Historic Zoning Commission

Fourth and Gill H: Level II

9-C-20-HZ

Applicant Request

Level II. Major repair or replacement of materials or architectural elements

After-the-fact review of one array of six solar panels and proposed addition of one array of three solar panels. House has a front-gable roof with a small shed-roof bay projecting from the side (south) elevation, towards the rear. Previously-installed panels are located on rear gable roof section, with a portion of the array on the shed roof. Proposed array will be located towards the rear of the primary front-gable roof slope. Proposed panels measure 65" wide by 118" long and will project approximately 2" above the roof slope. No additional equipment accompanies this proposal.

Conditions identified at 9/17/20 HZC meeting: rear elevation panels approved based on unique situation of roofline intersection. Applicant explored further options to reduce visibility on the existing panel framework (treaments, color-cladding, or covering, etc) and the proposed panels (anti-reflective treatments, etc) with approval by staff. Applicant installed a color-treated panel along visible edge of solar panels which had a negligible effect on the panels' visibility.

Site Info

One-story frame residence with a front-gable roof, an exterior of wood weatherboard siding, and a foundation clad in rusticated concrete block. A 2/3rds width, front-gable roof porch projects from the left side of the façade. The porch is supported by square wood columns (grouped in 3s) on piers clad in rusticated concrete block. Roof features wide eave overhangs and triangular wood brackets.

1. The house is a contributing structure to the Fourth and Gill National Register Historic District and local overlay.

2. The existing array of panels is located to the rear (west) of the house, and the second array is proposed to be placed adjacent to the existing panels on the right (east) side. The neighborhood-approved guidelines for solar panels encourage that panels should "not be visible from public streets, or, if visible, should be installed on an accessory building, a rear-facing elevation, or a side elevation that does not face onto the public street." Further recommendations on placement encourage new panels to "not be located forward of any point of a roof slope facing a public street or closer than 1/3 the depth of the main body of the roof, if there is no slope toward the street." While the proposed panels (and the existing array) are somewhat visible from the public right-of-way, their placement is appropriate under these guidelines.

3. The proposed array will be somewhat visible from Luttrell Street. The existing roof is grey asphalt shingles. The proposed panels are black and would benefit from an anti-reflective coating to reduce visibility.

4. The proposed panels are 2" thick and will be installed flush to the roof slope. The existing array extends across two roof slopes, so the array is not flush to the roof slope and the side of the panels are clearly visible from the public right-of-way. At the tallest point (between the two roof intersections), the solar equipment does not appear to exceed more than 6" above the roof surface, narrowly meeting the design guidelines. However, guidelines encourage that framing equipment "including brackets, edging around solar collectors, and other metal features should be treated, color clad, or covered to be made as unobtrusive as possible and to minimize contrast between the solar connectors and any roofing materials."

5. No historic roofing material or features will be altered or removed for installation of the solar panels or associated equipment. No changes to the existing roof or siding of the house will be necessary to support the installation of the panels.