HHPC Meeting March 13, 2017
HUNTSVILLE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSION
MINUTES
March 13, 2017
The Huntsville Historic Preservation Commission met in the Conference Room on the 1st Floor of the Public Service Building located at 320 Fountain Circle on March 13, 2017. The members present were:
Mr. David Ely Ms. Katie Stamps
Mr. Peter Lowe Ms. Drenda King
Mr. Jan Williams Mr. Randy Cunningham
Mr. Mark Russell
Also 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. He read the preamble and introduced the Commission members.
201 Walker Avenue – Mr. Marc Vachon
Mr. Vachon wants to replace a side deck that a tree fell through and damaged. Ms. White said as long as he is maintaining the current footprint she has no problems with him replacing the deck. Mr. Vachon also requested adding a roof over a section of the deck to keep the pecan tree debris off of the porch. The porch is 1 ½ feet from the property line. Mr. Vachon said the new deck will be smaller than the original deck. Mr. Cunningham said since the deck was not covered before he will need to go before the Board of Zoning Adjustment to get a setback variance.
Mr. Ely said not enough details were provided on how this deck will look on the side of the house with a roof. The previous deck had an eight foot fence wall around it. Mr. Vachon said he is trying to match the front porch in the design with the railings. Ms. Stamps said it would be nice to see a drawing showing the elevations of how the house will look with the roof over the porch. Ms. White said the last time Mr. Vachon came before the Commission he was requested to provide an elevation but it was not specific.
Mr. Ely said the photograph of the matching front porch with the gingerbread details is very different from the proposed side porch. Ms. White said that would make it identifiable as a new porch instead of replicating the existing.
Mr. Russell made the motion to approve and Mr. Williams seconded the motion. Mr. Lowe said he did not like to approve things where you can’t tell what he is doing and he did not think he provided a proper drawing. Mr. Russell withdrew his motion. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve replacing the deck and Mr. Vachon come back before the Commission with too scale drawings of the roof and the railings. Ms. Stamps seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.
712 Adams Street – Mr. John Dankanich
Mr. Dankanich came before the Commission requesting to repair and alter the existing rear roof, add access to the crawl space of the addition, use ridge vents during the roof repair, restore the original front door and paint the trim, and raise the window height of one window in the addition.
Mr. Lowe asked if the ridge vent would go all the way across the ridge of the roof. Mr. Dankanich said it will stop a little bit short because of the front structure. Mr. Ely noted there are gable vents on the roof now. Mr. Dankanich said there are gable vents but the roofer said the ventilation is insufficient for the shingles and that would void the warranty and would not allow for ventilation in the attic.
Mr. Dankanich said he would need to raise some of the windows a few inches in the addition in the bathroom to allow room for a bathtub.
The rear rubber roof needs to be repaired or replaced. He said he could repair it but would prefer to change the rubber roof to a shingled roof. Ms. White suggested he use a metal roof. Mr. Dankanich said it would be cheaper to repair the rubber roof for now, but it is not the best solution for roofing. He will need to change the roofline to prevent further leaking. Mr. Lowe said if he used a standing seam metal roof he would not have to worry about the roof for many years. Mr. Dankanich said he would take it into consideration.
Ms. Stamps made the motion to approve the application as presented with the option of using a standing seam metal roof and also including the paint color. Mr. Williams seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve.
808 Ward Avenue – Mr. Tony Hughes for Mrs. Cynthia Hughes Chapman
Mr. Hughes said Mrs. Chapman would like to replace the front porch roof with a standing seam metal roof in the color of Forest Green. The shingles are also a dark green. He will also be removing the gutters. Mr. Ely suggested they put something up so they don’t get soaked during a rain. He may also need to replace the asphalt shingles but they will match the existing. Mr. Russell made the motion to approve changing the shingle roof to a metal standing seam roof over the front porch. Ms. Stamps seconded the motion. Mr. Ely said be sure it is a true standing seam roof. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.
116 England Street – Mrs. Anne Coleman
Mrs. Coleman came before the Commission requesting replacing the existing chain link fence on the north side of the property with a six foot wood fence with the pretty side out. It will be painted or a solid stain in six months after the wood cures. She will also repair and replace portions of the chain link fence as needed. She will be planting some azaleas next to the fence. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve erecting a six foot wood fence and to repair the existing chain link fence and Ms. Stamps seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.
103 Calhoun Street – Mr. Bert Cox for Mr. & Mrs. Surber
The Surbers would like to replace the brick foundation on the south side of the house with a new block foundation painted to match the rest of the foundation. The existing brick foundation has rotated outward and has settled. This side of the house is not visible from the street. Mr. Cox said the brick on this side of the house is load bearing and it needs to be block. They would like to have the option of putting stucco on the block. This side of the house is very close to the property line and the house next door. Ms. White said they need to replace in kind since it is brick but she would be fine with a brick veneer.
Mr. Ely said this is on the side of the house and if they paint it he would not have a problem with it. Ms. Stamps asked if doing a brick veneer is an option. Mr. Surber presented a sample of some brick veneer for consideration. He said he would rather not use the brick veneer. Mr. Lowe said he would rather see painted concrete block. Mr. Ely said they could paint the brick as well. Ms. Stamps said with the location of the foundation it will not be visible. Ms. Stamps made the motion to approve replacing the brick foundation with a block foundation with the option of using the brick veneer and to be painted to match the rest of the foundation. Ms. King seconded the motion and the Commission voted unanimously to approve.
308 Eustis Street – Mr. Jeff Thomas for Mr. Carter Stockton
This application requested to construct a covered colonnade, a sunroom porte-cochere, add a second floor addition to the existing garage, and extend the brick privacy wall. Mr. Thomas said he was hoping to include the removal and repair of the lattice cover and addition on the back of the house. He would like to put on a masonry veneer that matches the brick tone of the existing home. However, due to miscommunication that request did not make it onto the application so they will come back to the April meeting to address this issue. Also, the detached garage in the back is non-functional given the placement. They would add a twelve foot wide by seventeen feet deep double wall conservatory which would attach the house to the garage. This will also allow the courtyard area to work with a porte-cochere. To make the garage functioning they will need to replace the garage door and make it a twelve foot garage door. The garage structure has foundation issues. The Board of Zoning Adjustment has granted a side and rear yard variance to the Mr. Stockton.
Mr. Lowe asked if they could hear the portion of the lattice work. Ms. White said it was not turned in and advertised properly. There are also no dimensions turned in for review. Mr. Thomas said it was his thought and his opinion that as long as he was not changing the footprint and only changing materials he did not have to turn that in for review.
Mr. Stockton asked if they could approve it because they have some foundation issues they need to address on the porch. Ms. White said anything submitted today will depend on if the façade gets approved next month.
Mr. Thomas said everything he is requesting on this application is hinged on removing the lattice from the rear of the house. The porte-cochere would not look very good with the lattice work. Ms. White said they will still need to come back next month to request removal of the lattice work.
Mr. Thomas said the sunroom will have a clad thin line 7/8” window system for the conservatory, eight feet tall and the doors will be eight feet tall. Some of the windows will be fixed and all have a 1 ft. x 2 ft. transom above so the height from the floor will be 10 ft. 6 in. on both sides. The color selection will be submitted for April’s agenda. Mr. Ely said clad windows tend to get a little bit bulky. On the next submittal Mr. Thomas has changed window manufacturer to Pella windows in the color of Summer Shade. The windows for the rest of the house will be Marvin windows.
Mr. Ely asked for an explanation of the colonnade connection. Mr. Thomas said it is a northern colonnade connection which will be opposite from the porte-cochere elevation. It’s primarily servicing as a seven foot roof cover by twenty-two feet long, with a one step down into the brick courtyard which is encompassed by privacy walls.
Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve the application presented at this meeting. Mr. Russell seconded the motion. Mr. Lowe said it was one of the nicest set of drawings the Commission has seen. He said it will look so much better when the lattice work is removed.
Mr. Cunningham asked if this is for preliminary review. Mr. Ely said there are several items he could work on without getting all the lattice work taken off. Mr. Thomas said he would like to get approval for the connection to the garage.
Mr. Stockton asked if there was a chance to get the existing block garage declassified as a contributing structure, it was built in the 1950’s. Mr. Lowe said it does not match the existing house. Mr. Ely said it has aged in because of when it was built. It is concealed by the house. Mr. Lowe said he would vote for demolition if they wanted to take it down. The contractor, Mr. Ken Mease, said the slab is cracked, there is no footing under the blocks, therefore the blocks are all cracked, the garage doors are rotten as well as the fascia board and need to be removed as well as the roof needs to be replaced. Mr. Ely said you have not requested demolition. Mr. Thomas said they just want to discuss it. Mr. Ely said you can request demolition at another meeting but the neighbors within 500 feet have to be notified of the proposed demolition. Mr. Lowe said they will not approve a demolition without knowing what they plan to put in its place. Ms. Stamps said you are asking today to add a second story to the garage so you would not want to demolish the garage. Mr. Thomas said the plans said they are planning on removing 1/3 of the block wall and adding a new slab and a new footing before making the second story addition. Mr. Stockton said they will do whatever the Commission wants them to do.
Ms. White said it is a contributing structure because it speaks to an important time period for Huntsville history and there are garages all over Huntsville like it. The Commission voted to approve the motion.
1222 Ward Avenue – Bryan & Nydia Martyak
There was no representative to present this application. The application was denied due to lack of a motion.
423 Locust Avenue – Mr. Frank Nola for Fred and Amy Stucky
The Stuckys would like to make an addition to the rear of their house and reconfigure the windows and remove the French doors from a 1990’s addition. They would also like to replace the existing gate. The addition will be a master bedroom at the rear of the house. Mr. Russell made the motion to approve the addition at the rear of the house, reconfigure the windows on the west side and remove the French doors on the east side. Mr. Lowe seconded the motion. The siding on the addition will be hardy siding. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.
102 Calhoun Street - Susan and Mark Fortner
The Fortner’s came before the Commission requesting to add a second story addition to their existing house on the rear. Mr. Russell made the motion to approve the second story addition and Ms. Stamps seconded the motion. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the motion.
Mr. Ely stepped down from the Commission to present the next application. Mr. Jan Williams chaired the Commission for this application.
419 Eustis Avenue – Mr. David Ely for John & Sheila Irby
This application was submitted requesting the demolition of a garden shed, erect new dormers, extend the roof line on the rear of the house, and erect a new carport. Mr. Ely said there have been several additions to this house. They would like the new addition to extend further out the back. There are skylights they would like to replace with dormers to allow egress in the bedrooms. The roofline will be changed from a hip roof to a gable roof. This addition will be a bedroom for the grandkids and a carport for parking. They will need a variance from the Board of Zoning Adjustment for lot coverage issues. Mr. Lowe made the motion to approve making an addition and changing the roof line, adding dormers, and erecting a carport subject to approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Ms. Stamps asked if there were any way to make the addition more subordinate to the original structure. Mr. Ely said they would not be able to get the height required for the bedroom. Mr. Russell seconded the motion and the Commission vote to approve the application, with the exception of Ms. Stamps who voted nay.