HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-28-15 approved 08-25-15Design Review Subcommittee
of the Elgin Heritage Commission
July 28, 2015
Minutes
The meeting of the Design Review Subcommittee was called to order at 6:00 p.m. in the City
Council Chambers (Located on the 21d floor of City Hall) by Chairman Wiedmeyer.
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Rebecca Hunter, Bill Ristow, Dennis Roxworthy, Scott Savel (6:04), and John Wiedmeyer
MEMBERS ABSENT:
John Roberson
CITY STAFF PRESENT:
Christen Sundquist, Historic Preservation; and Cindy Walden, DRSC Secretary
RECOGNIZE OTHER PERSONS PRESENT:
None
PROPERTIES ON AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION:
Old Business
None
New Business
814 Brook St — Installation of handrails on concrete steps in front of the house.
926 Douglas Ave — Removal and replacement of two 10inch, round wood columns on front porch
418 Lowrie Ct — Construction of new garage
821 Brook St — Repair screen porch
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Motion made by Committee Member Roxworthy to approve the minutes of July 14, 2015, as
amended (pg. 10 - 2x2 boards).
The motion was seconded by Committee Member Ristow.
The motion passed unanimously.
ITEMS TABLED:
None
Design Review Subcommittee — July 28, 2015
Page 2 of 7
NEW BUSINESS:
814 Brook St — Installation of handrails on concrete steps in front of the house.
The application was originally scheduled for the June 23, 2015 meeting of the Subcommittee
which was canceled due to lack of a quorum.
The applicant has submitted an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness to install
handrails on concrete steps in front of the house.
Due to a previous injury at the front /centered concrete steps, the applicant is proposing to
install handrails on concrete steps for stability when walking down and up the steps.
The concrete steps found at the south of the property are not used as often as the central
concrete steps /walkway and are not proposed to have handrails.
Elgin Design Guideline Manual Specifications:
Porch Columns and Railing
A. Should be preserved and maintained. Where repair is required, use materials to match the
original in dimensions and detailing.
B. Should be rebuilt in historic designs if the original columns and railings have been removed
or replaced
C. Should have new balusters for the railing, if required. Porch balusters (also called spindles)
should be appropriate for the building's style and period. The height of the railing should be
in line with the window sill level, if present, and no greater than 30 inches in height.
Porch Staircases and Steps
A. Should be retained in their original location and configuration, if original to the property.
Wood and concrete steps should be repaired with materials to match the original.
B. Should be replaced with wood rather than brick or concrete, if the porch floor is made of
wood.
C. Should have their tread constructed in either 5/4x12 or 2x12 lumber. The ends of the treads
should be bull -nosed and overhang the riser by no less than 1 inch.
D. Should have newel posts and balusters, treads and risers, to match original porch
construction.
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness as submitted and with the
following conditions:
1. The handrail shall match the existing porch handrails.
2. That the newel posts are located on and attached to the bottom concrete stair tread.
3. That the newel posts shall be 6x6 capped with a post cap to match the existing newel posts.
4. All handrail details shall be primed and painted.
Paris Donehoo (owner) was present for tonight's COA discussion:
Owner requesting handrail for safety, especially in the icy conditions.
Newel post would look more appropriate and provide for additional handrail area too.
Design Review Subcommittee — July 28, 2015
Page 3 of 7
Recommend newel post be brought down one more step.
Motion made by Committee Member Ristow to approve as amended, with the newel post
being placed one step down (from proposed illustration).
The motion was seconded by Committee Member Roxworthy.
The motion passed unanimously.
926 Douglas Ave — Removal and replacement of two 10inch, round wood columns on front
porch
The application was originally scheduled for the June 23, 2015 meeting of the Subcommittee
which was canceled due to lack of a quorum.
The applicant has submitted an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness to remove two
(2) existing columns at front porch and replace with new columns to match existing.
Staff, Chairman Wiedmeyer and Commissioner Savel conducted a site inspection on June 12,
2015 of the existing columns. The columns closer to the home were inspected as they are in
worse condition than the columns in front. It was found that there was major deterioration at
the base, shaft and capital of the north column and major deterioration found at the base and
shaft of the south column.
The applicant indicated that it will be too expensive to replicate the columns exactly. The
applicant would like to replace the columns with 10 inch diameter, 10' -0" tall columns. The
applicant was made aware that the replacement columns shall not be tapered as the original
columns are straight with no entasis (the application of a convex curve to the surface of the column for
aesthetic purposes). It was suggested that the applicant could buy a straight column and use split
wood dowels and a cap to replicate the turned column capital details.
Elgin Design Guideline Manual Specifications:
Porch Columns and Railing
A. Should be preserved and maintained. Where repair is required, use materials to match the
original in dimensions and detailing.
B. Should be rebuilt in historic designs if the original columns and railings have been removed
or replaced
C. Should have new balusters for the railing, if required. Porch balusters (also called spindles)
should be appropriate for the building's style and period. The height of the railing should be
in line with the window sill level, if present, and no greater than 30 inches in height.
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness as submitted and with the
following conditions:
1. The column capitals shall be the same height as the existing column capitals.
2. The columns are not required to have entasis (tapered from base to capital) but can be
Design Review Subcommittee — July 28, 2015
Page 4 of 7
straight to match existing.
3. All new columns shall be primed and painted.
*srsr
Richard Burdick (owner) was present for tonight's COA discussion:
Owner indicated the columns are non- load bearing. Original COA request was to replace in
kind. However the homeowner found and would like to install are straight columns in a 10"
diameter. A flat square bottom base plate and a top flat square cap would be installed.
However no ring, no fluting and no capital.
Committee members indicated the columns are a major detail to this style home. Since the
columns are non -load bearing, the column could be assembled in several pieces to mimic the
existing columns in style including base, capital, rings and fluting.
Homeowner requested the committee to vote on the COA as proposed with straight columns
without detailing.
Motion made by Committee Member Roxworthy to approve the homeowner's amended COA
request (straight 10" round diameter columns without detailing, installed with a flat base plate
and flat top cap).
The motion was seconded by Committee Member Hunter.
Chairman Wiedmeyer requested an individual roll call for voting.
The motion failed unanimously (0 -5).
The homeowner was informed of the appeals process by staff member Christen Sundquist.
418 Lowrie Ct — Construction of new garage
The applicant has submitted an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness to construct a
new garage on the property. The property is relatively smaller than surrounding properties
(3,876 sq.ft. — approx. 76x51 feet) but contains sufficient land area to accommodate a garage.
The existing asphalt driveway will remain and be extended to the rear to provide access to the
new proposed garage.
The proposed 20x22 garage will be located towards the rear of the property and include the
following: wood frame construction, exterior cedar cladding, gabled roof with a 6:12 pitch,
paneled overhead door, and paneled service door. Additionally, staff has obtained information
on the details of the trim corner boards, casings and the garage door. These details are included
in the elevation drawing prepared by staff.
Elgin Design Guideline Manual Specifications:
Secondary Buildings: Garages, Sheds, Other Outbuildings
A. Should be smaller in scale than the dwelling; clearly secondary in nature.
B. Should be simple in design but reflecting the general character of the associated dwelling.
For example, use gable roof forms if the dwelling has a gable roof, hipped roof forms if the
dwelling has a hipped roof etc.
Design Review Subcommittee — July 28, 2015
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C. Should be built at traditional locations for outbuildings in the locally designated districts.
These include at rear lot lines, adjacent to alleys, and at the back side of a dwelling;
D. Should be compatible in design, shape, materials, and roof shape to the associated
dwelling;
E. Should be of an exterior material to match the associated dwelling such as clapboard,
stucco, or brick. However, if not readily visible from the street, secondary buildings may
have exterior substitute siding materials such as cement fiber board with appropriate trim
and exposure and cementitious materials.
F. Should be of traditional materials if readily visible. For garages, wood paneled doors are
more appropriate than paneled doors of vinyl, aluminum, or steel. Wood paneled overhead
roll -up doors are widely available and are appropriate for new garages. For two car garages
the use of two single doors instead of one larger double door is more appropriate for use in
a historic district. However, one double is unacceptable for garages of less than twenty -two
feet.
G. Should have windows in the garage doors are recommended, but windows may not be
appropriate in every case for garage doors.
H. Should have raised panel steel doors are acceptable and should be painted to match the
house and set off the relief of the panels.
I. Should be in designs that are more appropriate for use with traditionally designed
structures, if prefabricated sheds are proposed to be used.
J. Should not be constructed of rough sawn cedar with knots.
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the request to construct the new garage if the following
conditions are met:
1. That the proposed garage siding material will be clear cedar (no knots) and installed smooth
side out in a profile and exposure to match the house's existing wood siding. Fiber cement
board siding is also acceptable as the garage will be placed further back on the site and not
readily visible from the right -of -way.
2. That the siding and trim is to be painted a color to match or complement the existing house
colors.
3. That the garage roof matches the house in slope and form, but be no less than a 6:12 slope.
4. That the eaves shall not be boxed but shall be open to match eaves of existing house.
5. That the frieze board dimensions match existing house. The frieze board shall be a
minimum of 8" (not to exceed 10 ") to match house. The frieze board shall be painted.
6. That all other details meet the Design Review Subcommittee's recommendations.
Juan Estrada (owner) was present for tonight's COA discussion:
Owner indicated the overhead door would be without glass windows, constructed of steel or
aluminum with 8 rows of panels.
Committee members noted the following details which are to be included in the approval:
Head casing (board above the overhead door) to be 1x6 or 1x8 with 1x2 drip cap.
Siding profile to match the house (appx. 4 -4'/:" exposure).
Design Review Subcommittee — July 28, 2015
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Gutters are not required by the committee, however Building CODE may require them. Gutters
can be K -style or %2 round design.
Man door 6 panel proposed is okay for design. Needs 1x2 drip cap above.
Trim to be 1x4 flat.
Rafters are to be enclosed, but not boxed.
Motion made by Committee Member Savel to approve with staff comments and details noted
by committee above.
The motion was seconded by Committee Member Roxworthy.
The motion passed unanimously.
821 Brook St — Repair screen porch
The applicant has submitted an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness to rebuild the
screened porch area that is significant damaged due to rot. The screened room to the rear is
not being considered for rehabilitation at this time.
The subject porch is located on the south side of the main house. The structure is supported on
brick piers and screened with panels that are approximately 50% open (glazed /screened) with
metal clad doors. The replacement panels will be in a design with larger openings to give a
more traditional look to the screened porch. The application has provided a representative
picture to show the design being proposed.
Elgin Design Guideline Manual Specifications:
Porches
A. should be maintained in their original design with original materials and detailing.
B. should be repaired or replaced to match the original in design, materials, scale, and
placement.
C. should be screened only if the structural framework for the screen panels is minimal and the
open appearance of the porch is maintained. Screen panels should be placed behind the
original features such as columns or railings and should not hide decorative details or result
in the removal of original porch materials.
D. should have steps of the same material as the porch floor (e.g. porches with wood floors
should also have steps made of wood, not concrete or brick).
E. should have poured concrete steps if the porch, patio or terrace floor is made of concrete
(see section on Porch Steps).
F. should have wood tongue and groove flooring running perpendicular to the fa4ade, if the
porch floor is made of wood.
G. should have trellises made of wood, if trellises are appropriate.
H. should be filled in as traditional for the type and style of the house, or with decorative wood
framed skirting, vertical slats, or lattice panels, if open areas in the foundation exist.
I. should not be removed if original to the dwelling.
J. should not be enclosed with wood, glass, or other materials which would alter the porch's
open appearance.
Design Review Subcommittee — July 28, 2015
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Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness as submitted as it will bring
the property closer to its original character.
James Stendler (owner) was present for tonight's COA discussion:
Per the owner, the radiator system is setup for the space above as living space. The bow
window would be removed and new windows in a new design would be installed to match the
rest of the screened porch. The screens and windows of the new porch are will be removable.
Commissioners expressed concern of material (pine) proposed along the cement foundation.
Maintenance and up keep would quickly become an issue. For longevity of the construction,
other building materials were suggested to the homeowner.
Motion made by Committee Member Savel to approve as submitted.
The motion was seconded by Committee Member Ristow.
The motion passed unanimously.
ADDITIONAL STAFF COMMENTS:
444 Raymond St — Noted as a "tabled item" on tonight's agenda. Update on status; the existing
siding is being restored.
CORRESPONDENCE:
None
ADJOURNMENT:
Motion to adjourn was made by Committee Member Hunter.
The motion was seconded by Committee Member Ristow.
The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting of the Design Review Subcommittee was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
ly submitted,
Cindy A. VvWen Approved:
Design Review Subcommittee Secretary August 25, 2015