The Historic District Commission will discuss revisions to guidelines at the Feb. 19 meeting. Commissioners held a workshop last week to develop a list of proposed changes and will invite public comment before making those official.
Revisions mostly clarify language for staircases, decks, and fences. Art installations should not damage historic surfaces to which they are attached. The language concerning art installations includes a provision that the Eureka Springs Arts Council will review public art installations for aesthetics and content. City Historic Preservation Officer Glenna Booth will have the authority to grant administrative approval for some signs.
Commissioners voted to continue operating under a relaxed version of Robert’s Rules of Order. Only four commissioners attended the meeting, and they noted at the outset that the Chair would vote to constitute a quorum.
Rock-it man gets approval
Chris Flanagin brought a proposal for a single-family residence at 24 Bridge St. He described a two-story house with a footprint 30 feet square. Flanagin said a carriage house once occupied the property, and he wants to create a house with a similar feel. The commissioners worked through the list of specifications, including a copper metallic standing-seam roof. The siding will be four-inch beveled pine.
Flanagin also corrected some of the details on his initial application, which had incorrectly displayed a deck on the side of the house. He showed porches in the front and back, and a chimney on the south side.
During public comments, a neighbor asked about the proposed foundation material. Flanagin said the foundation and chimney would be native limestone, unless he can locate enough rounded creek rocks for the project. HDC approved the project with limestone, and asked Flanagin to return if he locates enough creek rocks.
Stairway climbs to approval
A request to add an exterior stairway at 34 E. Mountain Dr. had been postponed from the previous meeting. Katie Zerr said the stairs and railing will match existing woodwork. The house, which dates to 1968, is considered non-contributing. Zerr received a quick approval.
- At 16 E. Mountain Dr., Jayme Wildemann received approval to replace existing Masonite siding, which has degraded. The new siding will be Hardie Board or Smart Siding.
Fencing in the natives approved
The HDC rules also apply to the City of Eureka Springs, and an application to replace a temporary fence around the Native Plant Garden project came before the commission. The garden occupies 4,000 sq. ft. between Armstrong and First Sts. and is maintained by volunteers. One of those volunteers, Faith Shah, explained that a temporary deer fence will be replaced by a permanent fence. The new fence will have seven-ft. posts 10 ft. apart, with welded wire. The fence runs 275 feet around the property.
The application was approved without objections, and commissioners familiar with the project praised it. The garden has won an Arkansas Trendsetter award, and other cities have taken steps toward similar projects. “The native plant movement is growing like wildflowers,” Shah joked.
No one appeared at the meeting to represent applications at 268 N. Main St. and 145 Mill Hollow Rd., and those items were deferred until the next meeting.
HDC will next meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Level III applications were due by Feb. 6, and other levels are due Feb. 13.