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Historic District Commission
Minutes
Meeting No. 02-2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Rockville City Hall
| PRESENT | |
| Max van Balgooy (Chair) | |
| Craig Moloney | Janet Hunt McCool |
| Anita Neal Powell | |
Staff present: Robin Ziek, Preservation Planner; Jim Wasilak, Chief of Planning
I. The Agenda Review began at 7:00 pm. The HDC and staff reviewed the upcoming agenda; no decisions were made.
The formal meeting began at 7:30 p.m.
II. Committee / Organization Reports
A. Peerless Rockville – Peerless Rockville sent over a brief update that was read by staff. Peerless is sponsoring “The Extreme Green Tour” on Saturday, May 9. The Tour will include the LEED Platinum-rated new building at 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard. For more information, contact Peerless Rockville at 301-762-0096 or www.peerlessrockville.org.
B. Lincoln Park Historical Foundation – Commissioner Powell said there was no update. For more information on the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation or the Leroy E. Neal African American Research Center, see Lincolnparkhist@aol.com or call 301-251-2747.
C. Public Comments/Open Forum: Judy Christensen, Executive Director of Montgomery Preservation Inc. announced that Preservation Maryland plans to hold the 2010 Annual Maryland State Preservation Conference in Rockville.
D. Comments – Jim Wasilak noted that the new Zoning Ordinance (ZO) went into effect on
March 16th. Now, the Historic District Commission will review all demolition applications. Staff will review all the ZO changes with the HDC at an upcoming meeting.
Commissioner Moloney noted that the State is still debating the State Preservation Tax Credit. Wide-spread benefits include jobs for craftsmen and others in the industry, tourism-related income, sustainability contributions; see http://www.preservemd.org for more information.
Staff Ziek noted that the City is currently accepting applications for the County 10% tax credit, for work completed in 2008. Applications are due April 1st.
Chair van Balgooy noted that County Councilman Knapp has offered an amendment to the County program that makes critical changes to the program that won’t promote preservation. The public hearing is March 31st; the amendments have not been widely discussed and are not readily available on the county’s web site. People may wish to send letters, or testify.
III. Consent Agenda: Certificates of Approval, Minutes
Chair van Balgooy noted he was absent from the last meeting, and asked for two separate motions.
1) Approval of HDC minutes 1-09, February 19, 2008:
MOTION: Commissioner Moloney moved for approval of the minutes as written; Commissioner McCool seconded.
VOTE: 3 - 0 – 1 (Chair van Balgooy abstained)
2) Approval of Tax Credit application HDC2009-00454 for Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Greene, at 11 Laird Street for Roof repairs, and tree trimming overhanging house.
MOTION: Commissioner Moloney moved for approval; Commissioner McCool seconded.
VOTE: 4 - 0
IV. Courtesy Review
A. Victory Court Senior Housing HDC2009-000452B
Applicant: Victory Housing Inc.
Address: 107, 105, 103, 101 Fleet Street and 150 Maryland Avenue
Request: Adjacent construction, redesign of historic district parking lot, meeting forestry requirements
Staff made a brief presentation on Victory Housing Inc.’s second Courtesy Review with the HDC. They want to address HDC concerns mentioned in the December 18, 2008 meeting. New materials include 1) the County’s recent decision to sell/rent the historic homes for residential use. This will require only 2 spaces for parking, and the site plan indicates private driveways for each house. 2) The existing parking lot will have landscaping as per the new Zoning Ordinance and Landscape Manual; and 3) the property between 105 and 107 Fleet Street will not be used for afforestation requirements for the Senior Housing project. Staff suggested some reduction to the height of the new building at its main entrance.
The HDC responded favorably to the redesign of the building as seen from Maryland Avenue across the open parking lot, and suggested including access to Maryland Avenue in this vicinity for the seniors at Victory Housing who might walk up to Town Center. Chair van Balgooy asked about the proposed fencing, and was assured that the fence would not block such a connection; it will only run along the back of the homes facing Fleet Street and protect against the 7’ grade change for the new driveway.
The HDC had concerns that the County might not be able to find buyers for a residential use; and that therefore, the proposed parking might be inadequate. Victory Housing noted they do not do Group Homes, and would not be involved with these properties.
Noreen S. Bryan, of 207 S. Washington Street spoke in favor of review of this project in terms of the whole neighborhood and the adjacent townhomes. This would include absolute heights, size of proposed lots for the historic buildings, and use of them as residential.
HDC noted that the front entry part of the building may be as much as 8’ higher than the Fleet Street Houses. This may or may not be a problem with the building set back from the corner, but could still be considered as the project moves ahead.
The HDC noted that, when a subdivision application is made, the lots should be platted to reflect the permitted setbacks of the zone for the existing homes in the historic district.
The HDC noted that leaving the open lot between 105 and 107 Fleet Street available for potentially additional parking could leave some options open for these properties in terms of parking requirements for non-residential uses. Alissa Wilson, Montgomery County Housing and Community Affairs, said that the County believes there is a residential demand for these properties; revenue will not be their primary concern.
Judy Christensen, Historic Preservation Consultant for Victory Housing, noted that these homes have been used for offices as early as 1986. She noted that the environmental setting is tight, whether these properties are used for residential, office or commercial use.
The HDC also wondered if the project might not be too big for the site. If the number of units were reduced, the parking requirement would also be reduced. Commissioner Moloney also suggested Victory Housing might offer “Zip Cars” to help reduce parking needs.
The formal application will include several public meetings: with the Planning Commission (PC), the Board of Appeals (for the Special Exception), and the HDC. The subdivision will also have to be reviewed by the HDC (recommendation requested) and the PC (approval authority).
V. Discussion
A. HDC meeting with Planning Commission - April 15 at 7 p.m. This will be a regular PC meeting, with a light agenda. The HDC can anticipate at least an hour’s discussion, but there
is probably room for some additional time, if desired. The PC’s suggested topics include
1) Rockville’s interest in designation of Recent Past neighborhoods? and, 2) the sequence and schedule of project reviews that include the HDC and the PC with the new Zoning Ordinance.
Staff will work up a draft Agenda and circulate it to both Commissions, before finalizing the April 15th Agenda.
B. HDC meeting with Rockville Environmental Commission – staff has called Environmental staff to discuss. HDC suggests a possible June meeting?
C. HDC review of draft Staff Assessment questionnaire – Chief Wasilak provided an overview of the role of the HDC assessment, in terms of the FY10 Budget. This will be considered a Performance Measure beginning in July 1, 2009. Staff would like to try this out before then, to be able to make changes for the upcoming fiscal year. Commissioner McCool noted that residents might be reluctant to fill out a questionnaire that was not anonymous. Perhaps we could do this once a year for all applicants. Chair van Balgooy noted that timing is important, and should this be tied to the Work Program? He also suggested that the HDC might want to do a self-assessment. He can bring in some additional information about this. He also talked about “score cards” in terms of looking at what was accomplished over the year. The Chair mentioned SurveyMonkey, which is free and efficient in terms of gathering survey data.
VI. Adjourn – 9:25 p.m.