HUNTSVILLE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES. October 8, 2018

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1 HUNTSVILLE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 8, 2018 The Huntsville Historic Preservation Commission met in the Conference Room on the 1 st Floor of the Public Service Building located at 320 Fountain Circle on October 8, The members present were: Mr. Mike Holbrook Ms. Drenda King Ms. Sheree Holland Mr. Peter Lowe Mr. Jan Williams Also present at the meeting was Ms. Katie Stamps, Historic Preservation Consultant, and Ms. Sharon Mize, Recording Secretary. The meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Mr. Mike Holbrook. Chairman. Mr. Holbrook introduced the Commission members and read the preamble of the HHPC. Ms. Stamps said the meeting in November will be held on Tuesday, November 13 th because November 12 th is Veteran s Day. 202 Coleman Street Mr. David Moore Mr. Moore came before the Commission to request converting part of his garage into a hobby room. He requested adding a walk-through door and two windows to the garage. The windows will match the windows on the house. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve converting part of the garage into a hobby room and Mr. Williams seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion. 503 Randolph Avenue Ms. Kathy Dehollander Ms. Dehollander requested painting her house in the colors of Simply Stone for the body, White for the wood trim, Sealskin for the sashes, and Revere Pewter for the porch. Ms. King made the motion to approve the paint colors and Mr. Lowe seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion. 912 Clinton Avenue Ms. Julie Wall Ms. Wall said she has had some theft from her property and would like to erect a fence to help deter any further problems. She would like to erect a six feet privacy fence along the right side and the rear of the property and a four feet picket fence along the Coleman Street side. She also proposed to erect a garage in the rear yard using hardyboard siding. Mr. Lowe asked her what exposure she would use on the siding and Ms. Wall said she was not sure. Mr. Holbrook recommended no more than five inches would be appropriate. Mr. Holbrook said the fence on the Coleman Street side should not be more than 34 in height because it is a principle elevation. Since this property is a corner lot it has two principle elevations. Mr. Lowe said since it is a picket fence he thought four feet would 1

2 be acceptable and it has been approved in the past. Mr. Holbrook said the pickets should not be more than 1½ inches apart. Mr. Holbrook said there appears to be a single opening for the garage door. Ms. Wall said the door is a sixteen feet single garage door. Mr. Holbrook said the preference would be two garage doors instead of the one wide door. Ms. Wall said she has not yet chosen a garage door. Mr. Holbrook said without a garage door selection the Commission will need to give preliminary approval. More details are needed about the garage before approval can be given. Mr. Holbrook suggested a carriage style garage door be used. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve the fences. Ms. Wall will need to come back with the style of the garage door. Ms. King seconded the motion. Mr. Lowe asked about the soffit returns on the drawing of the garage and said that type of soffit return is not appropriate for the neighborhood. Mr. Holbrook said they prefer to see open rafter tails or a slope soffit. Mr. Lowe amended his motion to approve the fences and preliminary approval for the garage. Ms. Wall will need to come back before the Commission with complete details for the garage. Ms. King seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion. 605 Clinton Avenue Mr. Marc Goldmon for Providence Classical School This application is to request final approval to demolish the cafeteria and a 1980 s out building and erect a new gymnasium/auditorium. They have been before the Commission several times with this project and in April 2017 they were granted preliminary approval for Version 5 plans. Ms. Stamps read a letter from Jane and Mark Sweeney, who live at 110 White Street, which explains their concerns with the new gymnasium which included the need for landscaping to act as a buffer, the increased use of the property and the lack of parking, and the removal of the outdoor basketball goal. Mr. Goldmon said the plan they are presenting at this meeting is just slightly different from the plan which received preliminary approval for when they last came before the Commission. The foot print has not changed from the previously approved plan, and the elevation has been changed slightly for clearance but some of the other parts have been lowered. The side parapets have been lowered slightly. Mr. Lowe said he thought it was an improvement. The highest point is eight feet six inches taller than the original school. Mr. Goldmon said this application is for final plan approval so they can go ahead with the demolition of the cafeteria and begin construction of the gymnasium/auditorium. They will come back before the Commission with other details such as brick color, accent colors and hardscaping designs. The sidewalk will be changed to allow access to the doors of the gymnasium/auditorium and will tie into the existing sidewalk. 2

3 Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve the final plans for the demolition of the cafeteria and the outbuilding and erect a new gymnasium/auditorium, and, based on the letter from the Sweeney s, try to keep the people who are not affiliated with the school from coming and playing on the outdoor basketball court. Mr. David Owens of the Providence Classical School Board, said they removed the rim from the backboard when school was out over the summer so no one would play. Once they get the gymnasium then the outside basketball court will no longer be needed. They have considered putting up signage but decided it was best to remove the rim. Ms. Holland seconded the motion. Mr. Holbrook said much of the issues in the letter submitted from the neighbors is not under prevue of this Commission: such as parking, signs and landscaping. However, they are legitimate concerns. He thought the architect has taken into consideration most of the concerns of the neighbors and the Commission. Mr. Williams said the neighborhood in general is concerned about the increased activity because of the changes, such as ballgames. Mr. Holbrook said that was true and this school be allowed to host volleyball and basketball game from competing schools which means more traffic in the neighborhood. Lighting and noise is also a concern. Mr. Lowe said it was a school before. Mrs. Sweeney said it was an elementary school before. Mr. Holbrook said the big change is when it was an elementary school there were no sports. Mr. Lowe said there were more students when it was an elementary school. Some years ago, someone wanted to tear down the school and build condominiums which would have created more parking problems. Since it is a school they need a gym to operate effectively. We have already given them preliminary approval and they have made improvements and come back for final approval. Ms. Holland said she is concerned that the neighbor s issues be addressed and not be ignored. Mr. Holbrook said the motion could be amended to address the issues with the neighbors before construction begins. Mr. Lowe said that would be fine by him but they cannot do anything about the parking. Ms. Stamps said the Commission does not have purview of parking signs, landscaping, and noise. Mr. Holbrook said they are just asking the school to be a good neighbor and address these issues. Mr. Holbrook said he is still concerned about demolition of the historic cafeteria. He said Mr. Goldmon has done a great job designing the new gymnasium with the challenges of a limited lot size and heights. He is also concerned with the neighborhood and the views and concerns of the neighbors. Mrs. Jane Sweeney of 110 White Street, right across from where the new gymnasium will be erected, said when the young people come and play basketball outside they hear profanity and it interferes with the grace of the neighborhood. She feels they can work through the issues with the school. She said she has respect for the school and she asks the Commission have respect for the neighbors. 3

4 Mr. Owens said he appreciated the neighbors coming to the meeting and the school is thrilled they purchased the school. They are very pleased with the location and the neighborhood. They do take it very seriously when they get an issue from the neighborhood and they try to go above and beyond to resolve the issue. They will look at adding landscape for screening and will discuss with the board about removing the outdoor basketball goal. The school is a participant in the Alabama Christian Education Association League and will host a few home volleyball and basketball games each year in the fall and they are willing to work with the neighborhood. They send out lots of communication with the parents and students about parking in the appropriate areas. Mr. Holbrook said it is a much better use of the property for it to remain a school. The community is blessed to have Providence Classical Christian School in the neighborhood. Secondly, to function as a school they need a gymnasium/auditorium for physical education and an assembly area for graduations and other school functions. Mr. Mark Sweeney of 110 White Street, said he greatly appreciated the school taking down the basketball goal over the summer and said it made a tremendous difference. The issue is when school is not in session people come and play basketball and play loud music and his wife has gone over there to ask them to turn the music down. He would appreciate if they would remove the goal year-round. He would also like for them to be sure parking will not become an issue during school events. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion with the amendment the neighbor s concerns be taken into consideration Randolph Avenue, Unit 5A Ms. Patty Stallings Ms. Stallings came before the Commission requesting to replace windows with pocket windows on her townhouse. The style of the windows will be one over one and will be the same size as the existing windows. Ms. Stallings said according to the contractor, all the work will be done from inside the home. This unit was constructed in 1981 and the windows are aluminum windows which no longer have a seal and do not have locks. The windows in the back of the house were replaced before the house was made part of the Historic District. She said she was unsure what material the new windows will be made of. Mr. Holbrook said it looks like a pvc window. Mr. Holbrook said he is concerned about the sight line of the windows, which means her unit will look drastically different from the other units in the townhouse. Ms. Stallings said several other units have also had their windows replaced and they also have a white frame around the windows. Mr. Holbrook said he was not concerned about the color but he is concerned about the type of window and he is afraid the glass area will be reduced. He recommended Ms. Stallings come back before the Commission with a set of drawings and more information about the windows. It was also suggested a close-up photo of the unit be provided when she returns. 4

5 Ms. Stallings said she would get some more information and come back. The application was denied due to the lack of a motion. 206 Eustis Avenue Mr. Jason Sledd for Ms. Carroll Strickland Mr. Sledd said they would like to erect a lighted sign on the front of the building which will be no larger than 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet with rounded corners to advertise the Green Bus Brewery. The sign will conform to all city sign codes and will be mounted on the front of the building. Mr. Holbrook asked if the sign had two faces. Mr. Sledd said it would and it will be green in color. The sign will be about four inches thick. Mr. Lowe said it did not look right to him and thought it should be flat on the building. Mr. Sledd said people cannot see the existing sign on the building and thought this would make the building easier to find. Mr. Sledd said if the sign is made tall and skinny it will not look like a bus. Mr. Lowe commended Mr. Sledd on doing a nice job of restoring the building but did not like the sign. Mr. Williams made the motion to approve the new sign and Ms. Holland seconded the sign. The Commission voted to approve the motion, except for Mr. Lowe who voted nay. 210 Williams Avenue Mr. David Ely for University of Alabama Huntsville Mr. Ely came before the Commission to request a new asphalt shingle roof, repair the existing wood windows, shutters, doors and wood trim, and paint the outbuilding. The roofing material will match the new roof on the main house. Some of the repairs will be repairs to the brick which will be tedious. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve re-roofing, painting and repairing the outbuilding. Mr. Williams seconded the motion. Mr. Holbrook said it is more than an outbuilding and is a jewel in the district. Mr. Hughes of UAH, said they are trying to get the outbuilding looking good for the upcoming bicentennial celebration this coming summer. Old Business: Ms. Holland made the motion to approve the minutes from the September 10 th meeting and the Commission voted unanimously to approve. New Business: Ms. Stamps said due to the Veteran s Day holiday, the November meeting will be moved to Tuesday, November 13 th. The McThornmor Acres nomination will be going before the Alabama National Register review board meeting in April. Ms. Caroline Swope was approved by City Council to do the survey for Edmonton Heights and she will begin work soon. 5

6 Mr. Holbrook has a friend who was able to use a drone to take a video of the clay tile roof of the house on Franklin Avenue. He said he, Ms. Holland and Ms. Stamps were able to get access to the attic in the house and found a few places where the roof was leaking. He said he has looked at the video and some photos and thinks there are less than two dozen shingles which are damaged and need to be replaced or repaired. Mr. Holbrook said the roof is in really good shape. He said terra cotta does not deteriorate like other type of roofing materials. Ms. Stamps said she wanted the Commission to view the video because the homeowner is wanting to do something with the roof. Ms. Holland said she is concerned that he will do nothing and the owner will sit on it and get worse. She said she did not want this house to get in such bad repair that it will not be able to be restored due to the cost and the purchase price of the home. Mr. Holbrook agreed and said he was angry when they saw the hole in the roof and asked why they did not get someone up there with a bucket lift to repair the roof. Mr. Holbrook said there was very little plaster damage in the house. He said this could be a classic case of demolition by neglect. Mr. Holbrook said the windows, soffits, cornice and handrails need repair. Ms. Stamps said she would reach out to the owner and let them know what work needs to be done and how to get it done. It will hopefully keep the house from suffering any further from neglect. Mr. Ely suggested they share the video with the homeowner so he could see the roof. Mr. Holbrook said the house is too important a structure to be neglected. The meeting was adjourned at 6:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis Madsen Manager of Urban and Long Range Planning 6