The Historic District Commission granted unanimous approvals for most applicants at the July 7 meeting. Kylee Hevrdejs, the new City Historic Preservation Officer, had added a procedure to begin discussions with her own assessment of each application, and recommended approvals for the seven applications.
At 203 Spring St., Rod Slane received approval to replace a failed hot tub platform and install a fence and gate.
Tommy Pascoe received approval for a dome awning over the entrance door at 40 Spring St. The assessment from Hevrdejs noted the building’s historic nature, but she added, “Although the arched window feature is a character- defining feature of this building, according to historic photos it appears that the windows have been replaced with a different light pattern. Covering these out-of-character windows with an awning would be ideal.”
At 170 W. Van Buren, Diane Murphy can add a rear deck and stairs. She also received approval to replace a window with a door. The deck is at the rear of the house, with little visibility. Hevrdejs’ report noted that guidelines would ordinarily prevent replacing a window with a door, but noted, “the proposed alterations are to a highly-altered, non-contributing building.”
Jason Hubbell can replace stone steps at the rear of the house with a concrete ramp at 26 Ridgeway Ave.
Sharon Roberts, at 2 Angus St., received approval for a privacy fence, and Cory Walker’s plan to add a screened cover to a rear deck at 42 Ridgeway Ave. also met with approval.
The only application not granted at the meeting was for Stacy Mahurin at 32 Steele St. He asked to create a two-car gravel parking area. During discussions, commissioner Greg Moon expressed concern about the nearby spring, but Hevrdejs said she had worked with the applicant to mitigate any threats to the spring. Commissioner Tommie Zwernemann said the HDC had approved similar projects, but the vote was postponed until after a site visit.
After reviewing the Consent Agenda and Administrative Approvals, the commissioners returned to a discussion of painting requirements. Zwernemann had raised the issue at the June 16 meeting of residents receiving approval to paint a house, but only painting the most visible side. She proposed requiring painting an entire house, except with specific HDC approval. The commissioners may seek input from the building official on this topic.
On a related topic, commissioners discussed murals and other artwork, and asked if art displayed downtown should be reviewed by the HDC. Hevrdejs said she would research how other cities address these situations.
The commission will next meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21. Level III applications were due July 8, and other levels were due July 14.