The Historic District Commission will continue scheduling site visits, usually for Level III applications, but they will take steps to document those visits more carefully.
In the aftermath of a lawsuit against the city concerning the Round House on North Main Street, an attorney with the Arkansas Municipal League suggested eliminating site visits, and making decisions strictly on the basis of drawings and other exhibits.
Some other cities do not use site visits, but HDC commissioners gave a variety of reasons for keeping the site visit. The terrain and curving roads in Eureka Springs may conceal part of a building and accentuate a different part. “I feel like I learn a tremendous amount,” commissioner Magi Hayde said. “It complements the paperwork.” She agreed that commissioners could make an effort to note in the record which commissioners visited a site.
Commissioner John Nuckolls said site visits help him understand the applications better. He also expressed concerns about an increased requirement for documentation. The HDC accepts drawings rather than a formal plan. “Most of the time we can tell from drawings,” he said, “but we may need clarification.” He suggested seeking public input before making the HDC approval process more difficult.
Commissioners voted to continue site visits where appropriate. They will make an effort to document the visit and make an explicit note if something on a site visit affects a decision.
The commissioners had taken a site visit earlier in the evening to 14 Breeding St. Owner Terry Eichor wants to add to an existing structure. Nuckolls noted that the project does not affect the view from the street. The addition will be similar to the existing building, but will have enough details to make it distinguishable as an addition, and not an attempt to imitate original architecture. The application was approved with little discussion.
Commissioners also quickly approved several other projects. At 30 Peerless St., owners John Trube and Robin Morris will replace a window with a door. The door will match the existing front door of the house and provide another emergency exit. The new door opens onto a rear deck, and does not face the street.
At 298 N. Main St., Becky Gillette asked permission to replace rotted siding with a concrete siding. The HDC ordinarily allows such siding close to the ground, but Gillette showed pictures disclosing a particular water problem. The roof of the adjacent building funnels water between the two buildings. The two buildings are close enough together that the repaired siding will not be readily visible from the street. She would like to use concrete siding up to two-thirds of the wall.
Gillette said she would use a pattern to match the existing siding. In granting approval, commissioners made clear that they were not granting blanket approval for using concrete siding, except in particular circumstances.
At the St. James Episcopal Church house, old pictures show a bay window that has since been replaced by a fireplace. That chimney is falling down, and the church asked to remove the chimney and rebuild the bay window. A handicapped ramp will be added on one side of a porch, and a deck will be replaced.
HDC will meet next at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6. Level III applications were due by Feb. 21, and the deadline for other levels is Feb. 28.