Minutes

July 12, 2007

North End - Huntington Heights Architectural Review Board

The meeting was called to order at 6:05

Members present:

Carolyn Hughes, Mary Kayaselcuk, Phil Shook, Deirdre Wells, Fred Whittaker

Members Absent:  Stephen Hudak notified Chairman Shook that he would be out of town on the meeting day. One position is vacant.

 
Staff present:

David Watson

 
Review of the the Minutes of the June, 2007.

 
Mrs. Wells made a motion to accept the minutes with modifications

Second: Ms. Kayaselcuk

Motion passed 5:0

COA-07-194

5400 Huntington Avenue.  Mary Kayaselcuk.

Ms. Kayaselcuk recused herself from the Board and presented the application.  Chairman Shook stated that he was an adjacent neighbor asked Ms. Kayaselcuk if she would like him to recuse himself as well.  It was determined that this was not necessary, but Mr. Shook stated that while he would participate in the discussion of the request, he would abstain from voting.

The Board discussed each point in the application and compared the request to the Guidelines.  The points were as follows:

1)     Paving of a 90x20 driveway with red Virginia pavers to closely match the original Baltimore pressed brick used in the construction of the house.  Board discussion noted that the gateway is narrower than 20 feet and suggested that the driveway flair out to 20 feet on the inside of the gate.

 2)    Paving of a 50’x20’ side yard with old brick from the Colonial Williamsburg brickyard to closely match original 1900 era sidewalks.  Mr. Whittaker and Mrs. Wells asked for clarification regarding rainwater runoff.  Ms. Kayaselcuk stated that the bricked area would drain toward the street and into the stormwater system.

3)    Construction of a 100 foot long brick boundary wall between 5400 and 5408 Huntington Avenue.  The wall would be half-round top and five-six feet in height.  The Board noted that once past the frontline of the house, the wall would only be allowed to be 42” in height.  Behind the front line of the house the wall could be up to six feet in height.  The choice of a slope or drop transition is at the discretion of the applicant.

4)    Construction of a lower brick step on the 54^th Street side porch to replace a missing step.  The wooden steps would be eventually reconstructed at the correct rise.  The Board concurred with staff that the wooden step replacement would be routine maintenance, but that the new brick step was a change of material and should be included in the vote.

5)    Construction of an approximately 36” high x 48” x 114” L-shaped brick wall around the basement entrance to meet code and insurance safety requirements.  The Board determined no further discussion of this point was necessary.

6)    Construction of an approximate 1 foot u-shaped brick surround on the basement windows on the east side of the house to prevent water intrusion.  Chairman Shook recommended asking for similar approval to the other basement windows in case water intrusion becomes a problem when the sideyard brick paving is installed.  The applicant concurred.

 Mrs. Wells made a motion to accept the application amended to include modification of the driveway to flare out to 20 feet in width on the inside of the gate, and to allow the construction of brick surrounds on remaining basement windows if desired.

 Second: Whittaker

 
Motion passed 3:0 with Mary Kayaselcuk and Phil Shook abstaining.

The Board discussed the upcoming appeal by Mr. Byars regarding a decision by the Board deny the enclosing of the rafter tails and installation of a soffit.  The Board requested notification of the hearing date.

Mrs. Wells asked if ARB approval was needed for the relocation of an existing fence.  No permit is need for the relocation of a fence.

Guidelines update.

The Board wishes the feasibility of a prohibition on parking in non-driveway areas of the side yard in the same manner that it is prohibited in the front yards.

The Board will also discuss requiring fixed exterior muntins on replacement windows.