CITY OF ROCKVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION

STAFF REPORT

JUNE 15, 1998

MEETING NO: 6-99

APPLICATION: HDC99-0148

DATE FILED: May 5, 1999

MEETING DATE: Introduced at HDC meeting 5-99 (May 18, 1999) and continued to HDC meeting 6-99, June 15, 1999.

APPLICANT: Mr. and Mrs. Hassan Akhlaghi

9819 Dockside Terrace

Montgomery Village, Maryland 20879

DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY:

Address: Vacant lot in southeast quadrant of intersection of West Montgomery Avenue and Thomas Street. Proposed house will front onto West Montgomery Avenue.

Zone: R-90, Single family detached residential. The adjacent, abutting, and confronting structures at in the 400 block of West Montgomery Avenue, and at on Thomas Street are all contributing resources to the West Montgomery Avenue Historic District.

Present Use: Vacant Lot

Proposed Use: Residential

RELATED ACTIONS: Subdivision of lot 4, R.T. Veirs Subdivision, 1993.

REQUEST:

The applicants request a certificate of approval to construct a 2-1/2 story, Victorian style, single family house with a basement level two car garage on this property. The footprint of the proposed house is 58 feet by 34 feet with an irregular shape due to the bays and tower. The total square footage of the first and second stories is approximately 3,500 square feet.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends approval of HDC99-0148, new construction at 6 Thomas Street with the addition of conditions specified by the HDC that reduce or eliminate adverse impact to the adjacent historic resources and preserve the rhythm, mass, setbacks, and general character of the West Montgomery Avenue and Thomas Street streetscapes. Any recommendations of staff or the HDC are dependent on approval and compliance with Public Works and Chapter 25, City of Rockville Zoning and Planning, of the City Code.

Lot Configuration along West Montgomery Avenue, Thomas, and Wall Street

BACKGROUND:

Lot 4 is one of an original row of rectangular lots fronting West Montgomery Avenue in the Veirs Subdivision ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 square feet. Lot 4 was one of three remaining original Veirs lots on the south side of West Montgomery Avenue that had not been subdivided. Lot 1, now 310 West Montgomery Avenue is 41, 773 S.F. and remains undivided. Lot 2 was subdivided into 314 and 318. Lot 3 was subdivided into 400 and 402 West Montgomery. Lot 5 is undeveloped. It is part of the Chestnut Lodge/ CPC property on the southwest quadrant of the subject intersection.

The previous use was as the side lot and garden space for 8 Thomas Street, which was sited on Lot Number 4 of R.T. Veirs Addition. The entire lot totaled 29,160 S.F. Lot number 4 was resubdivided in 1993 into two lots, 21 and 22. Lot 21 at 14,674 S.F. retains the historic home at 8 Thomas.

West Montgomery, Thomas and Wall Streets showing building footprints and lot lines.

Lot 22, the subject parcel, is the southeast quadrant of the intersection of Thomas Street and West Montgomery Avenue. It contains 14,486 S.F. and has 140 feet of frontage on West Montgomery Avenue and 80.2 feet of frontage on Thomas Street. The use of the lot is constrained by a 30-foot front building setback on both Thomas and West Montgomery, and an established building line on these blocks of West Montgomery and Thomas Street that is deeper than the minimum 30 foot setback in the R-90 zone.

STAFF ANALYSIS

The application was evaluated based on the following numbered factors:

The focus of review by the HDC should address the impact of the proposed new construction on the existing historic resources and the context and environment of these existing resources and the overall character and context of the historic district.

Historic, archeological, or architectural value and significance of the site or structure

and its relationship to the historic, archeological, or architectural significance of the historic resources and surrounding context or environment.

The proposed single family home is in the West Montgomery Avenue Historic District, designated both as a Rockville and a National Register Historic district. As it is on a corner lot, it will be highly visible from West Montgomery Avenue and will serve as the entrance structure to the Historic District. West Montgomery Avenue's historic character is 2 to 2-1/2 story houses contracted from 1880 to 1940 with front porches and period detailing appropriate to the building, detached garages which are often entered from a rear alley. The houses are separated and set back from the street by a deep lawn area. Large mature street and front yard trees shade the houses.

Thomas Street is a narrower two-lane street that preserves the older rural/suburban feel. The houses are consistent in size and age.

The houses to the east on West Montgomery Avenue, at 400 and 402 West Montgomery Avenue are built on subdivided lot 3 of R.T. Veirs Subdivision. In this case, the lot was subdivided into two narrow but deep lots. The houses are spaced closely together. The frontage on West Montgomery Avenue is 70 feet, but they have 200 foot rear yards. The confronting houses on the north side of West Montgomery Avenue in the 400 block are largely built upon double lots. One infill house was constructed in 1995 at 417 W. Montgomery Avenue on a single lot.

ADDRESS	LOT SIZE	HOUSE SQ. FT.	DATE OF HOUSE**
307 W. Mont	21,181	2,508	1902
310 W. Mont.	41,773	4,251	1860
311 W. Mont.	21,327	2,292	1920
314 W. Mont.	14,374	2,256	1898
318 W. Mont.	14,631	2,646	1887
400 W. Mont.	14,181	2,412	1887 2-story frame
402 W. Mont.	14,374	2,047	1937 2-story brick
404-6 Thomas	14,486	3,500	1999
401 W. Mont	21,500	3,540	1890 2-1/2 story
405 W. Mont	15,891	4,052	1909
411 W. Mont	15,509	2,506	1924
415 W. Mont.	14,095	2,450	1897
417 W. Mont.	9,996	2,388	1997
419 W. Mont.	9,912	2,316	1877
8 Thomas St	14,674	2,806	1892
10 Thomas	14,700	1,564	1882
16 Thomas	14,000	2634	1878
18 Thomas	13,300	1,200	1939
11 Wall	11,200	1,856	1933
12 Wall	16,800	2460	1917
15 Wall	18,200	2,280	1892
16 Wall	1,236	1,488	1912
19 Wall	7,700	2,017	1900
25 Wall	7,560	2,217	1898

** Dates supplied by Tax Assessor are not researched.

2. The relationship of the exterior architectural features of the structure to the remainder of the entire structure and to the surrounding area.

Summary description and specifications of the proposed new house:

The proposed house has a complex massing with insets and projecting bays, a tower with a conical roof, a side "extension", steeply pitched (12/9 to 12/12) roofs that vary I height, a front porch with Doric style porch columns, a sidelighted front entryway, and a rear overhang with deck area below. The building has a daylight basement with casement sashes in the foundation of the tower front and at the side foundation. A basement two-car garage is accessed from Thomas Street.
Windows are 1/1 double hung sashes used singly, doubled or in strings of three and are flanked by shutters on the main body of the house. The surrounds have a cornice and sill. The house is clad with siding and features cornerboards, a prominent fascia board, and fishscale shingles within the gables and on the tower and bays.
The roof is architectural grade asphalt shingle on the main body of the house. The porch roof and garage and eave overhangs are clad with metal standing seam roofing. The exposed porch decking and stairs are brick. The chimney material is not specified.

The applicant has submitted drawings for all elevations.

The greatest potential adverse impact is that the larger mass and proportion of the proposed building may overwhelm and diminish the abutting historic resources and be inconsistent with the rhythm and spacing along West Montgomery. Most of the other houses in this area have a much smaller ratio of house footprint to lot size. A smaller house would alleviate some of these difficulties. One suggestion would be to reduce the east side extension or "addition" to one story, or lower the roofline substantially.

400 402 404? W. Montgomery

(scaled comparison drawings of the streetscape and houses)

The proposed Victorian-style structure is more in context and in proportion, mass and scale with the north side of West Montgomery Avenue, although even on this side, there is a variation in size. Most houses are between 2,400 S.F. and 3,000 S.F. in the 100 through 400 blocks. They are not uniform in size, scale and sideyard spacing. The houses immediately surrounding the proposed new dwelling are not among the largest dwellings in size and scale, but are substantial houses.

The spacing and rhythm of the house siting on West Montgomery Avenue also varies. The houses on divided lots at 314, 318, 400 and 402 have approximately 70-foot frontages. Because the lots are narrow and deep, the structures do not have large side yards. The proposed new house will have a 40 foot side yard between it and the house at 402 and 18 feet between it and the property line of 8 Thomas. Although this varies from the narrow and deep siting of the immediate neighbors, it is similar to the spacing of houses in blocks to the east. Staff finds that sufficient proportional sideyard space is allowed between the proposed house and its adjacent structures.

404 W. Montgomery - 6 Thomas 8 Thomas

3. The general compatibility of the exterior design arrangement texture, and materials proposed to be used.

New construction must use compatible, but not necessarily the same materials as original historic district construction. More latitude in design and materials is given to infill construction. Generally, it is preferable that the new construction not be a slavish replica of older buildings. It should distinguished as new work, although the design and detailing may be similar to older structures. Final selection of materials and windows and door design will be presented at the June 15 HDC meeting.

4. To any other factors, including aesthetic factors, which the Commission deems to be pertinent.

Staff recommends approval of HDC99-0148 with conditions imposed by the HDC to improve compatibility with the context of the West Montgomery Historic District in proposed design spacing and mass.

Approval is subject to the following conditions:

Attachments (not available online):

A. Two sheets of photographs of West Montgomery Avenue and Wall Street

B. Photograph of 400 W. Montgomery

C. Photograph of 402 West Montgomery

D. Photograph of 8 and 12 Thomas Street