DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH
HISTORIC & ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
July 23,2015
The regular meeting of the Doylestown Borough Historic and Architectural Review Board was held at 7:30 PM on Thursday, July 23, 2015 in the Council Chambers, 57 W Court Street, Doylestown PA. Members of the Doylestown Borough Historic and Architectural Review Board in attendance were:Chairperson Kim Meincke, Vice Chairperson Heather Walton, Walter Keppler, Denise Blasdale, Stephen Rawes, Marie Kovach, Amy Taylor Popkin, and Kelli Scarlett, Director of Building and Zoning and Fire Marshal. Not present were Ralph Fey and Gus Perea.
CALL TO ORDER:Ms. Meincke called the meeting to order at 7:32 PM.
MINUTES APPROVAL:The minutes from the June 2015 meeting were approved as submitted, on a motion by Ms. Blasdale, seconded by Mr. Keppler.
SIGN APPLICATIONS:
12 S. Main Street, Chilly Willikers Frozen Yogurt, Aaron Heinemeyer, applicant (resubmission from 6/25)
Ms. Scarlett reported that the applicant had a family emergency and could not be present, noting that the customer wants their sign to be as it appears in the rendering. She added that the sign does not project out from the building as far as it looks, and that the applicant did not like her suggestions to move it. There is also a light fixture above it.
Ms. Taylor Popkin stated that the sign does not look appropriate for Main Street. Mr. Keppler added that the sign is too bright, has a cartoonish appearance, and has no parity with any other signs in the area. Ms. Blasdale stated that the sign clashes with the building. Ms. Scarlett noted that there are currently stickers in the windows, which could either stay or will have to be removed depending on various factors.
Ms. Walton moved to recommend that the applicant be denied a Certificate of Appropriateness, due to the sign not being appropriate based on its design, color, and size in comparison to other signage on historic buildings in the downtown area, as well as it detracts from the architectural integrity of South Main Street. Ms. Blasdale seconded the motion, adding that if the applicant had been willing to work with or appear before the Board it might have made a difference, but that there was no flexibility displayed. The motion was approved unanimously subject to final approval from Borough Council.
123 S. Main Street, Ed Rager, applicant
The applicant appeared before the Board and requested approval for a redesigned sign, since there will be two new tenants moving into the downstairs area of the building. Instead of the inset letter board on the sign currently, he proposes to replace it with a black insert that matches the rest of the sign. Everything else would remain as it currently appears.
Ms. Meincke stated that she would like to see the “Body Piercing” lettering more associated with the logo at the top. The applicant could then move the information for the two new tenants to the bottom of the sign. Responding to a question from Ms. Meincke, the applicant stated that he has no preference in terms of a border. Responding to a question from Ms. Walton, the applicant confirmed that there is lighting above the sign. Ms. Meincke suggested that the sign would look nicer with no border, since it would have more of a “directory sign” look.
Responding to a question from Ms. Walton, the applicant stated that he does not have the finalized logos of the two new tenants, and that he just provided rough examples for the rendering. Each tenant, however, will have about 1/3 of the sign space. He added that the sign will be two-sided. Ms. Taylor Popkin asked whether the two smaller signs would have to get individual approval; Ms. Meincke confirmed that they would, noting that the Board is approving the overall change to the sign.
Ms. Walton made a motion to recommend a Certificate of Appropriateness for the sign with the following changes: that the words “Body Piercing” and the website address be moved to beneath “Sink the Ink Tattoo”; that the two panels replacing the glass case be moved down to allow for two new building tenants that will need to be approved separately; and that there will be no border. Ms. Blasdale seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved subject to final approval from Borough Council.
BUILDING/REPAIR APPLICATIONS:
259 W. Ashland Street, Pam Montague, property owner, front porch renovation
Mr. Rawes recused himself to make the presentation. He requested approval to rebuild and restore the front porch. The flooring material would be Wolf PVC porch flooring, installed just as the original is. All of the trim, surround, and stair risers would be painted Boral material. The railing would be painted wood with standard spindles. On a motion from Mr. Keppler, seconded by Ms. Walton, the Board voted 6 – 0 (Mr. Rawes recused) to recommend a Certificate of Appropriateness for the application as presented, subject to final approval from Borough Council.
75 E. Ashland Street, Bradley McPhee and Patricia Tagliolini, property owners, dormer addition
Mr. Brad McPhee appeared before the Board and requested approval to place a dormer on the back of their house that will duplicate the dormer on the front in every detail. Responding to questions from Ms. Walton, the applicant clarified that the new dormer will actually be located on the side of the house. He displayed material samples, proposing to match the existing shingle colors and using Hardiplank siding material. Responding to a question from Ms. Meincke, the window trim would match the color of the brick and would be Azek material. On a motion from Ms. Blasdale, seconded by Mr. Keppler, the Board unanimously moved to recommend a Certificate of Appropriateness for the application as presented, subject to final approval from Borough Council.
135 E. Ashland Street, Eric and Kelly Wayman, property owners, new windows
Mr. Eric Wayman appeared before the Board and requested approval for a new window on the southwest second story of his home. The windows would be the same model as the originals, but would be a twin double-hung instead of one single-hung. The windows would be 28 by 50 clad wood with the same color trim. Responding to a question from Ms. Meincke, the applicant stated that the trim would be the same as was is there currently, which is probably an engineered material. On a motion from Mr. Keppler, seconded by Ms. Walton, the Board unanimously moved to recommend a Certificate of Appropriateness for the window application, subject to final approval from Borough Council.
WALK-INS:
30 W. Oakland Ave, Fred Astaire Dance Studio
The applicant appeared before the Board to request approval for a new sign. It would replace the current sign exactly, but with their new logo in place. Responding to a question from Ms. Meincke, the applicant confirmed that the sign would be black and gold and would be placed above the door. The applicant would also like to place their sign on the side of the building, where another one of the old tenant’s signs used to be. On a motion from Ms. Walton, seconded by Mr. Rawes, the Board unanimously moved to recommend a Certificate of Appropriateness for the sign application, subject to final approval from Borough Council.
105 E. State Street, Roseanne Jones, applicant
The applicant appeared before the Board to inform them of emergency repairs taking place. The property is having water leakage and damage, and the exterior needs extensive repairs. She stated that the stucco has cracked and is coming loose, so water is getting in behind it. The interior plaster is bubbling and weakening as a result. What they would like to do is start repairing the back entrance, with the plan being to ultimately restore the stucco and repair the woodwork round the windows. They want to save the entire home, but need to do it in stages. Ms. Scarlett recommended that the applicant have their contractor drop off a Repair and Replacement Permit application for the stucco; then if something happens, it can be amended with any additional repairs.
Responding to a question from Ms. Meincke, the applicant stated that they would like to replace the copper gutters in-kind, although some gutters are built into the roofing system. The applicant volunteered to have her contractor appear before the HARB to discuss the gutters and other issues further. The Board was comfortable with the emergency repairs and noted that they can discuss other matters later.
RENOVATION CONTINUANCE:None.
NEW/OLD BUSINESS:Mr. Keppler noted that the Board always tries to be consistent with their rulings and wondered how the sign at LA Tacos got approved. Ms. Blasdale noted that the sign never came before the HARB, but that Borough Council may be able to address the issue. Ms. Meincke explained that the LA Taco sign was so similar to The Sweet Spot sign that it was considered an “in-kind” replacement.
ADJOURNMENT:There being no further business before the Board,on a motion from Mr. Rawes, seconded by Ms. Blasdale, the meeting was adjourned at 8:34PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dirk A. Linthicum
Meeting Minutes Secretary