HUNTSVILLE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSION



HUNTSVILLE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSIONMINUTESMay 8, 2017The Huntsville Historic Preservation Commission met in the Conference Room on the 1st Floor of the Public Service Building located at 320 Fountain Circle on May 8, 2017. The members present were:Mr. David ElyMs. Katie StampsMr. Peter LoweMs. Drenda KingMr. Jan WilliamsMr. Randy CunninghamMr. Dennis MadsenMr. Mike HolbrookAlso present at the meeting were Ms. Jessica White, Historic Preservation Consultant and Sharon Mize, Recording Secretary. The meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Mr. David Ely, Chairman. Mr. Ely read the preamble and introduced the Commission members. 1321 Ward Avenue – Ms. Marcia FreelandThis application was denied because there was no one at the meeting to represent the application.107 Steele Street – Mr. Mark Brubaker for Mr. Jerry BarclayMr. Barclay was previously approved for a rear addition. He has come back before the Commission requesting to add an addition two feet to the addition which will also include another window. Mr. Cunningham asked if they had a site drawing and Mr. Brubaker said they submitted one with the first application and there is lots of room for the addition. The addition will make it even with the neighbor’s addition. Ms. Stamps made the motion to approve the extended addition with an extra window and Mr. Madsen seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.519 Randolph Avenue – Ms. Stephanie SchambanMs. Schamban came before the Commission requesting permission to paint the body of the house in Cream and the shutters in Umbrella Black. Ms. Stamps made the motion to approve the paint colors and Mr. Holbrook seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.804 Wells Avenue – Mr. Tracy PollardMr. Pollard would like to install black iron handrails and guardrails on his front porch. The picket size will be one inch square two. Mr. Ely said the turn columns in the photographs appear to be forty inches tall. Mr. Pollard said it will be 38” minimum and 42” maximum height. If it is 38” in height it should not go above the first picket. Mr. Ely recommended he stay one or two inches below the second tier. By code, the railing will need to be 36” in height. The existing handrail may be too high and will also need to be replaced. It should not be more than 38” in height and the spindles should not be more than 4” apart. Mr. Pollard said he would replace the handrails as well to match the guardrail on the porch. There should not be more than two inches between the porch deck and the bottom of the rail. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve the addition of the guardrail and replacing the handrails. Ms. King seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.503 Clinton Avenue – Mr. Mike SelfMr. Self came before the Commission requesting to replace his driveway and to add a decorative gate to his existing fence. The driveway will be exposed aggregate of pea gravel. The gate will be like a little house and will be visible from the neighbor’s driveway. The gate will be wood and eight feet in height and eight feet in width. It will be like an enclosed gate with a door on each side for access. The colors will be the same as presented. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve replacing the driveway and erecting a decorative wood gate and Mr. Madsen seconded the motion. Mr. Holbrook said the Commission has been encouraging the use of paving strips in Five Points and wanted to know why this one would be different. Mr. Lowe said it already exists without the paving strips. Mr. Ely said he was not opposed to the materials but he is concerned about possible runoff. The existing driveway will absorb the water to some extent but when the driveway is paved with concrete the water has to go somewhere. Mr. Self said it would go to the street. Mr. Holbrook said they have been encouraging paving strips. Mr. Self said they have done a lot of drainage work because they are on the low end of the block and they get everyone else’s drainage. Mrs. Self said the strips are not in character with the house. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion. 210 White Street – Mr. David NaumcheffMr. Naumcheff came before the Commission requesting to add corbel brackets to the eaves, change the siding color, add a metal roof to the carport and front porch, erect a pergola to the side of the carport, and install a satellite dish. The proposed satellite dish will be mounted to the rear roof of the house and will be approximately 28 inches in diameter and will not be visible from the front of the house. The pergola will be on the back of the house and will not be visible from the front of the house. The standing seam roof will go on the front porch and also on the carport. Ms. Stamps said she did not think the metal roof and the brackets will go together. Mr. Holbrook said the brackets were not an original feature to the house. Mr. Ely suggested he go to the library and see what they might have on file for this house. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve the paint color, the metal roof on the front porch and carport, addition of a satellite dish on the rear of the house and erect a pergola on the rear of the house. Ms. King seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.123 Walker Avenue – Mr. Benjamin CobbMr. Cobb requested adding six inch half round copper gutters with 4 inch circular downspouts. The gutters will be located in the front and rear of the house and also on the carport. They are also considering replacing the existing gutters with copper. Mr. Holbrook made the motion to approve the addition of copper gutters and downspouts and Ms. Stamps seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion. 122 Walker Avenue – Mr. Arthur TischerMr. Tischer would like to paint the porch trim and around the windows white where it is presently gray. All of the other colors will stay the same. Mr. Ely said they would lose the definition of the dentals on the porch when they paint it white. Ms. Stamps made the motion to approve the paint color and Mr. Holbrook seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.1103 Randolph Avenue – Mr. David Clark for Mr. Robert GriffinThis application is a request to replace the front door with a door better suited for the style of the house. The existing door is too modern for the house. The proposed door is a ? glass door in the color of Riverwood. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve replacing the door and Ms. Stamps seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.1222 Ward Avenue – Mrs. Nydia MartyakMrs. Martyak came before the Commission requesting to paint and repair the siding of the house. The color pallet is sage green with the door being painted a darker green. Ms. Stamps made the motion to approve the paint colors with the option of a lighter shade of the approved colors. Mr. Williams seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve.430 McClung Avenue – Mr. Paul Matheny for Mr. Zack PennyMr. Matheny presented a plan for an addition to the home of Mr. Penny along with a partial renovation using matching materials. The addition will consist of 775 square feet on the rear of the house and lot coverage will not be an issue. The foundation walls in the rear will be brick. Ms. Stamps made the motion to approve the addition and renovations and Mr. Lowe seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.1015 Wellman Avenue – Mr. Larry Bricker for Mr. Charles (Trey) PropstThis is request is to construct a new house on a newly subdivided lot. Included in the application are all of the proposed materials for the new house. The overall height of the structure will be 27 feet and the comparable house height in the neighborhood is 23 feet. Mr. Bricker said Wellman Avenue has an eighty foot right of way and the house will sit back 50 feet from the street. There is no alley access to the rear of the property. Mr. Bricker said they are under the lot coverage but because of the easements and the setbacks they had to go up with the house to fit the bedrooms in. Mr. Propst said they had to extend the sewer through the easement on the rear of the property and it is not a drivable easement. Ms. White said it will be so close to some of the other structures. Mr. Propst said the garage on the property to the left is sitting just five feet from the property line. Mr. Ely said the house seems tall and he fears this will mimic the homes going up in Blossomwood which are way too big. Mr. Bricker said this house is a story and a half and this is a different situation because this house will sit back further on the lot. The footprint is smaller than what is required. Mr. Holbrook said he can’t get past the front facing garage no matter where it sits on the lot and it is not in keeping with the district. Ms. White said the guidelines say garages should be on secondary elevations. Mr. Holbrook said it is a nice looking house but not appropriate for Five Points. The ceiling heights will be nine feet downstairs and eight feet upstairs. Mr. Ely said the homes in the neighborhood are tiny and this will look too big. Mr. Bricker said there are corner houses which are two stories in the neighborhood. Ms. Stamps said she did not like the height but mostly she disliked the garages facing the front because it is not a historic feature. Mr. Bricker said they are trying to play it down by using double doors. The square footage of the proposed house is 2,828 square feet.Mr. Lowe said he thought they were improving the neighborhood. Mr. Holbrook said he was sure it would be a nice house, but over the past 15 years the Commission has allowed a lot of inappropriate structures to be built in Five Points. He said he understood that the lot size limited them, but he wished they could do something different. Mr. Bricker said they could build a carport instead of a garage but thought that would be worse because then you could see all the clutter. Mr. Madsen said it would be ideal if they could set the garage or carport toward the back of the lot. Mr. Propst said because of the sewer extension he was asked to do for 205 England Street, he was required to maintain a fifteen foot easement which prohibits him from getting within five feet of the property line, which is normal for something detached. They can’t push it back further because the rear setback is 25 feet. Ms. White said her concern would be proximity to other buildings, the scaling difference and the fact they are so close to the surrounding properties. The house needs to blend in with the surrounding neighborhood and there are a few things which don’t conform to this neighborhood. Mr. Propst said the Commission needs to keep in mind 100 feet away there are two concrete block houses, a block away there is a two story block apartment building. Across the street there is a 1950’s brick rancher. There is no harmony in this neighborhood.Ms. Susie Garrett, a neighbor from a block over, said he is fixing up some of the houses really nice but this particular house does not fit in her neighborhood. The houses on the block are much smaller and are one story. The foundations on these houses are only two blocks high. She said she would like to see something on the lot but this house does not fit. Mr. Propst said they try to keep the houses as original as they can to make them still fit in the neighborhood.Ms. White asked if they had considered using both lots for one house and a garage instead of the two houses. Mr. Propst said he needs to build two houses on the lots. Mr. Bricker said they are trying to make both houses compatible with the neighborhood and keep it scaled down but with the square footage families need. Mr. Propst said the two on England both have carports but people interested in the properties are disappointed there isn’t a garage. Mr. Holbrook said he understood the market for this size home but this area is not the area for a 2,800 square foot home. He suggested combining two of the three lots to put the garage toward the back of the lot. Mr. Bricker said this is the house footprint that fits the lot. Ms. Garrett said she was curious what has happened to the alley which used to be behind the houses on England Street. She asked if the lots have always been subdivided the way they are. Mr. Bricker said they subdivided the lots in order to get the sewer line to 205 England Street, which created the easement. Mr. Ely asked if there were a way to lower the roof line. Mr. Bricker said there are two bedrooms and a bonus room on the second floor. The rooms are tucked into the attic on the front. Mr. Bricker said it is a challenge to work with the setbacks and easements. Ms. Stamps said the issue is the tiny houses don’t fit the needs of the modern family. Though they need to build houses which will sell, the Commission has to be sure the historic district is not negatively impacted by a modern structure. Mr. Lowe said the proposed house is an improvement over the greatest majority of the homes in that immediate vicinity. Ms. Garrett said she knows there is a need for more square footage, but there is an appeal to the little houses in the neighborhood. She is concerned that there will be larger homes built in their little neighborhood. She is also concerned about the style of the homes. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve. There was no second to the motion. Mr. Ely said the application will die for lack of a motion. They are not saying they cannot build a home there but it needs to be more in scale and character of the neighborhood. Mr. Propst said there are easement restrictions which prevent them from doing certain designs. Mr. Propst said they are willing to build something reasonable. Mr. Madsen said there is no guarantee you can maximize the square footage on every lot. Mr. Holbrook reminded them they are not building in a subdivision and they are restricted by a number of things and this Commission is one of them. Mr. Propst said this would be a quality home. Mr. Ely said he knew they would do a good job, but it needs to be more in scale and character of the neighborhood. He suggested they schedule a meeting with Mike Holbrook and himself to help with the design issues they are having. The motion was denied due to a lack of a motion.201 England Street – Mr. Larry Bricker for Mr. Charles (Trey) PropstThis request is also for the construction of a new house. Mr. Madsen asked if there was enough room to detach the garage from the house. Mr. Bricker said it could be detached and then there would be a driveway issue and you would not be able to get into the garage. Mr. Propst said there is only one house on this block and so this house will not tower above any houses on the block. The house will be 19 feet away from the house next door and will be located on the corner. Ms. White said there is an issue with scaling, proximity to the neighboring house, and compatibility with the neighboring house: this house is a neo-Victorian style house and the house next door is a minimal traditional house. Mr. Madsen said he is less concerned about the stylistic match because Five Points tend to be more eclectic. Mr. Bricker said this house is a story and a half. Mr. Madsen said it appears to be two stories. Mr. Madsen said he would like it better if the garage were detached. A detached garage needs to be ten feet from the house. Mr. Propst said Huntsville Utilities just placed an electrical pole right where the driveway would need to go if they were to detach the garage. There is an easement in the setback line within three feet of the property line. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve the construction of a new house as presented and Mr. Madsen seconded the motion. Mrs. Jackie Reed asked if Mr. Propst could ask for relief for the easement. Mr. Cunningham said the variance board cannot give relief for an easement. Ms. Stamps said this house style will fit better with the neighborhood than the previous house application. Mr. Madsen agreed and said because it is on a corner lot will help with the height of the house.The Commission unanimously voted to approve the motion.225 Williams Avenue – Mr. Edward T. Jones for Mr. & Mrs. George KingThis request is to construct a new residence on a vacant lot. Mr. Jones said this house is emulating a house in Marion County the Kings liked with painted brick and limestone headers. The highest part of the house will be 36 feet. The houses in the general vicinity are larger than this house and are about the same height as other houses in the neighborhood. The garage will be accessed off of Green Street. All the trees along the front edge will be maintained.Mr. Madsen made the motion to approve. The roof will be a faux slate and the house will have copper downspouts and gutters. The fence will be an iron fence with 5/8” split scrolls. The fencing will consist of a brick fence along the back of the property for privacy from the neighboring businesses. The iron fence will be along the front and sides of the property. Mr. Lowe seconded the motion. There will be no variances required for this structure. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.407 Holmes Avenue – Ms. Kristin StittMs. Stitt said she would like to remove the existing wood fence and replace with a five foot tall black aluminum fence, paint the house, and replace the roof. They will keep the existing gates and powder coats them. The proposed paint colors are Benjamin Moore Gunsmith Gray for the body of the house, Bone Black for the primary trim, and Mopboard Black for the secondary trim. Ms. Stamps made the motion to approve and Mr. Madsen seconded the motion. The shingles will be historic asphalt shingles in the color of Stonegate Gray. Mr. Lowe said he thought they would be happier with a Weathered Wood color shingle. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.Mr. Ely stepped down from the Commission in order to present the next application and Mr. Williams took over as Chairman.210 Williams Avenue – Mr. David Ely for UAHMr. Ely said this house is the UAH’s President’s home and they need to replace the roof, rework windows and repoint the chimneys. Mr. Ely said they would like to re-roof soon because the roof leaks. They will repoint the chimneys, fix the wood trim and rework the windows. The lower porch roof will be replaced at another time and also paint the trim a different color.Mr. Ely said they would like approval for four different color shingles. While they were doing some investigation in the attic they found some clay tiles and thought it may have had a clay tile roof at some time. They do not want to put tile up but would like to have the option to use a red colored shingle. The four colors they would like approval for are: Brownstone, Gatehouse Slate, Terra Cotta, and Weathered Wood. Mr. Lowe said the red color will not look good. He thought the slate or weathered wood would be the best choice. Mr. Madsen made the motion to approve the roof shingles, repointing the chimneys and reworking the windows. Ms. King seconded the motion. Ms. Stamps said she agreed with Mr. Lowe that the shingle would not have the same look as the tiles did. The Commission voted to approve with the exception of Mr. Lowe who voted nay. Mr. Ely resumed the role of Chairman.Old Business:Ms. Stamps made the motion to approve the minutes from the April 10, 2017 meeting and Mr. Madsen seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the minutes.New Business:Ms. White discussed that preservation month is in full swing. Several came to the planning meeting and signed up to honor properties during the month. There are still several places not assigned and she asked for volunteers to take the remaining places to be honored. A sticker can be placed in the window of the structure or a yard sign placed in front of the building. On Tuesday, May 16, 2017 there will be a panel presentation at Campus 805 at 6:30 p.m. The speaker will be Cheryl Morgan. The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 p.m.Respectfully submitted,Dennis MadsenManager of Urban and Long Range Planning ................
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