HPC Meeting — 2012-09-26
Present: Burl Gilliam (Chairman), R. Lee Derr (Vice-Chairman), Ashley Anderson, Vick Cox, Sean Shope, Margaret Telford, Ted Ware, Chuck Voelker (Alternate) Liaisons: Shane Wilbanks (Council Liaison), Monica Hotelling (P&Z Liaison) Staff: David Klempin (Historic Preservation Officer), Mary Bush (Historic Preservation Secretary)
Public hearing items
CA12-64 — 520 South Main Street, Suite 203 ⭐College St
Work: Signs for a 7 Eleven Market store: one 30-inch round carved-wood projecting sign and two carved-wood wall signs, lit by existing gooseneck lights (no backlighting); corporate four-color scheme retained after staff failed to negotiate three colors Type: sign Staff rec: Approve with condition that a building permit be obtained from the building department Discussion: Cox questioned why 7 Eleven would not use the muted brown/beige it used on Boston's Beacon Hill; Gilliam chided Bologna about the 'many breaks his building had been given' including Jake's neon sign; Ware supported a Main Street convenience store and noted historic Texaco/Gulf service-station logo signs, framing the question as sign appropriateness only. Outcome: approved (7-0) — moved Ted Ware, second Margaret Telford
CA12-62 — 523 South Main Street ⭐College St
Work: Demolish the 1975 gazebo and replace with a larger period-appropriate gazebo (seating up to 20); remove four-tier fountain and build a pool with a stream from the original fountain basin, plus 1930s-40s heirloom plant garden Type: demolition, hardscape Staff rec: Approve with condition all building and landscape materials be staff approved under a separate CA Discussion: Adjoining owner Adair Foust voiced sentimental concern (the gazebo was a gift to her grandmother from Grady Keeling); Knifong countered the rusted structure was 'a public hazard' and promised weekly maintenance of the water features; gazebo and fountain are non-contributing 1970s features. Outcome: approved (7-0) — moved Ashley Anderson, second Sean Shope
CA12-63 — 529 East Worth Street
Work: Relocate the Ed & Grady Wood Keeling House (moving it 7.5 feet east and 12 feet forward onto lot 8) and build a period-style addition (two bedrooms, master bath, porch, garage), freeing lot 7 as a buildable lot for a second house; BZA variances required for lot width, lot size and setback Type: relocation, addition Staff rec: Approve with conditions (materials/doors/windows/paint under separate CA; building permit), while noting the Design Guidelines say moving buildings that define a residence's historic value 'should be avoided' Discussion: Ware rationalized that 'we have moved houses all over this town,' but Derr and Anderson worried about 'someone taking a lot and filling the whole yard with house'; Wilbanks lamented shrinking green space; all agreed to avoid 'another oversized project such as 310 East College.' Telford accepted it only because the addition is one-story; Cox feared the fragile house might not survive the move (mover H. D. Snow retained). Outcome: approved (4-3) — moved Ashley Anderson, second Ted Ware Dissent: Burl Gilliam, R. Lee Derr, Margaret Telford
CA12-54 — 626 Ball Street (Nash Farm)
Work: Construct a period-appropriate dry-stacked stone perimeter foundation enclosure under the Nash Farmhouse with regrading and subsurface drainage (approved by the Nash Farm Committee and Heritage Foundation Board) Type: other Staff rec: Approve with condition that the stone selection be staff approved under a separate CA Discussion: Ware objected that 'the proposed underpinning was not historic to this house' and that sandstone is the only native stone; Derr proposed underground pipe-and-drain instead; despite staff photos of other era homes with stacked stone, the commission rejected the City's own application outright. Outcome: denied (7-0) — moved R. Lee Derr, second Ted Ware
Staff-approved CAs (9)
CA12-56 310 East College Street; CA12-57 310 East College Street; CA12-58 520 South Main Street, Suite 200; CA12-59 216 West Wall Street; CA12-60 304 East College Street; CA12-65 705 North Main Street; CA12-66 422 South Main Street; CA12-67 424 South Main Street; CA12-68 426 South Main Street
Other business: Citizen comments: Laura Hoffman (318 East Worth) and Rhonda Andrews (326 East Worth) complained the new construction at 310 East College Street was 'too big for the lot'; September 5 Special Called Meeting minutes approved.
The year's sharpest divisions: a 4-3 approval to move the Keeling House and open a new buildable lot (Gilliam, Derr, Telford dissenting over lot-filling and green space), and a unanimous denial of the City's own Nash Farm underpinning because 'stone is not appropriate to this house' — the commission's only outright denial of 2012.
📄 Full verbatim minutes: Transcript HPC 2012-09-26
Source: Source Index §Minutes-corpus — WebLink HPC minutes 2012-09-26.