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HDC_02 20 1997LITTLE ROCK HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES 20 February 1997 Commissioners Present: John Bush John Greer Tommy Jameson Charles Marratt Julie Wiedower Staff Present: V.Anne Guthrie Anthony Black Tim Polk The roll for the Little Rock Historic District Commission (LRHDC) was called, and there was a quorum; the minutes from the January meeting were approved as submitted. There were two Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) applications on the agenda for a public hearing. The first was: Applicant: Wallace & Delbra Caradine Address: 1001 Cumberland Street Request: Construct a two-storied garage, perimeter fencing, concrete sidewalk and install landscaping. As Commissioners Jameson and Greer were involved with the applicant on outside projects, they recused themselves from the meeting during the discussion and decision of the application. Mr. Caradine introduced himself and the proposed project to the LRHDC and stated that this was phase two of the project. The two-storied garage is to be constructed on the northeast corner of the property, with garage entry from the alley. There will be a new curb cut on 10th Street to accommodate a driveway from the garage onto the street. The garage is approximately 32' x 24' and its exterior is of wooden board & batten construction with a hipped shingled roof to match the main house. The east elevation has two (one double & one single) electric-operated metal doors; there is a single garage door on the structure's west elevation. As the property is located on a corner, it is possible to enter the single garage door from the east and exit on the west to the driveway, which enters 10th Street. The north elevation has two windows on both levels; the south has two windows on both levels and a door on the first. A new concrete driveway will be constructed on the east and west sides. The iron fence with brick piers starts on the garage's north side, goes north to the property line (10th Street) and then west to the alignment of the front porch steps. The fence essentially recesses from the property's corner, goes south, southwest and west back to the property line along Cumberland. The fence height is ca. 6'-6" (brick piers) with iron pickets ca. 1" apart; the piers are approximately 8' apart. This pattern Little Rock Historic District Commission Minutes of 20 February 1997, Page 2 continues along the property's perimeter. Two iron gates on 10th Street are for the driveway; two sidewalks will be built from the front porch to Cumberland and 10th streets. New landscaping is proposed in the property's north, south and west yards. There was discussion regarding the fencing material and height and staying within the design guidelines for fencing in the historic district. There was no opposition to the application request. A motion was made by Commissioner Marratt that the COA be approved with the condition that final plans for fence detailing be submitted for approval. The vote was unanimous and in favor of the application. The next COA application was: Applicant: Marsha L. Taul Address: 1305 Cumberland Street Request: Install vinyl siding on the structure's three facades Ms. Taul described the project and passed around additional photographs of the structure. The two-storied apartment building has existing vinyl siding on the north elevation; a stop order was issued by code enforcement due to the fact that no building permit or COA was obtained for the work. Ms. Taul explained that the siding job was dependent upon available funding; she also constructed new stoops on the back (east) and made repairs to the front porch. The front (west) facade is to be painted. Commissioner Marratt stated that the applicant had done an excellent rehabilitation job at 1503 South Scott Street; however, the applicant had not followed city regulations in obtaining a building permit and a COA for the subject property. Questions were asked about the application of vinyl siding to the structure and the process that was followed; also there were questions about the structure's trim and whether any had been removed or replaced during the installation of the siding on the north elevation. There was discussion about the installation of artificial siding on three facades but not the front facade of a structure. It was mentioned that Poe Travel was the first formal request to install siding in such a fashion. Cheryl Nichols stated that the Poe request was intended to be the "test case" for the historic district; however, a policy was never developed. There are structures within the local historic district that have artificial siding on three facades but not on the front; while most were not approved by the LRHDC, they had been installed several years, or decades, ago. The house located to the subject property's south side had siding on three facades but not the front, and Ms. Taul stated that she followed that example for her property. Little Rock Historic District Commission Minutes of 20 February 1997, Page 3 Of those contacted about the application, there were two phone calls and one letter supporting the applicant's request; and there was one letter and one person present who spoke against the vinyl siding application. Patrick Zollner, a resident of the local historic district and a preservation professional, spoke against the application. He stated that artificial siding lessens a structure's architectural significance and integrity and hence effects the district's architectural integrity. Due to the recent court ruling regarding artificial siding on a historic structure (l..e, the Johnston's house, which is not located within a historic district) and upcoming COA requests, there was discussion regarding the need to establish an artificial siding policy for the local historic district. Staff had researched the LRHDC minutes regarding applications for artificial siding and presented the information. Commissioner Jameson made a motion that the application be deferred until the 3 April meeting. A vote was taken, and it was unanimous for the application to be deferred until the April meeting. It was noted that the next scheduled LRHDC meeting is 6 March. While there are no COA applications, a public meeting could be held to discuss the issue and develop a policy for artificial siding in the MacArthur Park historic district. In the meantime, staff will research ar tificial siding policies and distribute the information and documentation to members prior to the March meeting. There was one visitor, Steve Adams, who discussed a structure at 904 Rock Street. He stated that he had recently purchased the house, and it was his intentions to rehabilitate it into a private residence; he wanted to get a building permit so that work could begin immediately, but he wanted to confirm whether a COA was required. Plans were shown to the LRHDC and questions were asked. It was decided that most of the work at the onset was repair; a COA would be required for subsequent work, and application could be made at a later date. As there was no further business, the LRHDC adjourned at 6:30 p.m.