Board of Architectural Review

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Board of Architectural Review met on July 19, 2023, at 101 East Vine Street, Room 220, with James Dickenson presiding as the meeting officer. The board addressed two main agenda items during the session: the election of officers, which was deferred to a future meeting, and a conceptual review for properties at 451 and 453 East Maxwell Street, which was presented for informational purposes only. Throughout the meeting, the board conducted six motions and votes on various matters related to the agenda items and procedural business. One member of the public provided comments during the designated public comment period, contributing to the board's consideration of the items under review.

Attendance

The following members were present at the meeting on July 19, 2023:

• James Dickenson
• Suzanne Irwin
• Brack Market
• Susan Hill

No members were reported as absent or late for this meeting. All four listed members were in attendance.

Votes and Decisions

The commission considered six applications during the meeting, with four approvals, one denial, and two postponements.

Postponements

10:00 The commission voted to postpone the application for 451 East Maxwell Street. The motion passed by voice vote.

11:00 The commission also voted to postpone the application for 453 East Maxwell Street. This motion also passed by voice vote.

Approvals

12:00 Application 07049777-H for 977 Fincastle Road received approval for a certificate of appropriateness. The motion passed by voice vote with standard two conditions attached.

14:00 Application 03630614-C for 614 Central Avenue was approved for a certificate of appropriateness. The motion passed by voice vote with standard two conditions.

18:00 Application 10950207-A for 207 Lackawanna Road was approved for a certificate of appropriateness. Commissioner Suzanne Irwin made the motion, which passed by voice vote with one dissenting vote and standard two conditions applied.

Denial

16:00 Application 09290600-F for 602 East High Street was considered for disapproval. Commissioner Brack Market made the motion to disapprove the certificate of appropriateness, but this motion failed by voice vote, meaning the application was effectively approved.

All votes were conducted by voice vote rather than formal roll call, with specific vote tallies and individual commissioner positions not recorded in the available data. The "standard two conditions" referenced in several approvals were not detailed in the extracted information.

Public Comment

During the public comment period, one community member addressed the meeting.

Rebecca Child spoke at approximately 15:00 regarding concerns about her residential property. Child expressed worries about the structural integrity of her home and specifically discussed the need to paint a brick structure on her property to help protect it from deterioration.

Child's comments focused on maintenance issues related to preserving the condition of her home's brick elements through protective painting measures.

Contested Items

The July 19, 2023 meeting featured two applications that generated significant debate among board members.

Painting of 602 East High Street

The board engaged in a heated discussion regarding an application to paint a historic brick structure at 602 East High Street. Board members expressed strong concerns about the appropriateness of painting over the original brick material on this historic property. The debate centered on preservation standards and whether painting would compromise the building's historic integrity. After extensive deliberation, the board ultimately decided to disapprove the application, maintaining that the original brick should remain unpainted to preserve the structure's historic character.

Parking and Paving at 451 and 453 East Maxwell Street

A second contentious issue arose over proposed parking and paving improvements at 451 and 453 East Maxwell Street. The discussion became heated as board members debated the impact of the proposed paving on existing green space and overall neighborhood character. Key concerns focused on the visual dominance that additional asphalt surfaces would create in the area. Board members weighed the practical need for parking against preservation of the neighborhood's aesthetic qualities and green space. The debate highlighted tensions between modern functional needs and historic district preservation goals.

Both items demonstrated the board's commitment to carefully scrutinizing applications that could significantly alter the character of historic properties and neighborhoods, even when such decisions might conflict with property owners' practical needs or preferences.

Election of Officers

20:00

The board addressed the process for electing officers during this agenda item. James Dickenson served as the key speaker leading the discussion on how to proceed with officer elections.

The board deliberated on the appropriate methodology for conducting the election of officers. Rather than moving forward with immediate elections, the board determined that a more structured approach would be beneficial.

As a result of the discussion, the board decided to establish a committee specifically tasked with developing recommendations for the officer election process. This committee approach will allow for more thorough consideration of the procedures and requirements for officer positions.

The agenda item concluded with the decision to defer the actual election of officers until the newly formed committee can present their recommendations to the full board. No officers were elected during this meeting, and the timeline for when the committee will report back was not specified in the available information.

Conceptual Review for 451 and 453 East Maxwell Street

22:00

The board conducted a conceptual review of proposed parking and paving improvements at 451 and 453 East Maxwell Street. Jimmy Hamilton served as the key speaker presenting the conceptual plan to the board.

The discussion centered on a proposal for parking and paving modifications at the two adjacent properties. Board members examined how the proposed changes would affect the existing green space in the area and considered the potential impact on the overall neighborhood character.

During the review, participants discussed the balance between providing adequate parking facilities and preserving the environmental and aesthetic qualities of the neighborhood. The conversation included consideration of how the paving and parking improvements would integrate with the surrounding area's existing development patterns.

The board treated this as an informational item, allowing for discussion and feedback on the conceptual plans without requiring formal action. This type of conceptual review typically serves as an early step in the development process, providing applicants with guidance before submitting more detailed proposals.

The review focused specifically on the parking and paving elements of the proposal, with particular attention to how these infrastructure improvements would affect green space preservation and maintain compatibility with the established neighborhood character along East Maxwell Street.