Historic District Minutes 2-21-19

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION February 21, 2019 The Regular Meeting of the City of Dover Historic District Commission was held on Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 3:00 PM with Chairman McDaniel presiding. Members present were Mr. Czerwinski, Mr. Street, Chairman McDaniel, Ms. Mason and Ms. Horsey arrived at 3:05 p.m. Planning Office Staff members present were Mrs. Melson-Williams and Mrs. Savage-Purnell. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mr. Czerwinski moved for approval of the agenda, seconded by Ms. Mason and the motion was unanimously carried 4-0. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MEETING OF NOVEMBER 15, 2018 Mr. Street moved for approval of the meeting minutes of November 15, 2018, seconded by Mr. Czerwinski and the motion was unanimously carried 4-0. Mrs. Horsey arrived at 3:05pm COMMUNICATIONS & REPORTS Summary of Applications for 2017 and 2018 Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that the architect is working on the Governor’s Café Kitchen Addition, it is moving forward. The Permit was issued the first week of January 2019. For 2018, there were three (3) applications that were assigned application numbers. Summary of Architectural Review Certifications for 2018 Mrs. Melson-Williams stated with the Architectural Review Certifications there were 47 Permits throughout the Historic District. There were nine (9) building interior, ten (10) building exterior, eight (8) Roof Permits, nine (9) signs/temporary signs, four (4) fence permits, two (2) Administrative, two (2) siding, and two (2) windows and one also (1) permit to remove the accessory structure on the Murphey School site which was a Demolition Permit. Mr. Czerwinski mentioned that the Commission had not addressed the issues addressed of multiple projects being done under one approval. For example, 25 West Loockerman Street (Dover News Stand) where they replaced the siding, windows, and changed the look of the façade. There were two (2) projects that he thought exceeded the baseline for Staff approval. As he previously mentioned, the one above and the other was the Golden Fleece where they replaced the window. He mentioned in his opinion if there were two or more changes to a structure then the Commission should be notified. If there is a single line item that does not require the Commission review than that is fine. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied that one of the things that was requested is what does the Code state. The Code information was provided. The Code does not technically state anything about stacking of things on Permit and that it has to be brought before the Commission. Staff does bring items to the Commission when there is a question whether it complies with the Architectural

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 21, 2019 Review Certifications. Mr. Czerwinski continued to address his concern. Chairman McDaniel mentioned that he read a regulation that seemed that Staff could do whatever they want when Staff is reviewing which is probably most of the time Mrs. Melson-Williams. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied most of the time, yes. Chairman McDaniel stated that if there was any doubt in the mind of Staff for them to bring the item to the Commission. There was a brief discussion regarding the Review of Permits to the Commission. Summary of Architectural Review Certifications for 2019 Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that there was one application in the month of January. Permit #18- 2072 was issued for the Governors Café. Architectural Review Certifications Process Copies of Zoning Ordinance, Article 3 § 21 and Article 10 § 3 was provided to the Historic District Commission members. Mrs. Melson-Williams gave a brief summary of the Article 3 § 21 where the District is established and Article 10 § 3 regarding how the process works for the different types of applications. Section 3 specifically deals with the Historic District Commission, its establishment and the Architectural Review Certification process. The section also talks about how you amend the Historic District; that means how do you change boundaries. Chairman McDaniel asked if boundaries had every been changed. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied not during the time she has worked for the City. The last expansion of the Historic District happened in 1996 when they took in the Loockerman Street corridor. Initially, the District focused on The Green and the State Street corridor. Mrs. Melson-Williams also mentioned the Zoning Ordinance definitions of Article 12 that pertain to the Historic District Commission. Chairman McDaniel asked if the Historic District Commission wanted to amend something would they need to recommend it to City Council. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied that the amendment process for how to amend is in Article 10 § 5. It is a zoning text amendment process. It would have to go through a review and hearing process. It would also involve Planning Commission and City Council. Department of Planning & Inspections Update Mrs. Melson-Williams mentioned that there was a handout to all members regarding a Dover History Talk Series sponsored by the Friends of Old Dover “Memories of How Dover Desegregated” to be held at the Dover Public Library on Saturday, February 23, 2019. The presentation will be given by Dr. Reba Hollingsworth. 2

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 21, 2019 NEW BUSINESS HI-19-01 Information on Downtown Dover Mural Project – Presentation on Downtown Mural Project from the Design Committee of the Downtown Dover Partnership. And including consultation regarding preparation of the South Bradford Street elevation (east wall) of 109-113 W. Loockerman Street owned by Harrington Center City, LLC. Representative - Ms. Kristin Pleasanton, Chair of Design Committee, Downtown Dover Partnership (Deputy Director Division of the Arts) Ms. Pleasanton gave an overview of the Downtown Dover Mural Project. She mentioned that they received a $10,000 grant from the Neighborhood Building Block Fund to create some downtown murals. Downtown Dover Partnership is matching the $10,000 giving us a total budget of $20,000 to create the murals. The first mural is on its way. It is in the back of Mitten and Winters Accounting which is a brick wall that has already been painted. They are having the mural created as we speak. The mural will be painted on parachute cloth and then applied to the surface of the building wall. The mural is also reversible. Chairman McDaniel asked if the mural was glued to the building. Ms. Pleasanton replied yes. Chairman McDaniel asked if the mural was located along the alley on Minor Street. Ms. Pleasanton replied yes. Ms. Pleasanton mentioned that the Downtown Dover Partnership is working with Wesley College Associate Professor of Art, Joshua Nobiling and two artists from the community. This is a community mural. For our second mural location, she was approached by Mr. Mike Harrington Sr. He would like to see something on his wall. He would like a historic view of Loockerman Street circa 1920’s/1930’s. Images were included in the packet. Mr. Harrington first request is to paint the building because he does not like the appearance of the bricks at the current time. He would like to have this done before the mural goes up. Ms. Mason asked what color Mr. Harrington suggested. Ms. Pleasanton replied a light beige (neutral color). Ms. Pleasanton mentioned that the deadline to complete this task is July 1, 2019 because it is a grant. Ms. Pleasanton mentioned that they have an alternate location Downtown that is not bare brick that they might move to, but they thought they would start first with the presenting it to the Historic District Commission. 3

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 21, 2019 Chairman McDaniel asked would it just be the two murals. Ms. Pleasanton replied yes, the grant is for two murals. Mr. Street asked what the life span of the material was. Ms. Pleasanton replied years. It is weatherproof and very durable and long lasting. Chairman McDaniel asked if it works better to do it her way of just hanging on the building (or painting on the building). Ms. Pleasanton replied that both ways are good. The good thing about this method is it can be painted indoors. Chairman McDaniel asked what the reason was for the mural presentation before the Historic District Commission. Mrs. Melson-Williams mentioned that the reason the mural presentation was before the Historic District Commission is because of the request to paint the wall. The images that were submitted are part of their packet; it shows the east wall which is the rear portion of the building. Planning Staff added the diagram so you can kind of see where it is. The parking lot shown serves the CenDel Building. Chairman McDaniel mentioned that you can kind of see where it is. He thought that the map was confusing. Mrs. Melson-Williams mentioned that the Mitten and Winters is in the middle of the same block with the white and gray roof. Chairman McDaniel stated that it is a wonderful idea and whatever the Historic District Commission needs to do they will do. He asked why they did not ask them about the Mitten and Winters building. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied that the Mitten and Winters building façade is brick and the brick has been painted for a number of years. The mural is birds and does not state the business name and does not equate to a sign. It is a public art installation. The reason why this one is before you is because of the change they want to do to the wall surface prior to the mural. There is not a “yes or no” decision to whichever design of the mural at this point; it is more about the treatment they want to do to the masonry wall. The masonry wall is a combination. The elevation has a darker pattern at the edges of the building and vertical stripes in the middle. Those areas are the regular standard size brick. The lighter terracotta color is masonry and they look more like concrete block size but are much larger and have a smoother surface. It follows all the way around the three sides of the rear of the building. It is on the east face and same pattern is adjacent to the alley and the west side of the rear addition. It is the original surface of the block and brick and has not been painted. Staff looked at it today to confirm. It does have some condition issues where there is spauling of the brick or block surface coming off. At the corner of the building, there has been some more recent work. The request to paint it is where the question of does it meet the Design Standards and Guidelines. The Design Standards and Guidelines does mention not to use masonry sealer as it traps moisture inside the masonry walls and prevents them from breathing. 4

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 21, 2019 She knows that there is advancement in paint technology that there is probably a product that allows the masonry to continue to breathe but once you paint you are changing how the building was meant to function and it could potentially cause other problems. Mr. Street asked if you are varnishing over mural. Also, when it comes to the point of sealing the brick, is there any preparation of brick from spauling because the last thing you want to do is trap moisture behind the brick? Has this been thought about? Ms. Pleasanton replied that there is a primer on the surface just for the mural and that is something that he would apply and prepare the surface. Ms. Horsey commented that she loves the idea of getting a mural Downtown. She would love to see the bricks stay unpainted because this is a historic treatment. There is a reason why the bricks are there instead of them being a gloss. In her personal opinion, she loves it just the way it is. By painting it more of a putty color you are radically changing the appearance of the surface and the issue of moisture. She asked about the flower design as she was not sure what it was. Ms. Pleasanton replied that it was peaches. Ms. Horsey stated that Dover flower is dogwood and perhaps one of the photos could be a dogwood. Ms. Pleasanton replied she would take that into consideration and peaches is the state flower. She stated that both photos would definitely not be peaches. Chairman McDaniel asked if the contractor will paint (prepare) the wall first. Ms. Pleasanton replied that Mr. Michael Harrington Sr. would like to take control of that. Mr. Street and Ms. Mason commented that they agreed with Ms. Horsey that they should not paint the whole building. Ms. Mason mentioned the concern of expansion joints. Mrs. Melson-Williams mentioned again that the presentation was before the Historic District Commission because they plan to paint the building. Typically painting does not require a permit. Typically, you are painting surfaces that are already painted. With this case because of the request to paint, it there is a change in the surface and exterior finish which is where we would require a permit. If the permit comes in, then it would come before the Historic District Commission based on the Design Standards and Guidelines. Chairman McDaniel asked what the Design Committee wants to do. Do they want to paint the whole wall? Ms. Pleasanton replied that they needed to respect the wishes of the owner of the building. His request was to paint the building. The mural could still happen without painting the building. We might change the design so that it is more contrast between the brick and the mural. As it is, the design is not as great on a terracotta brick background. This is just to see what the possibilities were. They have an alternate site as well to think about that is already painted. 5

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 21, 2019 Chairman McDaniel asked Ms. Pleasanton if she could tell the Commission where the alternate site was? Ms. Pleasanton replied that it was not yet confirmed, but a different design could possibly be created that would be suitable. Mr. Street mentioned he did not have a problem with the design. He just did not think that they should paint the building as a whole. Chairman McDaniel mentioned that he thinks they should paint the whole building. He thinks it should look a lot better. Mr. Czerwinski mentioned he prefer to leave the brick exposed because brick does not like paint. He thinks that there will be an issue in the future with maintenance. He was not worried about the image itself just the paint around it will come off. When it starts to come off, it will look like a real eyesore. Ms. Melson-Williams mentioned that the rear section of the building is constructed somewhere between 1929-1950 according to the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. The parking lot once held other buildings. The same construction method is the entire rear addition because the other two (2) faces have the same thing. Mr. Czerwinski moved to suggest that the wall be left unpainted. They are all in agreement that the mural is fitting for the wall and surface, but due to concerns of moisture and maintenance appearance they would recommend that the wall be left bare instead of being painted. The motion was seconded by Mr. Street. The motion was approved 3-1. Chairman McDaniel opposed. Ms. Horsey had to leave prior to the vote but expressed her comments that the wall should also remain unpainted. Ms. Pleasanton also provided dates and times if anyone wanted to help paint the other mural. Review of Permits Referred to Commission. Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that there was no review of Permits formally referred to Commission. However, there is a Permit that they continue to work with the project architect and property new owners regarding 145 S. New Street, the previous location of Delaware Electric Signal. The new owners are working through a process to convert the building to a series of four (4) apartments making use of some of the Downtown Dover Development District Incentives. Upon looking at the permit, Planning Staff suggested that it was not something they could approve. They informed the owner if they would like to move forward then the Permit would need to go before the Commission. They reached out to the project architect and new owners and had a discussion on ways to make their building more compliant. There are some issues related to what current windows have to be closed off because of Fire Code provisions. We are very hopeful that we are going to move towards a much better project and better-looking project that will allow Staff to approve the Permit. In this case, the biggest thing deals with windows because of the proximity to the property line that have to be closed off because of the use. There is also a reconstruction of a second-floor access that is on the rear of the building that is not visible from the street. The front of the building has what used to be a garage door area and we have been working with them about 6

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 21, 2019 what that looks like in the new version. What was a garage door will need to have a door placed into it to access mechanical space for the building? Mr. Street asked what was painted on the back. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied that the front of the building does have some remnants of paint of the sign company name. She was not sure what was on the back of the building. Chairman McDaniel asked if the architect was local. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied yes. Certified Local Government (CLG) Program Update on FFY2018 CLG Grant Application Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that the grant application is related to preparation of the Historic Preservation Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan. Chairman McDaniel asked if this was the one due by February 9, 2019. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied yes, but we are in the process of confirming the extension. It is scheduled to be reviewed in the second week of March. Project for Dover’s 2019 Comprehensive Plan a) Update on Project Activities Update on Project Activities Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that before you are the updated Goals and Recommendations. The Preliminary Draft Goals were issued back in October 2018. In the meantime, Staff have been looking very carefully at all the chapters, goals and recommendations. What you have today is almost the latest version. There have not been a lot of changes. We have talked about this before, but just wanted to give the Commission the updated version. In the Comprehensive Plan meeting today, we will be issuing a second preliminary draft in early March for all the Goals and Recommendations for the chapter. Staff is actively writing chapters. There is not a lot of new stuff for the Historic Preservation Chapter which was previously discussed. Once we release the Goals and Recommendations, ultimately, the next thing will be releasing a draft of the Comprehensive Plan. We are probably looking at least April or May for the whole thing to be released. She pointed the Commission to the Comprehensive Plan website. The new series of Preliminary Draft #2 of the Goals and Recommendations will be posted in early March. She suggested that the Commission read through the updated Goals and Recommendations and if you have any questions or concerns to contact her. Mr. Czerwinski moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mr. Street and unanimously carried 4-0. Meeting adjourned at 4:22 PM 7

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FEBRUARY 21, 2019 Sincerely, Maretta Savage-Purnell Secretary 8