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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-13-21 HLC Minutes * M I N U T E S * HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION December 13, 2021 City Hall, 801 Main Street, Beaumont, Texas … A Regular Meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission was held on December 13, 2021 and called to order at 3:34 p.m. with the following members present: Vice-Chairman Dohn LaBiche Commissioner Yolanda Nan Avery *arrived at 3:43 p.m. Commissioner Hester Bell Commissioner John Berube Commissioner Christina Crawford Commissioner Theresa Goodness Commissioner Hajrah Javed Commissioner Lynda Kay Makin Commissioner Marva Provo Commissioner Janelle Templeton Commission Members absent : Commissioner Thomas Sigee Also present: Demi Engman, Senior Planner Catherine Allen, Recording Secretary APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Makin moved to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on November 8, 2021. Commissioner Bell seconded the motion. The motion to approve carried 9:0. REGULAR MEETING 1) PZ2021-377: Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace garage doors, install gutters, replace porch posts, and paint house. Applicant: Eric Newell Location: 2445 Louisiana Street Mrs. Engman presented the staff report. Eric Newell is seeking permission to replace garage doors, porch posts, install gutters, and paint the house located at 2445 Louisiana Street. He has requested the exterior body paint be Secret Garden (SW6181), trim to be Downing Sand (SW2822), shutters to be Naval (SW6244), and front door to be Interesting Aqua (SW6220). Historic Landmark Commission December 13, 2021 Mr. Newell intends to replace two (2) garage doors with two (2) new garage doors from Overhead Door Company, which will be almond in color with windows. Additionally, he would like to replace the rotting front porch posts. He requests permission for the new posts to be square-only in profile and wood stained. Lastly, he requests to install gutters. This home is categorized as a Modern Ranch Style house. Examples of this style house are in A Field Guide to American Houses (McAlester et al., pg. 479-480). The existing square top porch posts with decorative design elements seem appropriate for Ranch Style homes during the 1970’s era. Changing the posts to an all square profile does not seem appropriate for homes of this era. The property is not listed in the SPARE Beaumont Survey. Slides of the subject property were shown. Staff recommended denial of the request to replace the porch posts. Staff recommended approval of the request to paint house, install gutters and replace garage doors with the following conditions: 1. The gutters shall be installed to blend in with and be the same color as the trim. The applicant was present. Eric Newell, 2445 Louisiana Street, addressed the Commission. He stated that the home had suffered flood damage after Tropical Storm Imelda and that he is just trying to make repairs and get the home looking good again. He stated that supply chain issues due to the pandemic have made garage doors hard to come by so he had just used the cheapest one he could find to close the garage. He then explained his color choices. Mr. Newell stated that the posts are rotting and that he would like to replace them. He added that the inside also needs repairs so he is trying to stay within a budget. Mr. Newell then said that he does not want perfectly square posts and would like some decorative elements to them. He added that if the rest of the request could be approved, that he could return to the Commission at a later time with different posts if needed. Finally, he added that his contractor was not familiar with the historic district regulations so they had to stop their progress to await this decision and would like to resume work as soon as possible. Commissioner Makin asked about the posts and Mr. Newell stated that he has been looking at different options and would like stained square posts with framing, but does not want to replace them with the exact same thing that is currently there. He added that he could add decoration if requested. Commissioner Templeton asked about the garage doors and Mr. Newell stated that the new doors will have windows and again explained that the current door with no windows was due to it being the only type available at the time. He added that they will be painted the same color as the trim. Commissioner Makin asked if they could approve the request excluding the posts and Vice- Chairman LaBiche stated that they could approve the rest of the request and let staff approve 2 Historic Landmark Commission December 13, 2021 appropriate posts. He added that he did not want to see posts that were simply square with no decoration. Commissioner Makin moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace garage doors, install gutters, replace porch posts, and paint house, for the property at 2445 Louisiana Street, as requested in file PZ2021-377 with the following conditions: 1. The gutters shall be installed to blend in with and be the same color as the trim. 2. Posts can be replaced with staff approval. Commissioner Templeton seconded the motion. The motion to approve the request carried 10:0. 2) PZ2021-382: A request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house and a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new construction. Applicant: Stonewater, Inc. for Ashley Sapon Location: 2385 Angelina Street Mrs. Engman presented the staff report. Stonewater, Inc. has requested a Certificate of Demolition to demolish the existing structure located at 2385 Angelina Street. The existing structure received substantial damage from the past hurricane events. Additionally, Stonewater Inc. requests a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new construction that will be completed under the Texas General Land Office (GLO) Harvey Program. The proposed home will be approximately 1,782 square feet in size and will contain six (6) bedrooms, two (2) bathrooms, dining room, kitchen and living room. The construction methods employed would dictate that the house is to be constructed with a pier and beam foundation, horizontal HardiPlank siding, and brown 30 year architectural roofing shingles. Windows will have a one over one appearance. The exterior body paint to be SW0032 Needlepoint Navy and the trim to be SW0050 Classic Light Buff. The house is not in the SPARE Beaumont Survey. Slides of the subject property, elevation drawing and floor plan were shown. Staff recommended approval of both requests, subject to the following conditions: 1. Roof overhang minimum shall be 12". 2. The required ADA ramp shall be located on the rear of the property and not visible from the street right-of-way. 3. The windows shall be 6 over 1 in appearance and made of either vinyl or wood. 4. Roof pitch shall not be less than a 4 1/2 inch rise in any 12 inch horizontal distance. 5. The posts on the front porch shall be a Craftsman style tapered columns. 6. The front door shall be of Craftsman style. Notices were mailed to property owners within two hundred (200) feet of the subject property. Zero responses were received in favor or in opposition of the demolition. 3 Historic Landmark Commission December 13, 2021 Commissioner Bell asked about the size of the bedrooms in the floor plan. Mrs. Engman explained that this was a preapproved floor plan of the GLO program. Vice-Chairman LaBiche asked about the staff recommendation for Craftsman style tapered columns. Mrs. Engman explained that there are similar examples in the district that have been approved by the Commission. The applicant was present. Jennifer Foreman, representing Stonewater Inc, 2005 Post Office Street, Galveston, TX, addressed the Commission. She stated that this was a GLO project to demolish and rebuild the home. She added that they are willing to meet the proposed conditions and any other requirements needed. Commissioner Makin asked for more explanation of the GLO program and Ms. Foreman explained the process and added that an inspection resulted in the decision that demolishing and rebuilding was needed. Commissioner Berube asked if this was a single family residence and Ms. Foreman stated that this was correct and that the number of bedrooms is based on the number of dependents in the home. Commissioner Makin moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Demolition to demolish a house and a Certificate of Appropriateness for a new construction, for the property at 2385 Angelina Street, as requested in file PZ2021-382 with to the following conditions: 1. Roof overhang minimum shall be 12". 2. The required ADA ramp shall be located on the rear of the property and not visible from the street right-of-way. 3. The windows shall be 6 over 1 in appearance and made of either vinyl or wood. 4. Roof pitch shall not be less than a 4 1/2 inch rise in any 12 inch horizontal distance. 5. The posts on the front porch shall be a Craftsman style tapered columns. 6. The front door shall be of Craftsman style. Commissioner Crawford seconded the motion. The motion to approve the request carried 10:0. 3) PZ2021-409: A request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to remove shakes and paint a house. Applicant: Marvin Lindow Location: 2470 Ashley Avenue Mrs. Engman presented the staff report. Marvin Lindow requests permission to remove shakes from the house located at 2470 Ashley Avenue. He ensured the profile of the siding will match the existing garage, which is located in the rear yard and visible from the street right-of-way. Additionally, Mr. Lindow requests permission to paint the house. If granted, the exterior body color will be Benjamin Moore Winter Ice, the trim will be Benjamin Moore White Dove and the front door will be Benjamin Moore Grenada Villa. 4 Historic Landmark Commission December 13, 2021 This home is categorized as a Minimal Traditional style house. A variety of materials such as stone, brick, wood siding, etc. appear to be used for a Minimal Traditional style home (McAlester et al., pg. 461). Therefore, the removal of the shakes to be replaced with wood siding seems appropriate for a home of this era. The house is not listed in the SPARE survey. Slides of the subject property and color swatches were shown. Staff recommended approval of the request. The applicant was not present. Commissioner Templeton moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to remove shakes and paint a house, for the property at 2470 Ashley Avenue, as requested in file PZ2021-409. Commissioner Makin seconded the motion. The motion to approve the request carried 10:0. 4) PZ2021-411: A request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to construct a fence. Applicant: Terry Highsmith rd Location: 794 3 Street Mrs. Engman presented the staff report. Property owner, Terry Highsmith, requests permission rd to construct a stucco fence for the property located at 794 3 Street. The fence will encompass rd the backyard and will be visible from the street right-of-way along 3 street and Hazel Avenue. The fence will be six (6) feet in height and eight (8) inches in width. Additionally, the fence will be made of concrete blocks, covered with stucco and painted white with decorative columns. Sec. 28.03.018 (g)(3)(D) Historic-Cultural Landmark Preservation Overlay District states a fence in a front or corner side yard must be constructed of wrought iron, wood or brick. Concrete block fences are not permitted. The property is in the 1977 SPARE Beaumont Survey. SPARE states that the house was built c. 1905. The property was listed as a fine example of middle class housing built in Beaumont after the first Spindletop boom. Slides of the subject property and an example of the proposed fence were shown. Staff recommended denial of the request. Vice-Chairman LaBiche stated that he was not aware of any masonry fences in the district and Mrs. Engman agreed that she was not aware of any that had come before the Commission. rd The applicant was present. Terry Highsmith, 778 N 3 Street, addressed the Commission. He stated that he likes the look of stucco more than wood fences. He stated that wood fences fall down, mold and look bad. He added that he does not like wrought iron or brick fences as well 5 Historic Landmark Commission December 13, 2021 and that they are also too expensive. Finally, he added that the stucco fence would improve the look of the property. Vice-Chairman LaBiche asked if Mr. Highsmith if he is renovating the home and he confirmed this to be the case. He added that it is a big project and needs much renovation. He stated that the man who previously owned the home had used it for storage. Mr. Highsmith stated that the home has not been kept up and that he is trying to restore it as closely to the original state as possible. Finally, he thanked the Commission and hoped for approval for the fence. Vice-Chairman LaBiche asked how long Mr. Highsmith had owned the home and if he planned to live in the home. Mr. Highsmith stated that he has owned it for about five (5) years and that he does not plan to live in it, but that he will use it as an extension of his home which is next door. Commissioner Berube asked if he would be doing the fence work himself or if he had a contractor. Mr. Highsmith answered that he has a contractor who was also present at the meeting. He added that his contractor was a mason with over sixty (60) years of experience. Donald Barron, 1485 Dogwood, Vidor, TX, addressed the Commission. He explained his construction plans and how the fence would be supported by digging holes underneath and installing supporting rods. He added that the fence would be stucco on blocks and then finished. Commissioner Berube stated that he was concerned about the structural soundness of the fence and Vice-Chairman LaBiche stated that if approved it would go through an inspection process to ensure the structural soundness. Commissioner Berube stated that he did not have a problem with the proposed fence if it resembles the provided example. Commissioner Makin stated that the proposed fence is not one of the approved fence types in the district. Commissioner Templeton stated that it was a very nice fence, but that it did not seem appropriate for the style of the house. Mrs. Engman read the City ordinance again and stated that the request to use stucco rather than just concrete blocks prompted staff to send the request to the Commission. She reviewed the pictures again and passed around a site plan. Commissioner Makin stated that the fence would be seen from the street. Commissioner Templeton asked the applicant if his goal for the fence was privacy. Mr. Highsmith stated that this was his goal and that the other fence styles do not offer privacy. He added that this fence would be more substantial and long lasting than wood. He also stated that currently as the yard is open, people bring their dogs into the yard or treat it like a park. Vice-Chairman LaBiche stated that brick posts with stucco in between might be more appropriate. Commissioner Crawford agreed and stated that she had mixed emotions on the request and does agree that the stucco would look better than rotting wood fences that can be seen through. 6 Historic Landmark Commission December 13, 2021 Commissioner Crawford moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to rd construct a fence if bricks were added to the stucco, for the property at 794 3 Street, as requested in file PZ2021-411. Commissioner Makin questioned if the motion was specific enough. Commissioner Crawford withdrew her motion. Discussion followed about a potential precedent being set for the use of stucco in the district if this request were to be approved. Commissioner Templeton moved to deny the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to rd construct a fence, for the property at 794 3 Street, as requested in file PZ2021-411. Commissioner Makin seconded the motion. The motion to deny the request carried 10:0. 5) PZ2021-414: A request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to move an existing house into the Oaks Historic District and paint house, install front door, windows and porch. Applicant: James Callas Location: 2345 Louisiana Street Mrs. Engman presented the staff report. Property owner, James Callas, is seeking permission to move an existing house into the Oaks Historic District and paint house, install front door, windows and porch. The structure is currently located on City property at the Ida Reed Dog Park. This structure was once utilized by the Boy Scouts as their meeting space. Mr. Callas intends to remodel the Boy Scout Hut into a residential home for rent that will contain two (2) bedrooms and one bathroom. The structure will be placed on a wood piling pier and beam foundation, he intends to finish out the soffit, fascia boards and side gables to match existing trim and siding, and install a new front and nine (9) over nine (9) pane colonial white frame windows. Additionally, Mr. Callas requests to construct a front porch. He intends to use 4 x 6 pine wood for the deck, 2 x 8 pine wood for the frame, 2 x 4 pine wood for the hand rails, and keep the wood natural in color. Lastly, Mr. Callas is seeking permission to paint the house. He would like the body color to be Colonial Revival Green Stone (SW2826), trim to be Downing Sand (SW2822), and the shutters and front door to be Rookwood Dark Green (SW2816). The porch will remain a natural treated pine lumber color. Slides of the subject property, the house to be moved, a rendering of the home after proposed renovation, an example of the proposed porch and color swatches were shown. Staff recommended approval of the request with the following conditions: 1. Must pull all necessary building & moving permits through Building Codes and Engineering Division. 2. Porch shall be painted the same color as the trim. 7 Historic Landmark Commission December 13, 2021 3. The facade of the house with the front door must face Louisiana Street. Commissioner Makin asked about the current use of the building and Mrs. Engman replied that it is not currently in use. Commissioner Goodness asked about the square footage of the home and Mrs. Engman provided the floor plan details. Brief discussion followed to clarify the location of the property. The applicant was present. James Callas, 5375 Rosemary Drive, addressed the Commission. He stated that he has been associated with the Boy Scout hut since 1967. He gave a history of the Boy Scout hut and previous unsuccessful attempts to move the building. Mr. Callas added that Councilmember Taylor Neild was awarded the honor of Eagle Scout in that hut. He stated that the home will be rented and that $100 of the monthly rent will go to the Boy Scouts. Next, he explained that he has moved a house before and understands the requirements. He also reviewed his qualifications as a licensed contractor and master plumber. Mr. Callas stated that the troop and the hut have both gone vacant so he wants to move and preserve the hut and create a memorial at the former site. Finally, he thanked the Commission and requested approval for the project. Commissioner Makin asked if the applicant owned the lot and Mr. Callas confirmed that he does. He added that if the request is not approved, he will demolish the hut himself and sell the vacant lot. Commissioner Crawford asked if the City owned the property on which the hut currently sits on and Mr. Callas stated that it is currently in Ida Reed Park. Commissioner Makin moved to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to move an existing house into the Oaks Historic District and paint house, install front door, windows and porch, as requested in file PZ2021-414 with the following conditions: 1. Must pull all necessary building & moving permits through Building Codes and Engineering Division. 2. Porch shall be painted the same color as the trim. 3. The facade of the house with the front door must face Louisiana Street. Commissioner Bell seconded the motion. The motion to approve the request carried 10:0. 6) Historic District Code Enforcement Report Mrs. Engman stated that Officer Bates was not able to attend the meeting today, but will have a report for both months at the next meeting. OTHER BUSINESS Vice-Chairman LaBiche welcomed Hajrah Javed to the Commission and stated that it was nice to see a younger generation involved in historic preservation. 8 Historic Landmark Commission December 13, 2021 THERE BEING NO OTHER BUSINESS, THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 4:28 P.M. 9