and adding openings to the structure. 8:12

Key Speaker

Carl Leonard presented on this application.

Outcome

The application was approved with conditions.

Conditions of Approval

The approval requires the following conditions:

• Final details of window openings must be submitted to staff for review
• Final details of the rear entry stoop and railing must be submitted to staff for review
• All exposed wood must be painted

Applicant Response

The applicant expressed time constraints related to the project and indicated willingness to revise the design as needed to meet the conditions of approval.

607 North Broadway: Construct paved areas

This agenda item concerned an application for a certificate of appropriateness to construct paved areas at 607 North Broadway 1:13:06.

The application was postponed to October 26, 2011, at the applicant's request.

324 South Upper Street: Construct canopy

A conceptual review for constructing a canopy at 324 South Upper Street was presented during this meeting 1:12:36.

No formal motion or decision was made regarding this proposal. The matter was deferred, with no further action taken at this time.