Board of Architectural Review

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Board of Architectural Review met on January 16, 2019, at 101 East Vine Street, Room 220. The meeting focused on reviewing architectural proposals for properties located within Lexington's historic districts, including the Aylesford Historic District, Ashland Park Historic District, and South Hill Historic Districts.

The board considered three agenda items during the session, all involving construction or renovation projects requiring architectural review approval. The items included a shed construction proposal at 334 East High Street in the Aylesford Historic District, a garage construction project at 210 South Hanover Avenue in the Ashland Park Historic District, and renovations to a structure at 423 South Upper Street in the South Hill Historic Districts.

All three projects received approval from the board, with three motions and votes taken during the meeting. No public comments were recorded during the session. The meeting demonstrated the board's ongoing work to balance property development needs with historic preservation requirements in Lexington's designated historic districts.

Attendance

Present: • John Brook • Scott Gun • Marcus (arrived late)

Absent: • Applicant for 334 East High Street (initially absent)

Late Arrivals: • Marcus

The meeting proceeded with John Brook and Scott Gun present from the start. Marcus arrived late to the proceedings. The applicant for the 334 East High Street matter was initially absent when their agenda item was scheduled to be heard.

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included three Certificate of Appropriateness approvals, all of which passed by voice vote.

Motion 058-76-0210-c - The Chairman moved to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for 210 South Hanover Avenue to construct a garage. The motion passed by voice vote with conditions requiring the applicant to provide doors and windows without muttons and submit final door and window details and specifics prior to the issuance of the certificate of appropriateness.

Motion 19450423-d - The Chairman moved to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for 423 South Upper Street to renovate structure, seconded by Miss Hill. The motion passed by voice vote with standard conditions applied.

Motion 09290334-d - A motion was made to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for 334 East High Street to construct a shed. The motion passed by voice vote with the condition that doors be constructed with framing on the interior side of the door.

All three motions were approved unanimously through voice votes, with no recorded individual vote tallies or opposing votes. Each approval came with specific conditions that must be met by the respective property owners before final certificates are issued.

334 East High Street (Aylesford Historic District): Construct shed.

The board reviewed an application for the construction of a shed at 334 East High Street, located within the Aylesford Historic District. This agenda item was designated as item 1 on the meeting docket.

Initially, the applicant was not present when the item was called for discussion. However, the applicant arrived later during the proceedings to participate in the review process.

Marcus served as a key speaker during the discussion of this application. The board appears to have established certain conditions for the proposed shed construction, which the applicant needed to acknowledge and accept.

When the applicant arrived, they confirmed their agreement with the conditions that had been outlined by the board for the shed construction project. The specific details of these conditions were not elaborated upon in the available meeting materials.

Following the applicant's confirmation of agreement with the established conditions, the board approved the application for the shed construction at 334 East High Street. The approval allows the property owner to proceed with building the shed in accordance with the conditions set forth by the board.

This approval represents the board's determination that the proposed shed construction is appropriate for the historic district setting and meets the necessary requirements for development within the Aylesford Historic District boundaries.

210 South Hanover Avenue (Ashland Park Historic District): Construct garage.

The board reviewed a proposal to construct a garage at 210 South Hanover Avenue, located within the Ashland Park Historic District. John Brook served as a key speaker during the discussion of this agenda item.

The application involved the construction of a new garage structure on the property. As part of the review process, staff had established specific conditions for the project to ensure compliance with historic district guidelines and regulations.

During the meeting, the applicant demonstrated cooperation with the board's requirements by agreeing to accept the conditions that had been set forth by staff. This agreement helped facilitate the approval process, as it showed the applicant's willingness to work within the established parameters for construction within the historic district.

The board ultimately approved the garage construction project. The approval was contingent upon the applicant's adherence to the staff-recommended conditions, which were designed to maintain the historic character and integrity of the Ashland Park Historic District while allowing for the proposed construction.

This case represents a typical example of the board's approach to balancing property owners' needs for improvements with the preservation requirements of historic districts. The successful outcome demonstrates how cooperation between applicants and staff can lead to approved projects that meet both practical needs and historic preservation standards.

423 South Upper Street: (South Hill Historic Districts): Renovate structure.

The board reviewed a renovation project for the structure located at 423 South Upper Street within the South Hill Historic Districts. Scott Gun served as a key speaker during the discussion of this agenda item.

The application involved renovating the existing structure at this historic district location. As part of the review process, the board evaluated the proposed renovation plans to ensure compliance with historic preservation standards and district guidelines.

During the discussion, the applicant demonstrated cooperation with the board's requirements by agreeing to accept the standard conditions typically imposed on projects within historic districts. These standard conditions help ensure that renovation work maintains the historic character and integrity of properties within the designated historic areas.

The board ultimately approved the renovation project for 423 South Upper Street. The approval allows the applicant to proceed with the proposed structural renovations while adhering to the agreed-upon standard conditions that will help preserve the historic nature of the property and maintain consistency with the South Hill Historic Districts' preservation goals.