Historic Zoning Commission

Fourth and Gill H-1: Level III

9-M-13-HZ

Applicant Request

Level I. Installation of gutters, storm windows/doors, satellite dishes, and screen doors

Construct 3-story open stairwell with brick at bottom and partially sided; and with concrete stairs, on south side of the house. Construct 2nd-level cantilevered concrete walkway to connect house and newly constructed concrete stairs to existing two- story garage at the rear of the house. Add concrete patio at ground level on south side. Add 2nd-and 3rd-level exit door from house to existing concrete deck. Construct brick enclosure around HVAC units on south side of house. 2nd and 3rd -level doors are to be wood with a half-lite on top and the 1st-level door to be full-length glass. Solar panels to be located on side of roof as indicated in submitted drawings.

Site Info

Two-story frame with weatherboard wall covering. Asphalt shingle roof covering with front gable, lunette attic vent. Two-over-two replacement windows. Two- story three-quarter front porch with splayed wood columns on brick piers, Doric column capitals and sawn wood balustrade. Brick foundation.Transom at front entry. Former two-story rear deck.

Satisfactory meeting of conditions would need to be approved by the HZC with submittal of revised drawings and narrative indicating compliance with conditions.

PROPOSED FINDINGS OF FACT
1) No building permit was issued for the south side two-story concrete stairs and landing with brick enclosure, which are all partially constructed.

2) The stairwell and the HVAC units and their brick enclosures are on the south side of the house and are highly visible from Gill and N. 4th avenues.

3) There is physical evidence that a non-original rear 2nd -level porch existed. A 2nd-level door to the rear porch exists.

4) No documentation as to the appearance and style of the rear 2nd-level porch exists. Therefore, the design of the elements should be kept basic and simple. The rear porch should contain elements that are more simple than and distinguished from the front porch, which was reconstructed with conjectural Craftsman elements. The appropriate material for the rear porch is wood or a product that adequately simulates wood when painted. Concrete is not a previously approved or tyical material for rear porches or exterior stairs in the district, although patios may be of concrete.

6) The massing and material of the partially constructed brick stairwell enclosure and HVAC enclosure are too heavy and solid for the frame house. The quantity of brick overpowers the house and obscures a substantial portion of it. The HVAC brick enclosure is too solid and heavy in appearance to serve as an appropriate screen.

7) The brick stairwell enclosure should be transparent and as unobtrusive as possible, and have a distinct and separate appearance from the house so as not to alter the massing of the south elevation. The newly proposed stairwell has a more open design than the previously submitted stairwell design, with the upper level being unenclosed. However, the addition is still highly visible from the right-of-way.

8) The location of the proposed solar panels is highly visible from the right-of-way and therefore does not meet the standards recommended by the design guidelines. The applicant has not indicated why they panels cannot be placed on a less conspicuous elevation.

9) Items that were denied in the 6-20-2013 application and cannot be resubmitted for a year from that date:
Compozit polymeric materials for windows, siding, and balustrade on existing and proposed structure
Wrought iron railing, fencing, balustrade
Solid brickenlosure for HVAC
Fully enclosed staircase

FOURTH AND GILL DESIGN GUIDELINES (the guidelines in their entirety apply)

ADDITIONS
1. Locate attached exterior additions at the rear or on an inconspicuous side of a historic building, limiting the size and scale in relationship to the historic building. Proportion is very important.

2. Design new additions in a manner that makes clear what is historic and what is new.

3. Consider the attached exterior addition both in terms of the new use and the appearance of other buildings in the Historic district. Design for the new work may be contemporary or may reference design motifs from the historic buildings. In either case, it should always be clearly differentiated from the historic building and be compatible in terms of mass, materials, size, texture, scale, relationship of solids to voids, and color.

4. Place new additions, such as balconies or solar greenhouses, on non-character-defining elevations, and limit the size and scale in relationship to the historic building.

5. Rather than expanding the size of the historic building by constructing a new addition, try to alter interior spaces that do not define the character of the building to accommodate the new space needs.

6. It is best not to add additional stories. If required for the new use, make sure they are set back from the wall plane and are as inconspicuous as possible when viewed from the street.

7. New work should not appear to be as old as the historic building. Do not duplicate the exact form, material, style, and detailing of the historic building in the new addition.

8. New additions should not cause a lessening or loss of historic character, including the historic building's design, materials, workmanship, location, or setting.

PORCHES
" . . . individual [porch] details should be repaired and preserved, or replicated if good documentation of the original porch exists."

1. Repair porches on historic houses using wood floors, balustrades, posts and columns, or replace duplicating the original size and design. Reconstruction of the documented original porch is also appropriate.





MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
3. If used, solar collectors should not be visible from public streets.

The following SECRETARY OF INTERIORS STANDARDS are particularly applicable to this proposal, but the standards apply in their entirety:

3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.

6. . . . Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.

9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.

10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property would be unimpaired.

SECRETARY OF INTERIORS STANDARDS Solar Energy Design Guidelines
Contemporary solar additions to building roofs have no historic counterpart and make a strong impact of the visual character of existing buildings. While both goals of historic preservation and energy conservation are important, care must be taken that one is not achieved at the expense of the other.

In designing and obtaining permission to install solar technology on a historic home, the applicant is to consider the following preferences and requirements for design and placement of solar devices. These provisions are designed to minimize irreversible visual and structural impact of the devices on the historic appearance of the building.

The Historic Zoning Commission is under no obligation to approve projects that do not adhere strictly to these guidelines, and may require that more preferred alternatives be pursued as a condition of project approval.

Requirements
Solar technology 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 profile.

Installation framing equipment that is visible from street or other public must be treated to be as visually unobtrusive as possible.

The pitch, elevation and position relative to any existing architectural features should be adjusted to reduce visibility of the solar installation.