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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-8-21 HLC Minutes * M I N U T E S * HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION March 8, 2021 City Hall, 801 Main Street, Beaumont, Texas … A Regular Meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission was held on March 8, 2021 and called to order at 3:36 p.m. with the following members present: Chairman Paula Blazek Vice-Chairman Dohn LaBiche Commissioner Hester Bell Commissioner Marty Craig Commissioner Christina Crawford Commissioner Theresa Goodness Commissioner Lynda Kay Makin Commissioner Thomas Sigee Commission Members absent : Commissioner Terry Hallemann Commissioner Janelle Templeton Councilmembers present: Councilmember Taylor Neild Also present: Demi Laney, Senior Planner Elayna Luckey, Oaks Historic Code Enforcement Officer Lindsey Gilbreath, Permit Processing Coordinator Catherine Allen, Recording Secretary APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Craig moved to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on December 14, 2020. Commissioner Sigee seconded the motion. The motion to approve carried 8:0. REGULAR MEETING 1) PZ2021-0: Request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house. Applicant: City of Beaumont Location: 2354 Laurel Street Ms. Laney presented the staff report. Boyd Meier, Building Official, requests a certificate of demolition for the second house located at 2354 Laurel Street. According to the inspection report, this structure was originally tagged on August 2, 2019. The structure has signs of transients residing inside the substandard structure. The electrical wiring of the structure would Historic Landmark Commission March 8, 2021 need to be in compliance with the 2014 National Electric Codes. The roof has several missing shingles. The siding of the house and eaves are rotting in several places. Based on the extensive repairs needed for this structure, the Building Codes staff is recommending a raze order. Slides of the subject property were shown. Notices were mailed to property owners within two hundred (200) feet of the subject property. No responses were received in opposition or in favor. Staff recommended approval of the request. Chairman Blazek asked staff if there had been any contact with the last known owner. Ms. Gilbreath stated that the property owner had spoken with the demolitions coordinator, but had not come in about the property. Commissioner Sigee moved to approve the request for Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house, for the property at 2354 Laurel Street, as requested in file PZ2021-0. Commissioner Bell seconded the motion. The motion to approve carried 8:0. 2) PZ2021-1: Request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house and garage apartment. Applicant: City of Beaumont Location: 2355 Pecos Street Ms. Laney presented the staff report. Boyd Meier, Building Official, requests a certificate of demolition for the house and garage apartment located at 2355 Pecos Street. According to the inspection report, this structure was originally tagged on November 18, 2019. The report states the plumbing and electrical will need to be replaced and brought into compliance with Building Codes. The exterior doors and windows must be replaced because the frames are broken and rotted. The outside of the home appears to be functional; however the inside of the home requires extensive repairs. Additionally, there is evidence that transients are residing inside. The garage apartment in the rear of the property is leaning and rotted on the inside. This substandard structure may cause harm to residents due to its potential for collapsing. Based on the extensive repairs needed for these structures, the Building Codes staff is recommending a raze order. Slides of the subject property were shown. Notices were mailed to property owners within two hundred (200) feet of the subject property. Two (2) responses were received in opposition and none were received in favor. Ms. Laney summarized the responses in opposition, which stated that too many houses in the district have been torn down and asked to table the request. Staff recommended approval of the request. Discussion followed between the Commission and staff about who owned the property and any action taken by the property owner. Staff reported that the property is in foreclosure and owned by a bank that had been notified, but had not taken action to prevent the demolition. 2 Historic Landmark Commission March 8, 2021 Staff also presented the option of just demolishing the garage apartment and not the house, since the garage apartment is the more unsafe of the structures. The public hearing on this request was opened. James W. Stone, 2390 Pecos Street, addressed the Commission. He stated that he also owns property at 2380 and 2412 Pecos Street. Mr. Stone stated that he is totally against the proposed demolition. He stated that too many demolitions in the historic district have occurred, especially on Pecos Street. He added that many of these demolished structures had been very beautiful homes. Finally, Mr. Stone stated that he would not be opposed to demolishing just the garage apartment. James J. Russell, 2370 Pecos Street, addressed the Commission. He stated that he lives across the street from the subject property and has lived there for over fifty (50) years. He added that in that time, he has seen many beautiful homes torn down. He admitted that the subject property needs work, but felt that it could be salvaged. Mr. Russell added that the subject property has sentimental value for him as his sister and brother-in-law previously lived there and he had many fond memories of the home and garage apartment. Also, he stated that the City of Beaumont is rich in culture and history and that tearing down old structures causes the city to lose its history. He stated that he has talked with contractors who agree that the house could be saved with the right person and the right amount of money. Finally, Mr. Russell thanked the Commission for the opportunity to address his opinions at the meeting. Discussion followed about the home being in foreclosure and how any liens would affect the City’s ability to demolish the structure. Chairman Blazek stated that she believed the house was salvable, that work was needed on the interior, but that it was not beyond hope and that she supported tabling the request. Commissioner Crawford moved to table the request for Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house and garage apartment, for the property at 2355 Pecos Street, as requested in file PZ2021-1. Commissioner Sigee seconded the motion. The motion to table the request carried 8:0. 3) PZ2021-14: Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to install new a storage building. Applicant: Ashley Knerr th Location: 233 N. 7 Street Ms. Laney presented the staff report. Ashley Knerr is seeking permission to install a new storage th building at the rear of their property located at 233 N. 7 Street. The property is a corner lot, therefore, the proposed storage building will visible from Laurel Street. The storage building will be made of metal and have a box frame with an A-frame roof pitch. It will sit 9’ in height, 31’ in length and 20’ in width. Two garage doors will be on the front of the building facing the street right-of-way. Additionally, the structure will be painted to match the house. 3 Historic Landmark Commission March 8, 2021 Slides of the subject property were shown. Staff recommended approval of the request with the following conditions: 1. The structure is painted to match the existing home. 2. The structure has an overhang of at least 12 inches and the roof pitch match the pitch of the house. 3. The structure meets all requirements set by Building Codes. 4. The structure is in compliance with setbacks set forth in Sec. 28.03.024 District Area and Height Regulations. Discussion followed about the request and the applicant’s understanding of the conditions. th The applicants, Alan Hollingsworth and Ashley Knerr, 233 N 7 Street, addressed the Commission. Mr. Hollingsworth stated that the garage has extensive termite damage and that they would like to demolish it and replace it with a metal building to prevent further termite damage. He added that the current carport is too small for their vehicles. Chairman Blazek asked the applicants if they understood the recommended conditions from staff and they confirmed their understanding and agreement. A discussion followed concerning whether the metal structure will be a custom color from the manufacturer or will be painted by the applicants. The applicants indicated that they will attempt to have the company match the metal building to the house color, but if they are unable to than they will paint it themselves. They added that they do have the paint that would be needed and were comfortable with painting it. It was determined through discussion that there was a consensus from the Commission that if it needed to be painted, the paint color could be approved by staff without having to come back to the Commission. Staff clarified that the demolition of the existing garage had already been approved by staff and the request before them was just to install the metal building. Commissioner Craig complimented the applicants on their improvements to the home. Vice-Chairman LaBiche moved to approve the request for Certificate of Appropriateness to th install new a storage building, for the property at 233 N. 7 Street, as requested in file PZ2021- 14 with the following conditions: 1. The structure is painted to match the existing home. 2. The structure has an overhang of at least 12 inches and the roof pitch match the pitch of the house. 3. The structure meets all requirements set by Building Codes. 4. The structure is in compliance with setbacks set forth in Sec. 28.03.024 District Area and Height Regulations. Commissioner Sigee seconded the motion. The motion to approve the request carried 8:0. 4) PZ2021-47: Request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house and a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new construction. 4 Historic Landmark Commission March 8, 2021 Applicant: Tom Cockerill Location: 2234 Evalon Street Ms. Laney presented the staff report. Tom Cockerill has requested a Certificate of Demolition to demolish the existing structure located at 2234 Evalon Avenue. The existing structure received substantial damage from the Hurricane Harvey disaster. Additionally, Mr. Cockerill requests a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new construction that will be completed under the Texas General Land Office Harvey Program. The new house will be of the Craftsman style. The 1,354 square foot home will consist of three (3) bedrooms, two (2) baths, kitchen and living/dining room. The house will be constructed on a pier and beam foundation, wood framing, horizontal lap cement fiber siding and thirty (30) year architectural roofing shingles. The elevation drawings indicate that the windows will be of a one over one appearance. Tom is requesting the exterior body paint to be SW7039 Virtual Taupe, the trim to be SW7036 Accessible Beige, and the accent color to be SW7593 Rustic Red. Slides of the property were shown. Notices were mailed to property owners within two hundred (200) feet of the subject property. One response was received in favor and none were received in opposition. Staff recommended approval with the following conditions: 1. The structure shall be elevated on pier and beam foundation. 2. Parking and ADA access ramp shall be at the rear of the property. 3. Roof overhang minimum shall be 12". 4. Columns shall be constructed to resemble the Craftsman style. 5. Windows should be six over one in appearance. Commissioner Craig asked about the letter received by staff. Ms. Laney responded that the property owner indicated that they were in favor of the request, but did not provide any further comment. The applicant, Leeann Hawkins with DRC Homes, 6710 Eastex Freeway, addressed the Commission. She stated that DRC Homes is the contractor that will be demolishing and rebuilding the home. Chairman Blazek asked the applicant if the company understood and agreed to the conditions and she voiced agreement. Commissioner Makin asked when the project would begin and Ms. Hawkins replied that they are in the early phase and waiting on a full confirmation from the Texas General Land Office (GLO), but would be in contact with City staff. Vice-Chairman LaBiche stated that the building being torn down had richer character and better detailing than the building being proposed to replace it. Discussion followed concerning the current windows, the windows recommended and the windows on the houses on either side of the subject property. Vice-Chairman LaBiche also discussed the column details, molding and 5 Historic Landmark Commission March 8, 2021 gable pattern. He asserted that these details would not be expensive to add, but would add character to the new home. Discussion followed between the Commission and the applicant about the possibility of using any material from the existing house when constructing the new one. Ms. Hawkins stated that they would have to check with the GLO to see if that would be possible, due to their strict requirements for demolition. Further discussion followed concerning the gable in the window of the existing house not being proposed for the new structure. The applicant indicated that the home owner chose from a selection of preapproved designs and did not want the gable. Commissioners discussed that other homeowners often request things that the Commission does not approve to preserve the historical character of the district. Commissioner Sigee stated to the applicant that their concerns were not intended to inconvenience their project, but explained the Commission’s role in preserving the historical character of the district. Vice-Chairman LaBiche moved to approve the request for Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house and a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new construction, for the property at 2234 Evalon Street, as requested in file PZ2021-47 with the following conditions: 1. The structure shall be elevated on pier and beam foundation. 2. Parking and ADA access ramp shall be at the rear of the property. 3. Roof overhang minimum shall be 12". 4. Columns shall be constructed to resemble the Craftsman style. 5. Windows should be six over six in appearance. 6. The round window in the gable will be installed on the new house. 7. The moldings around the windows on the exterior will match the old house. 8. The board and batten detailing in the gable will be maintained. 9. The front door will be a Craftsman style door. Commissioner Sigee seconded the motion. The motion to approve the request carried 8:0. 5) Historic District Code Enforcement Report Officer Luckey presented the Historic District Code Enforcement Report, including information about current violations and inspections. OTHER BUSINESS Spotlight on Marie Broussard. In Loving Memory (1934 – 2020). Ms. Allen presented the following tribute: Marie Broussard was appointed as a Commissioner on the City of Beaumont Historic Landmark Commission on May 2, 1995 and served on the Commission until her death on October 23, 2020. In her 25 years on the Commission, she was a very active and dedicated Commissioner. She also 6 Historic Landmark Commission March 8, 2021 served on the subcommittee to create the Historic Beaumont Tour Brochure. The brochure committee was formed in 1997 and completed the brochure in 2003. The completed brochure presented a driving tour guide of over forty historic buildings in Beaumont. It presented architectural details as well the historical significance of each building chosen. Mrs. Broussard’s contributions to the brochure were vital to its completion. Besides being a member of the Historic Landmark Commission, Mrs. Broussard served the Beaumont community in various other capacities. The long list of organizations that she was involved with includes the Beaumont Heritage Society, Beaumont Rainbow Room, Beaumont Botanical Gardens, Nutrition and Services for Seniors, Lamar Catholic Student Center, St Jude’s Bereavement Committee, Neches River Festival, PTA and Gulf Coast Historical Society. She was also, of course, involved with Broussard’s Mortuary as her husband Alex and his brother James represented the third generation of the Broussard family to run the business that has served the community since the 1800’s. In these ways and many others, Mrs. Broussard was devoted to her family and the Beaumont community at large. The City of Beaumont and the Historic Landmark Commission were truly blessed by the contributions of such a hardworking and selfless Commissioner. We take this time to honor her legacy and strive to remember her example in our future endeavors in serving the City of Beaumont. THERE BEING NO OTHER BUSINESS, THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 4:16 P.M. 7