HDC Minutes 6-18-20

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION June 18, 2020 The Virtual Meeting of the City of Dover Historic District Commission was held on Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 3:30 PM using the videoconferencing system WebEx due to Delaware’s Declaration of the State of Emergency for COVID-19 with Vice Chairperson Ms. Horsey presiding. Members present were Mr. Street, Mr. Czerwinski, Ms. Horsey and Ms. Mason. Mr. McDaniel was absent. Planning Office Staff members present were Mrs. Melson-Williams, Mrs. Bulkilvish, Mr. Swierczek, and Mrs. Savage-Purnell. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mr. Czerwinski moved for approval of the agenda as submitted, seconded by Ms. Mason and the motion was unanimously carried 4-0. Mr. McDaniel was absent. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MEETING OF FEBRUARY 20, 2020 Mr. Czerwinski moved for approval of the Meeting Minutes of February 20, 2020, seconded by Mr. Street and the motion was unanimously carried 4-0. Mr. McDaniel was absent. COMMUNICATIONS & REPORTS Summary of Applications for 2019 and 2020 Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that there were four (4) applications in 2019. A number of them were informational items. There are no additional details. The most recent application in 2019 was the Referral of Fence Permit #19-1218 at 2 Kings Highway NE that came before the Commission as a consultation. The Permit was issued but she has not seen any activity. The only Application we have for 2020 is a referral of a Demolition Permit at 229 South Governors Avenue. The Permit was referred to the Historic District Commission for consultation on the Architectural Review Certification and recommended approval for the demolition of the building. The Permit was issued; and the demolition work started last week. Summary of Architectural Review Certifications for 2020 Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that with the Summary of Applications there have been 16 applications for the year (January – May). Four of the Applications revolved around exterior renovations projects. There were two projects that were not subject to Architectural Review Certification. There were four Roof Permits and the remaining Permits were fences, signs and demolitions including the one on 229 South Governors Avenue. Of the sixteen (16) Permits, fifteen (15) were approved by Staff. The Demolition Permit involved the Historic District Commission. A number of the Permits have involved properties on The Green that we have processed in this time period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Permits were reviewed through a Staff approval process. They had very detailed permit submission with them. The first ones deal with property owned by the Delaware State Housing Authority which is 22 The Green and 16 The Green. They are actively working on exterior renovations. One due to a fire escape rebuild and the other includes window repair, restore and repair of stucco and masonry, shutter repair and repaint, and other work related to trim and woodwork. At 16 The Green, there is an existing ramp on the rear

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION JUNE 18, 2020 of the building that is not visible from The Green that will be replaced as part of this project as well. For the property at 2-4 The Green, a Roof Permit was authorized; however, work has not started. The property at 45 The Green (The Sykes Building) involves a roof replacement of a flat roof area and slight repair to the slate roof area. Ms. Horsey commented that is great that the projects are happening and that they are taking the opportunity to do it well. There is less parking and traffic on The Green. It is great that they are doing all three (3) buildings. She spoke with the owner of the property located at 2-4 The Green and she was concerned about the roof and is hoping to get that project going. Ms. Horsey stated that she was happy. Ms. Mason agreed. Mrs. Melson-Williams mentioned that Anne Harnett is the owner of the property at 2-4 The Green and Staff has had contact with the owner to obtain a permit. Department of Planning & Inspections Update Mrs. Melson-Williams mentioned that the Historic District Commission was creating history with their first virtual meeting. The Planning Office has conducted a number of our Board and Commission meetings by virtual platform. The Board of Adjustment also conducted a hybrid meeting. She is not sure how long this format or process will continue. Planning and Department Staff are back working in the office. There are some provisions where we’d rather do virtual meetings. We are accepting applications by permit appointment only. The public can enter the City Hall building on a limited basis. The Planning Office has continued to operate during this timeframe. Planning Staff worked from home for roughly 10 weeks. We continue to provide information and keep projects moving to our constituents. Mrs. Melson-Williams mentioned that City Council is intending to deal with the adoption of the FY’21 budget at their next meeting. NEW BUSINESS Certified Local Government (CLG) Program Update on FFY2019 CLG Grant: Update to Design Standards and Guidelines for the City of Dover Historic District Zone Mrs. Melson-Williams mentioned that we currently have a grant for CLG FFY19. The grant was to focus on the Design Standards and Guidelines for the City of Dover Historic District Zone on new materials and technologies. The project was put on hold during this time of pandemic because of the need to retain consultant services was going to become more difficult. We will be abandoning this project for this grant year and hope to restart it in the next fiscal year. Mr. Street asked if the City had to reapply for the grant or could the grant be extended to the next fiscal year or do the process all over again? Mrs. Melson-Williams replied that it will likely be to do the process all over again. The federal grant year is a little different timing wise than the fiscal year which adds to the confusion. In the past, extensions have been granted through September. There is no way to achieve the whole project in that kind of timeframe. Most of the information can be reused. 2

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION JUNE 18, 2020 Implementation of 2019 Comprehensive Plan See Project website: https://www.cityofdover.com/2019-comprehensive-plan Achievement of Plan Certification Implementation Plan Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that the Comprehensive Plan went through the process of Public Hearing with the Planning Commission in December and they acted favorably in regard to the Plan. The information was then presented to City Council on January 13, 2020. City Council acted favorably to adopt the Comprehensive Plan. Staff prepared the Plan for certification and it was submitted to the Office of State Planning. In the first week of March, Staff received notification that the Governor had certified the 2019 Comprehensive Plan. We will be working to incorporate that approval into our final publication version. The Comprehensive Plan will be posted to the City’s website. There is a project website for the Comprehensive Plan. The publication version has a couple of fill in the blank with dates that need to happen in the document itself. Next, we move into the next step of the process. Chapter 15 is the Implementation Plan for the Comprehensive Plan; it starts with immediate action to adopt the Plan which has been achieved. The next step is the Comprehensive Rezoning/Zoning Map Revisions project. Staff has started some initial thoughts of planning for that project. We have to compare the City’s Zoning Map with the Land Development Plan Map that is in the Plan. It typically does not involve changes to the boundaries of the Historic District zone. It could involve changes to the base zoning of properties. It has to be completed within 18 months of adopting the Plan. We will be identifying where any necessary changes need to be made and going through the formal review and hearing process for making those changes. The ongoing activities in the Comprehensive Plan were listed in general in the Implementation Plan that includes the Historic Preservation and other topic areas. The Comprehensive Plan also includes the Short-Term Implementation (2019-2021) tasks that are divided up into Project Studies and Code Revisions and other activities that include the studies of the Historic Preservation. In the out years, we will be looking at potential boundary expansions to the Historic District and continue to evaluate our processes and the education component. Ms. Mason mentioned that there are so many things to cover as she mentioned education. She asked where you go or who do you speak with to have these studies done or to inquire about your ideas for the community. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied that there could be efforts through grant funding or if there is a specific study or project it may become a work item of City staff in some cases. Any research regarding historic properties is not a simple process and would have to be a dedicated responsibility or work plan item for Staff. She stated that she currently serves as the staff member and is versed in doing that research, but it has to rise up in a priority situation because of the other responsibilities that she has in the office. There are certainly opportunities for private research or education options that we can partner with others to participate in or promote. She mentioned that Preservation Delaware, as the statewide non-profit focused on preservation activities, is seeing somewhat of a resurgent in their activities statewide with their Executive Director and Board. She mentioned that she participated in a webinar last week regarding Historic Landscapes and Species. She will pass along any educational information. If the Historic District Commission members have any ideas on how to educate others, we can work to see what our options are to make it happen. 3

CITY OF DOVER HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION JUNE 18, 2020 Ms. Mason asked if the Commission had ever partnered with Wesley College or Del Tech. Mrs. Melson-Williams replied that we have not partnered directly with them. Years ago, the History Department at Wesley College did some research (student lead). If it was related to something in Dover, there may have been a call to the Planning Office, but not a direct link to the Historic District Commission. There are certainly opportunities there. Mr. Street moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Ms. Horsey and unanimously carried 4-0. Meeting adjourned at 4:04 PM Sincerely, Maretta Savage-Purnell Secretary 4