Historic District Minutes 4-20-17

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION April 20, 2017 The Regular Meeting of the City of Dover Historic District Commission was held on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 3:00 PM with Chairman McDaniel presiding. Members present were Chairman McDaniel, Mr. Czerwinski, Mr. Scrafford, Ms. Horsey and Mr. Jackson. Planning Office Staff members present were Mrs. Melson-Williams and Mrs. Purnell. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mr. Scrafford moved for approval of the agenda as submitted, seconded by Mr. Czerwinski and the motion was unanimously carried 5-0. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MEETING OF FEBRUARY 16, 2017 Mr. Jackson moved for approval of the minutes of February 16, 2017, seconded by Mr. Scrafford and the motion was unanimously carried 5-0. COMMUNICATIONS & REPORTS Summary of Applications 2016 and 2017 Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that for 2016 applications there were a total of six (6) applications or informational files that were established for the Commission. The construction of the Carriage House at 2 Kings Highway is now underway. There are no additional updates about the mixed use buildings on Loockerman Way Plaza. At this point they have to submit updates to their Site Plan in order to get final plan approval and then they will be eligible for Building Permits. There have not been any formal applications for 2017. Mr. Czerwinski questioned whether the Carriage House was being built as requested. Mrs. Melson- Williams replied yes. Summary of Architectural Review Certifications for 2017 Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that there have been a total of seven (7) permits in the Historic District. Most of them have been for interior projects which Staff reviews to make sure that there is no impact to the outside. It does include that the Carriage House Permit was issued in January 2017. The most recent Permit is regarding 6 S. State Street brick repointing and repairs to the tower on the building. The brick work is being done by Paul’s Pointing. Department of Planning & Inspections Update Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that Mrs. Ann Marie Townshend who was the Director of Planning & Community Development & Parks and Recreation resigned her position effective March 31, 2017 and is now the City Manager for Lewes. Mr. Dave S. Hugg III was appointed the Interim Director of Planning and Inspections. He was brought on board as a Consultant for a period of six months. The first initiative is to hire a City Manager and then a City Planner.

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION APRIL 20, 2017 NEW BUSINESS Review of Permits Referred to Commission: None Consultation on Proposed Project Fence Project at 2 North State Street: Fence Height and Materials Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that the office received information requesting consultation on a project before they file their Permit. The Planning Office had conversation with the applicant and informed them how the Historic District Commission process works and the indication of the Design Standards and Guidelines. They also wanted to make sure they were putting forth a good project for the site. This is a proposal for a fence project at 2 North State Street and there are questions in regards to the Fence Height and Materials. The applicant is seeking guidance about the replacement of what is an existing 6-foot wooden fence, specifically the issues of fence height and choice of material. The applicant submitted a narrative letter along with a series of photographs of the existing conditions and the fence proposals. The applicant asked the Historic District Commission to move forward and consider the proposal in his absence. Mrs. Melson-Williams gave an overview of the application. Mr. Scrafford questioned if the fence was part of the discussion when the parking lot was installed. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied that she did not know. Ms. Horsey stated that she was a member of the Planning Commission during the time the parking lot was installed. She did not recall the fence being installed, but remembers they wanted a higher fence. She would need to check the minutes. She questioned whether the Historic District Commission adheres to the 4-foot fence per the Design Standard and Guidelines or considers the 6-foot fence. Mr. Scrafford questioned if the fence was considered one of the visible or invisible items. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied that the fence is considered visible because it can be seen from Division Street. Mr. Czerwinski questioned the necessity of a 6-foot fence other than the fact of replacing the existing 6-foot fence. Also the Design Standards and Guidelines does not specify vinyl materials. Chairman McDaniel questioned if the property was in the Historic District. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied yes, and relief could be granted from the height and material items. Chairman McDaniel stated that a previous board of some sort granted a 6-foot fence and it would be unfair for the Historic District Commission to say that they could not have a 6-foot fence. He would suggest a 6-foot brown plastic (pvc) fence. Ms. Horsey commented that the white vinyl was out of character. Ms. Horsey and Mr. Czerwinski would like to see the records to see if a 4-foot or 6-foot fence was approved and if it should have been painted. 2

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION APRIL 20, 2017 Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that the Permit records that she can readily access go back to 1998. She did not do any research of Planning Commission actions regarding the property. There was discussion regarding adhering to the Design Standard and Guidelines for fences. There was also discussion regarding color of the fence. Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that the applicant’s preference was the white fence because of the significant amount of the white trim on the building. The Historic District Commission requested Mrs. Melson-Williams to gather additional information about previous approvals, but the only guidance that is being offered for his proposal at the current time is that the brown is the better option than the white vinyl. Mr. Scrafford stated that he would approve the 6-foot fence with the idea that it would only change in the event that you found different instructions in the research. Mr. Scrafford moved to approve a 6-foot brown wood grain (pvc) fence as proposed assuming that the original permits approved that design and it was done correctly and pending the research. The motion was seconded by Mr. Jackson and unanimously carried 5-0. OLD BUSINESS Certified Local Government (CLG) Program: Update on FFY2016 Grant Project: Evaluate and Update the Design Standards & Guidelines for the City of Dover Historic District Zone:  Submission of Progress Report 3 (January - March 2017)  Withdrawal of FFY2016 CLG Grant Proposal Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that the Grant was supposed to start in July. They just submitted Progress Report 3 which covered the months (January - March 2017) The report was submitted at the same time Staff had to make the decision about the viability of the current grant and the ability to complete it in a timely fashion. The ultimate conclusion was to withdraw and terminate the Grant. There was a meeting with the State Historic Preservation Office regarding the status of the Grant to determine a path forward. The Grant was to seek consulting services to work on an update to the Design Standard and Guidelines. The consulting services was not retained as Staff has had very limited time to work on the grant activities due to various staffing levels over the last six months. Options were looked at for doing something less, but because of the resignation of Mrs. Townshend it did not allow Staff to dedicate the time necessary to the Grant and still perform their other functions. The money that would have come to us from the State Historic Preservation Office they will be reallocating to other Certified Local Governments (CLG). Update on Application for CLG Grant Funding for FFY2017 Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that they are expecting that the grant award amount will be less. The application is due by the end of next week. Staff intends to develop a grant proposal very similar in nature that deals with the Historic District, but is taking it a step back to learn about why things are in the Historic District. 3

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION APRIL 20, 2017 There was discussion on the Certified Local Government grant and an addendum to the Design Standard and Guidelines. Chairman McDaniel questioned if the money was provided by the State or Feds. Mrs. Melson- Williams replied that it is a pass through from the Feds. The Historic Preservation Fund source of money at the Federal level has not been identified. There will be an HDF fund awarded. Mr. Czerwinski commented on the change or amendment of boundaries in the Historic District. Mrs. Melson Williams stated that the boundary of the Historic District is treated as a zoning district. In order to amend or change the boundaries of zoning, it is a specific review process. A normal Rezoning application involves the Planning Commission and City Council. The ordinance related to if it is a Historic District zoning amendment then it also involves this body in order to make changes to the district boundaries. Mrs. Melson-Williams suggested reviewing the City Zoning Ordinance Article 10 Section 3:3 Historic District Amendments. The Commission suggested looking at a way to develop some type of addendum to the Design Standard and Guidelines to focus on modern material issues and other gaps of elements. Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that Staff will be writing the grant proposal next week and will make sure the Historic District Commission receives a copy. A request was made for a match of $10,000. Mr. Scrafford moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mr. Czerwinski and unanimously carried 5-0. Meeting adjourned at 3:50 PM Sincerely, Maretta Savage-Purnell Secretary 4