June 15

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Submitted: 7/20/1999 Approved:

CITY OF ROCKVILLE

HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION

MINUTES

Tuesday, June 15, 1999

Meeting No. 6-99

The City of Rockville Historic District Commission

convened at 7: 09 p.m. at Rockville City Hall.

PRESENT

Craig Moloney, Chair

Donald Crawford Bruce Noble Dean Brenneman

Absent: Anita Neal Powell

Staff: Lisa Rother, Community Planning Specialist

Judy Christensen, Preservation Planner

I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

May 18, 1999 (Meeting No. 5-99)

No additions or corrections were offered to the minutes of May 18, 1999.

Commissioner Noble moved, seconded by Commissioner Brenneman, to approve the minutes of the Historic District Commission meeting of May 18, 1999 as submitted.

VOTE: 2-0-1 (Abstained: Brenneman)

II. APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

1. HDC99-0148 - Applicant: Hassan Akhlaghi

9819 Dockside Terrace, Montgomery Village

Construction of new house at 6 Thomas Street

Action: Approve or Deny

Staff stated that the public hearing on HDC99-0148 was continued from the May 18 meeting. Staff said that the 14,486 square foot vacant corner lot at West Montgomery Avenue and Thomas Street was at a prominent intersection at the entrance to the Historic District. The adjacent and confronting houses are contributing resources to the West Montgomery Avenue Historic District. Staff explained the development background of the area and presented a comparison of lot size and square footage of the houses within a block of the proposed structure. The proposed 2-story, 3,500 square foot, Victorian-style new house is among the largest houses in the immediate area, but house and lot size, date, and style of the existing houses along West Montgomery Avenue varies. The consistent feature along West Montgomery Avenue was the deep front setback, which exceeds the minimum required 30 feet. The applicant has complied with the existing 40-foot setback on Thomas and 53 foot setback on West Montgomery. The proposed house is about 19 feet from the property line with 8 Thomas Street.

Staff presented slides of the houses in the 300 and 400 blocks of West Montgomery Avenue and Wall Street. Photographs of the adjacent resources on Thomas Street were also submitted. The applicant had submitted a scaled streetscape of existing houses with the proposed new house inserted for comparison. All elevations were exhibited.

Staff recommended approval of the proposed new house, finding it compatible in design and siting, but suggesting that any way to reduce the mass, or the appearance of mass, should be explored by the Commission and applicant.

Chairman Moloney asked staff about notification to neighbors. Ms. Christensen said that over 200 postcard notices were sent, the property was posted, and staff reports and agendas were sent to all property owners within one block.

Mr. and Mrs. Akhlaghi's representative, Josh Haines, said that the materials would be vinyl siding and fishscale shingles, composition shingles on the main roofs and standing seam metal on the porches, brick porch floor and stairs, and wood trim. Chairman Moloney asked for public comment on the plan.

Sandy Deighton, 402 W. Montgomery Avenue, said she had two concerns, first that the house is too large and is double the width of adjacent houses. Second, she noted that basement garages do not exist in the historic district and are found in only two or three houses in the area and are not in character with the historic district. She noted that the ratio of the square footage of the house to the size of the lot exceeds other similar sized houses. She stated that the house is too large for the lot and the basement entrance to the garage is and not consistent with the historic district.

Gina Vitali, 503 West Montgomery Avenue, stated that she and her husband also felt the proposed house was too large for the site in comparison with existing houses.

Mr. Akhlaghi said the basement garage was specified to avoid paving the side yard as a driveway and a detached garage would be more visible from West Montgomery Avenue.

Commissioner Brenneman questioned the square footages reported by the tax assessor's office. He said they often do not reflect recent additions. He noted that the house at 8 Thomas has a rear addition that appears to be omitted from the square footage. He asked staff to check the information. He stated that his main concerns with the plan was not the size, which he felt was consistent with the variable and eclectic nature of the West Montgomery Avenue streetscape, but the rear elevation which would face the adjacent house at 8 Thomas. He stated that it could be improved as it now lacks window organization and detail, and will present a broad expanse of vinyl siding. He also stated that vinyl siding had not previously been accepted in the historic district and another material would be more suitable. He also stated that the bump-out over the garage entrance drew attention to the garage, and its elimination might help.

Bruce Noble said that he also was concerned about the size of the house in this prominent location. He noted that most of the large exiting houses are sited upon larger lots. He concurred with Mr. Brenneman's concerns on the architectural design.

Chairman Moloney concurred with the other Commissioners on the garage, size, and rear elevation. He said the house was well designed and an asset to the community and could be made to work with some redesign and changes. He suggested changes to the ceiling height and roofline on the east section would decrease the apparent mass without loss of square footage. As the materials list was not present, he suggested continuing the hearing to the next meeting.

Mr. Ahklaghi said he was unwilling to radically change the plan or reduce the size as was designed to fill his future family needs. He expressed his frustration in having in having new items brought up at the hearing that had not been discussed in previous courtesy reviews. Commissioner Brenneman stated that information presented and discussed at a public hearing may go beyond those identified at courtesy reviews, but it must be addressed. Mr. Ahklaghi said he was willing to look into removing the garage bump-out and screening the entrance drive, and to reworking the rear elevation. He said he would prefer to stipulate materials and finish the action at this meeting. He suggested brick on two or three facades in place of vinyl siding. Commissioner Brenneman said he would not vote for a mixture of façade materials. Chairman Moloney suggested concretious siding that duplicates wood and has fewer maintenance problems.

Chairman Moloney closed the record on public hearing on HDC99-0148.

Chairman Moloney took a straw vote, which indicated denial of the application for concerns on the rear elevation design, incompatible materials, and concerns that the mass was not appropriate in this site. Commissioner Brenneman said the size was not his chief concern, the materials and design were, and they can be modified. Chairman Moloney concurred. Commissioner Noble said he would be more comfortable if the size could be reduced or the mass de-emphasized to render it more compatible with the immediately adjacent houses. The Commission indicated that they would hold an additional meeting to accommodate the applicant if the changes could be made quickly.

After some discussion, the applicant agreed to extend the time limit for consideration of applications to the July 20 meeting but will try to get his revisions in sooner. Staff is to notify the public of the additional hearing when the date is set.

Commissioner Brenneman moved, seconded by Commissioner Noble, to continue public hearing HDC99-0148 for a new house at 6 Thomas Street to the July 20, 1999 meeting.

VOTE: 3-0

V. OLD BUSINESS

Lincoln Park Historical Society - July 11 History Day - Anita Neal Powell. Staff reported for Ms. Powell that the program was set for History Day and the proclamations and plaque are under preparation. The dedication of the Jerusalem plaque is scheduled for 1 PM on July 11, 1999.
Nature Center at Glenview - Staff said she had visited the proposed nature center site and viewed it from the Mansion, the gardens, and the walks and driveways. She believed the proposed nature center will not be visible or intrude on the view from Glenview Mansion. She said the architect was working with the committee to design the building but it was still in the idea stage.
Sidewalk policy- Staff said the letter from Peerless Rockville and the petition from residents of Wall Street which were presented to the HDC at the May 18 meeting were forwarded to the Mayor and Council. A cover memo stated that the HDC supported replacement of sidewalks with brick sidewalks like those on Montgomery Avenue in the historic districts. The HDC commented that the specifications for loose laid brick sidewalks on Forest Avenue and South Washington Street (laid upon a sand base with sand in between the bricks) needed review, as they were not holding up.

NEW BUSINESS

Signage Change at National Register Site - Staff said the First National Bank of Maryland at 4 Courthouse Square was changing names and wished to repaint and reletter the banner signs at the top and replace the plaques at the building corners which cover the incised former bank name. The building is not locally designated. The HDC expressed no concerns with the project but suggested that the installers reuse the existing fastener holes to prevent further damage to the limestone façade.
"A Proposal for Saving the Historic Roofs of Rockville" - Dean Brenneman. Staff said the survey of existing roof materials in the historic district had not been completed due to application workload. The discussion was deferred to July.
Worksession and HDC report to the Mayor and Council. Chairman Moloney said the Boards and Commissions were informed at the Boards and Commissions retreat that the Council worksessions were oversubscribed due to local development issues. The HDC decided to present their annual report and concerns during a Mayor and Council meeting in September.

COMMITTEE/ ORGANIZATION REPORTS

Glenview Mansion Committee report - Craig Moloney - Chairman Moloney said no meeting had been held since the last HDC meeting but construction was to begin this week on Glenview Cottage renovations.
Glenview Master Plan Report- Staff reported that no additional Master Plan meetings are scheduled until September.
Lincoln Park Historical Society - Anita Neal Powell - deferred
Peerless Rockville- Peerless reported a volunteer clean up day at Higgins Cemetery scheduled for July 10. Free 15 minute walking tours of the downtown historic districts as well as tours of Peerless Rockville's mini museum will be available on Montgomery County History Day, July 11, 1999 from 1- 5 PM.

COMMISSION/ STAFF UPDATES

Commissioner Brenneman said he had reluctantly resigned from the HDC effective this meeting for personal reasons but would return to finish HDC99-0148. The Commission and staff expressed great regret at his departure.

Chairman Moloney said he had received a letter from the Director of Planning and Community Development, Kathy Mitchell, concerning HDC process and procedures. He asked staff to invite Ms. Mitchell to attend the July meeting to discuss the letter with the HDC.

Staff reported that Governor Glendening had signed legislation permitting a mortgage reduction in place of a state income tax credit for improvements to historic properties, which would help those with insufficient income tax liability and non-profits to benefit from the state program.

Staff also reported that Christ Episcopal Church, through a misunderstanding, had installed storm windows without an application. She noted that storm windows and doors were first proposed as a staff approval item when guidelines were met, but too many variables made establishment of guidelines practical. The HDC requested that Christ Church be asked to apply retroactively so the building files will be up to date on improvements to the property.

ADJOURN

The City of Rockville Historic District Commission meeting of June 15, 1999 was adjourned at 9:42 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Judy Christensen

HDC Staff Liaison