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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-13-23 HLC Minutes * M I N U T E S * HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION March 13, 2023 City Hall, 801 Main Street, Beaumont, Texas \[ A Regular Meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission was held on March 13, 2023 and called to order at 3:30 p.m. with the following members present: Chairman Dohn LaBiche Commissioner Yolanda Nan Avery Commissioner Hester Bell Commissioner Christina Crawford *arrived at 3:34 pm Commissioner Theresa Goodness Commissioner Hajrah Javed Commissioner Lynda Kay Makin Commissioner Marva Provo Commission Members absent : Commissioner John Berube Commissioner Thomas Sigee Commissioner Janelle Templeton Also present: Chris Boone, Assistant City Manager, Community Services Demi Engman, Planning Manager Elayna Luckey, Zoning Technician Susan Smith, Recording Secretary Chairman LaBiche announced that the Commission will move to a roll call voting system for record keeping purposes. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Goodness moved to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on February 13, 2023. Commissioner Avery seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Chairman LaBiche-Aye, Commissioner Avery-Aye, Commissioner Bell-Aye, Commissioner Goodness- Aye, Commissioner Javed-Aye, Commissioner Makin-Aye, Commissioner Provo-Aye. The motion to approve carried 7:0. Commissioner Crawford not yet present. REGULAR MEETING 1)PZ2023-63 : A request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace handrails to a house. Historic Landmark Commission $$ March 13, 2023 $ Applicant: Pawan Kumar Location: 1810 Hazel Avenue Mrs. Luckey presented the staff report. Pawan Kumar is requesting a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace handrails and guards to meet HUD (The Department of Housing and Urban Development) requirements to the home located at 1810 Hazel. Mr. Kumar completed the work without the benefit of and approved Certificate or Appropriateness or building permits. However, he applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness prior to the construction of the handrails and staff marked the request incomplete requesting a drawing, material list and a site plan for review. Staff did not hear back from Mr. Kumar regarding the requested documents, but received a photo of the completed work via email. The submitted wood handrails and guards to the porch do not appear to be appropriate for a National Folk home in accordance to photos demonstrated in A Field Guide to American Houses (McAlester et al., pgs. 90-93). A singular rail similar to what previously existed seems more appropriate to the architecture of the home, and would be compliant with existing Building Codes. Staff recommended approval of the request with the following conditions: 1. Remove one of the wooden handrails. Modify the remaining rail, to one horizontal rail with two vertical supports. 2. The handrail and guards be painted to match the existing trim. 3. All appropriate permits and inspections be obtained through the Building Codes Department. The house is listed in the 1990 SPARE Beaumont Survey. SPARE states the house was built circa 1917 and is an example of middle class housing built in Beaumont after the first Spindletop boom. Slides of the subject property were shown. Brief discussion followed concerning confirmation of the handrails to be replaced and removed & compliance of the recommended changes with City of Beaumont Building Codes. The applicant was not present. Brief discussion followed concerning the handrail paint color. Commissioner Crawford moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace handrails to a house, as requested in file PZ2023-63, with the following conditions: 1. Remove one of the wooden handrails. Modify the remaining rail, to one horizontal rail with two vertical supports. 6$ $ Historic Landmark Commission $$ March 13, 2023 $ 2. The handrail and guards be painted to match the existing trim. 3. All appropriate permits and inspections be obtained through the Building Codes Department. Commissioner Makin seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Chairman LaBiche-Aye, Commissioner Avery-Aye, Commissioner Bell-Aye, Commissioner Crawford-Aye, Commissioner Goodness-Aye, Commissioner Javed-Aye, Commissioner Makin-Aye, Commissioner Provo-Aye. The motion to approve the request carried 8:0. 2) PZ2023-68 : A request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to pave a driveway, restore a garage door and change windows. Applicant: JD Properties, LLC Location: 2377 Ashley Street Mrs. Luckey presented the staff report. JD Properties is requesting a Certificate of Appropriateness to restore and rehabilitate the home at 2377 Ashley. The applicant is requesting to pave an existing dirt driveway that extends in front of the structure. They are also requesting to remove French doors to restore a garage door onto the structure. Lastly, they wish to replace the multi-pane windows throughout the structure, with one over one windows in appearance. The submitted scope of work appears to be appropriate for a National style home in accordance to photos demonstrated in A Field Guide to American Houses (McAlester et al., pgs. 92 and 93). Staff recommended approval of the request with the following conditions: 1. The driveway be paved with brushed or aggregate concrete, hot mix asphalt, masonry pavers and graded so that any drainage will run to the street and not adjacent properties. 2. The windows be sized to match the existing windows. 3. All applicable permits be obtained through the Building Codes Department. The house is not listed in the SPARE Beaumont Survey. Slides of the subject property were shown. Brief discussion followed concerning the recommended window size, the requirement of muttons to match the existing muttons to maintain the character of the home, and use of the secondary driveway to accommodate parking for the multiple unit structure. The owner of the property was present. Jason Trendale, 2377 Ashley Street, Beaumont, Texas addressed the Commission. Mr. Trendale stated that he wants to keep the original look of the house by installing new windows to match the existing windows. The current windows are in a state of disrepair or are not in compliance with wind code regulations. Four windows are being proposed to replace the large window located on the front of the home. He further stated that new garage 7$ $ Historic Landmark Commission $$ March 13, 2023 $ siding will be installed in a color to match the existing siding. Mrs. Luckey explained that the siding replacement and color was previously discussed with the property owner and approved by Planning staff. Discussion followed concerning availability and installation of a new large window for the front of the home. A representative of the applicant was present. Dave Hancock of JD Properties, LLC, P.O. Box 12051, Beaumont, Texas addressed the Commission. He stated that available windows are within an inch in size of the original large window installed in the front of the home. Mr. Hancock further stated that installation of a single large window will not meet wind code regulations due to its size. Chairman LaBiche referenced two companies that are capable of making large windows that are in compliance with wind code regulations. Mr. Hancock stated that he wishes to duplicate the original appearance of the home. Mr. Trendale stated that he is doing everything possible to preserve the original character of the interior and exterior of the home. He also stated that he has previous experience restoring and preserving historic structures. Further discussion followed concerning use of the home. Mr. Trendale explained that it will be utilized as a rental property for traveling nurses servicing the local hospitals. The public hearing on this request was opened. Charles Patrick Carroll, 2343 Ashley Street, Beaumont, Texas addressed the Commission. Mr. Carroll presented a signed petition of neighboring property owners. He also gave a brief history of previous ownership of the home. He further expressed concerns relating to the framing of the garage door; current state of the foundation, sidewalk, and driveway apron; and, work completed on the home without obtaining the proper permits. He also stated that the garaged area is framed for a fourth unit in a structure that does not allow for a three unit structure by zoning standards. Mr. Carroll also referenced a text message exchange between himself and Mr. Trendale. Chairman LaBiche explained to Mr. Carroll that he must keep his comments limited to the matters in which the Commission is reviewing for consideration and explained the purpose of the Commission. Mr. Carroll also stated that a wooden garage door should be installed rather than a door construction of metal. He also expressed concern that the structure will be developed into a four unit structure. The applicant was given an opportunity to speak in rebuttal. Mr. Hancock stated that the property owner wishes to return to the previous look of the home in regard to the garage door rather than the present French doors. He further stated that the proposed garage door will be consistent with the appearance of the home and will not be an economy-grade door. Mr. Trendale stated that he has no intention of adding a fourth unit to the home. He further stated that the residence is permitted as a triplex with three individual units having three individual electrical meters. 8$ $ Historic Landmark Commission $$ March 13, 2023 $ Brief discussion followed concerning the number of units for the property. Mrs. Luckey explained that there are three (3) existing units at the property that are dated back to 1969, which pre-dates the City of Beaumont Zoning Ordinance. Further discussion followed concerning parking with regard to the size of the garage and placement of the secondary driveway. Commissioner Crawford stated that she would prefer to not have a secondary driveway if it is not necessary. Commissioner Makin moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to pave a driveway, restore a garage door and change windows, as requested in file PZ2023-68, with the following conditions: 1. The driveway be paved with brushed or aggregate concrete, hot mix asphalt, masonry pavers and graded so that any drainage will run to the street and not adjacent properties. 2. The windows replaced will match the existing size and pane count. 3. All applicable permits be obtained through the Building Codes Department. $ $ Commissioner Bell seconded the motion.A roll call vote was taken. Chairman LaBiche-Aye, Commissioner Avery-Aye, Commissioner Bell-Aye, Commissioner Crawford-No, Commissioner Goodness-Aye, Commissioner Javed-Aye, Commissioner Makin-Aye, Commissioner Provo-Aye. The motion to approve the request carried 7:1. 3) PZ2023-78 : A request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to install handrails. Applicant: J.W. Turner Construction, LTD for Mary Zavala Location: 2075 Liberty Avenue Mrs. Luckey presented the staff report. J.W. Turner Construction, LTD is requesting a Certificate of Appropriateness to construct handrails for the home located at 2075 Liberty. The property is undergoing renovations such as replacing with like, tile roof, siding, windows, etc. They are requesting the handrails in addition to the current repairs. The submitted wood handrails to the porch appear to be appropriate for the neoclassical home with craftsman influences in accordance to photos demonstrated in A Field Guide to American Houses ((McAlester et al., pgs. 458-461, and 495). Staff recommended approval of the request with the following conditions: 1. The handrails be painted to match the existing trim. 2. All appropriate permits must be obtained through the Building Codes Department. 9$ $ Historic Landmark Commission $$ March 13, 2023 $ The house is listed in the 1989 SPARE Beaumont Survey. SPARE states the house was built circa 1915 and is a good example of a local combination of two popular styles and is an ornate example of upper middle class housing in the first decades of the century. Slides of the subject property were shown. The applicant was present. Karl Gassen of J.W. Turner Construction, LTD for Mary Zavala, 601 Remington Drive, Bridge City, Texas addressed the Commission. He stated that his company is trying to make it safe for the homeowner to return to her disaster recovery residence by keeping it within the Historic Landmark Commission guidelines. Commissioner Goodness moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to install handrails, as requested in file PZ2023-78, with the following conditions: 1. The handrails be painted to match the existing trim. 2. All appropriate permits must be obtained through the Building Codes Department. Commissioner Makin seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. Chairman LaBiche-Aye, Commissioner Avery-Aye, Commissioner Bell-Aye, Commissioner Crawford-Aye, Commissioner Goodness-Aye, Commissioner Javed-Aye, Commissioner Makin-Aye, Commissioner Provo-Aye. The motion to approve the request carried 8:0. HISTORIC DISTRICT CODE ENFORCEMENT REPORT Mrs. Luckey presented the Historic District Code Enforcement Report, including information about current violations and inspections. She also stated that Inspector Randle recently attended the Code Enforcement Association of Texas (CEAT) Conference, an educational conference for Code Enforcement Officers and Inspectors for the purpose of obtaining Continuing Education credits/hours and to learn new processes of code enforcement in Texas. OTHER BUSINESS None. THERE BEING NO OTHER BUSINESS, THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 4:17 P.M. :$ $