HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-13-17 HLC Minutes
* M I N U T E S *
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION
November 13, 2017
City Hall, 801 Main Street, Beaumont, Texas
A Regular Meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission was held on November 13, 2017 and
called to order at 3:35 p.m. with the following members present:
Chairwoman Paula Blazek
Commissioner Dohn LaBiche
Commissioner Judy Linsley
Commissioner Marty Craig
Commissioner Marie Broussard
Commissioner Gretchen Hargroder
Commissioner Carol Fernandez *arrived @ 3:36 p.m.
Commissioner Jessie Davis
Commissioner Lynda Kay Makin
Commissioner Janelle Templeton
Commission Members absent : Commissioner Jason Cansler
Commissioner Thomas Sigee
Councilmembers present: Councilmember Virginia Jordan
Councilmembers absent: Mayor Pro-Tem Gethrel Williams-Wright
Also present: Adina Josey, Senior Planner
Fran Malvo, Recording Secretary
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Commissioner Craig made a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on
August 14, 2017. Commissioner LaBiche seconded the motion. Motion to approve carried 9:0.
REGULAR MEETING
1) CA-2817: Request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house.
Applicant: City of Beaumont
Location: 1814 Park Street
Mrs. Josey presented the staff report. Boyd Meier, Building Official, has applied for a
certificate of demolition for the residential structure located at 1814 Park Street. This item
Historic Landmark Commission
November 13, 2017
was tabled at the August 14, 2017 meeting to investigate alternative actions.
Mr. Meir states that the structure was originally tagged on July 28, 2016. The inspection
report states that the structure has extensive rot and deterioration throughout. There are
multiple holes in the ceilings, floors and walls. Due to the condition of the roof, the structure
has been exposed to the weather causing extensive water damage. All damaged electrical
and plumbing will also need to be repaired. In the current condition the structure is very
unsafe. Staff recommends a raze order.
The house is in the 1977 and 1990 SPARE Beaumont Surveys. SPARE states that the house
was built c.1901. The house is listed on the National Register and is a Recorded Texas
Historic Landmark.
Slides of the subject property were shown. Discussion followed between Mrs. Josey and the
Commission. Councilmember Jordan asked who the owner of the property is. Commissioner
Broussard replied Dale Carter and he resides in Galveston, Texas. The photographs taken of
the property reflected damage due to Hurricane Harvey. Chairman Blazek asked if the owner
would have time to make a request for the property to be registered for the City’s work order
program. Mrs. Josey stated that the State requires a ninety day review before the structure is
demolished. Commissioner Broussard stated that the Beaumont Heritage Society does not
have the funds to remodel the structure. Discussion followed. Commissioner Davis made a
motion to approve the request to demolish the structure located at 1814 Park Street as
requested for File CA-2817. Commissioner Craig seconded the motion. Motion to approve
carried 8:2 (Broussard; Templeton-abstained).
2) CA-2819: Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new porch.
Applicant: Albert & Ranesha LeBlanc
Location: 2238 Angelina Street
Mrs. Josey presented the staff report. Albert and Ranesha LeBlanc would like to remove the
existing front porch from their house at 2238 Angelina Street and replace it with a porch that
will extend across the front of the house with an attached ADA ramp. Two site plan options
have been submitted along with various pictures of nearby houses as an example for the
intended new porch. After several requests to specify what the new porch would look like,
the white house with green trim was selected as her choice from these photos.
A Reasonable Accommodation Request was submitted asking to forgo all HLC requirements
for the new porch and denied.
The house is in the 1990 SPARE Beaumont Survey. SPARE states that the house was built
c.1930. The house was listed as a fine example of middle class housing built in the 1920's
and 1930's.
Staff recommended approval of a porch to match the period and design of the house.
2
Historic Landmark Commission
November 13, 2017
Slides of the subject property were shown. Commissioner LaBiche sketched the way the
home should look once the porch and ramp are built. He also stated the style of the home
should not be changed. The applicants, Albert and Ranesha LeBlanc, 2238 Angelina Street
addressed the Commission. Mr. LeBlanc also presented a sketched drawing of how he would
like the porch to look. Mr. LeBlanc and Commissioner LaBiche had similar drawings. Mrs.
LeBlanc stated that she and Mr. LeBlanc care for his father. Mr. LeBlanc also stated that he
would like to change the paint colors of the home. He decided to go with white paint with
green trim. Discussion followed. Chairman Blazek made a motion to approve the request for
a Certificate of Appropriateness to allow the construction of an enlarged front porch across
the home located at 2238 Angelina as requested for File CA-2819. Commissioner Templeton
seconded the motion. Motion to approve carried 10:0.
3) CA-2833: Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to change a roof from green to red.
Applicant: Jimmy-John Akins
Location: 2335 Harrison Avenue
Mrs. Josey presented the staff report. After Hurricane Ike, Mr. Akins reroofed his home at
2335 Harrison with a dark green shingle. Mr. Akins is now requesting to reroof the house
with a red shingle. Several other roofs in the neighborhood are shades of red resembling red
tile or a brownish red. If a sample is presented by the time of the meeting and the color is a
dark brownish red or an acceptable tile red, staff would not be opposed to the red roof.
The house is in the 1991 SPARE Beaumont Survey. SPARE states that the house was built
c.1930.
Staff recommended denial as an actual sample or photo example of the proposed roofing
has not been received.
Slides of the subject property were shown. Discussion followed between Mrs. Josey and the
Commission. Commissioner LaBiche stated there must be a shingle approved for windstorm
such as the Owens-Corning True Definition Duration Terra Cotta Red. Discussion followed.
The applicant was not present. Commissioner Hargroder made a motion to deny the request
for a Certificate of Appropriateness to change a roof from green to red as requested for File
CA-2833. Commissioner Makin seconded the motion. Motion to deny the request carried
10:0.
4) CA-2837: Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to add a separate driveway entrance.
Applicant: Michael & Vanester Washington
Location: 1793 & 1775 Broadway
Mrs. Josey presented the staff report. Michael & Vanester Washington are requesting to
construct a separate driveway entrance for their property located at 1793 Broadway. The lot
next door has recently been purchased by the applicant. The applicant now has plans to
fence the entire property. The existing driveway enters the property from 2nd Street. Now
that there is room to do so, the applicant would like to circle the driveway around the house
and create a second entrance on Broadway, east of the house.
3
Historic Landmark Commission
November 13, 2017
The house is in the 1989 SPARE Beaumont Survey. SPARE states that the house was
built c.1905. Slides of the subject property were shown. Staff recommended approval of the
request. Discussion followed. The applicant was present. Michael Washington, 1793
Broadway addressed the Commission. Mr. Washington presented a sketched drawing to the
Commission of how he would like the driveway to look. Discussion followed. Commissioner
LaBiche made a motion to approve a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to add a
separate driveway entrance as requested for File CA-2837. Commissioner Makin seconded
the motion. Motion to approve carried 10:0.
5) CA-2842: Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to paint a brick chimney.
Applicant: Brenda T. Byrd
Location: 2550 Louisiana
Mrs. Josey presented the staff report. Brenda Byrd is painting her home and would like to
stain the existing brick chimney black. The chimney is located on the west side of her home
located at 2550 Louisiana Street. Black is the chosen accent color for home, however, white
is the trim color and a more traditional choice for chimneys. Staff would suggest white, if
the brick should be painted. A quick survey of the surrounding neighborhood revealed
several other structures using black as an accent color with chimneys that had been painted
white.
The house is in not listed in the SPARE Beaumont Survey.
Staff recommended denial of the request. Slides were shown of the subject property.
Chairman Blazek wanted to clarify the difference between staining the brick and painting the
brick. Commissioner LaBiche stated he never stained brick. Discussion followed. The
applicant was present. Brenda Byrd, 2550 Louisiana addressed the Commission.
Ms. Byrd stated that she wanted to paint her chimney black and no other color. Discussion
followed. Chairman LaBiche suggested that she performs color test before she stains the
brick. Chairman Blazek made a motion to table the request for a Certificate of
Appropriateness to paint a brick chimney as requested for File CA-2842, so that the
Commission could see and approve the color. Commissioner Linsley seconded the motion.
Motion to table carried 10:0.Ms. Byrd agreed to present the sample color at the December 11,
2017 meeting.
6) HCD-1.39: Request to foreclose on the loan for 2300 Harrison Avenue.
Applicant: City of Beaumont-Planning Division
Mrs. Josey presented the staff report. In November of 2011, Charles E. and Vanessa Pickens
received a loan (Account No. 156124-HP; Loan No. 1735) from the City of Beaumont
Historic Landmark Commission for $31,140.00. The loan was to be paid out over 83 months
at $370.71 monthly. About that time, Mr. Pickens passed away. The loan soon became
delinquent, with minimal or no payments being made since January, 2012. The past due
principal was $20,696.15 as of May 10, 2017. The City of Beaumont is the second lien
4
Historic Landmark Commission
November 13, 2017
holder for the property located at 2300 Harrison Avenue. Mortgage Electronic Registration
Systems, Inc. obtained the loan through transfer in April, 2001.
Both Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. and Mrs. Pickens have been notified of
the meeting and intent to foreclose.
Staff recommended foreclosure of loan HCD - 1.39 to Charles E. and Vanessa Pickens.
Slides were shown of the subject property. The applicant was present. Vanessa Pickens, 2300
Harrison Avenue addressed the Commission. Mrs. Pickens stated that she needed a more
affordable payment plan. She stated that shortly after her husband passed, her teenage son
had a stroke. Mrs. Pickens stated that she is current on her mortgage and would like to pay
the loan off. Discussion followed. Commissioner Fernandez suggested to Mrs. Pickens that
Catholic Charities would work with her to seek other alternatives to help her keep her home
and possibly pay the loan off by enrolling in the Asset Building Case Management Program.
The Commission decided that it would be in Mrs. Pickens’ best interest to seek assistance
from Catholic Charities in hopes of keeping her home and relieving her debt with the City.
Commissioner LaBiche made a motion to table the request to foreclose on the loan for 2300
Harrison Avenue for thirty days. The request will be presented again at the December 11,
2017 meeting. Commissioner Broussard seconded the motion. Motion to table the request
carried 10:0.
7) Historic District Code Enforcement Report
Mrs. Varela was not present to discuss the Code Enforcement report.
OTHER BUSINESS
Commissioner Davis discussed the condition of the Botanical Gardens and Tyrrell Park Stables
in Tyrrell Park. Discussion followed.
THERE BEING NO OTHER BUSINESS, THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 5:01
P.M.
5