OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Chapel Hill Historic District Commission Meeting - December 9, 2025

Meeting PortalTuesday, December 9, 2025
BodyChapel Hill, North Carolina
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, December 9, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Historic districts design principles and standards, which sets forth standards for changes in the historic districts and the rules of procedure adopted by the Chapel Hill Historic District Commission, as well as the significance reports from all three historic districts and photographs.

0:17

I also call to your attention each of the applications and associated materials in your agenda packet.

0:23

All of these items are hereby entered into the record.

0:26

Thank you.

0:27

And while I have my microphone on, I'll just remind commissioners to please turn your mic on and speak into the mic clearly.

0:36

Thanks.

0:37

I am now speaking into my mic.

0:40

I'm going to uh read the uh public charge.

0:43

The advisory body uh body pledges its respect to the public.

0:47

The body asks the public to conduct themselves in a respectful, courteous manner, uh, both with the body and with fellow members of the public.

0:56

Should any member of the body or any member of the public fail to observe this charge at any time?

1:01

The chair will ask the offending person to leave the meeting until that individual uh regains personal control.

1:08

Should the quorum fail to be restored, the chair will recess the meeting until a genuine commitment to this public charge is observed.

1:16

Um property owners may represent themselves or be represented by attorney, however, professionals such as architects, engineers, designers, and others may provide factual evidence and expert opinions so far as they are qualified, but not legal arguments on behalf of the property owner.

1:34

So that is the public charge.

1:37

And now we need an approval of the agenda.

1:41

Is there gonna be are there gonna be any changes to the agenda that you guys know of?

1:46

Okay.

1:47

Can we have someone want to approve the agenda?

1:51

Move the agenda as submitted.

1:53

I second.

1:55

All in favor?

1:56

Aye.

1:58

We'll just go with a straight eye on that one.

2:00

Is that okay?

2:00

I'm not gonna do the roll call on that.

2:03

Um and then announcements.

2:06

I don't think there are any, are they?

2:10

Yes.

2:11

Uh so Phil Lyons is here.

2:14

He wants to give the commission an update on the Coker Hills um National Register nomination.

2:22

And um, and staff is working on our um CLG report that's due at the end of the month.

2:33

Um we don't have any substantive update, but um we are working on that to get it submitted.

2:40

Okay, very good, thank you.

2:42

Come on up, Phil.

2:44

Have exciting news.

2:47

Thank you, Mr.

2:48

Chairman.

2:49

Um, members of the commission for the record my name is Phil Lyons.

2:53

I am a trustee of Preservation Chapel Hill.

2:56

We have been advised by the state historic preservation office that SHIPO has approved the staff that should have approved our application or our nomination for the Coker Hills neighborhood and the National Register of Historic Places.

3:15

We understand further, since Chapel Hill is a CLG, just recently mentioned, uh, that this matter will come before this body sometime in the new year for action and possibly as much as a hearing.

3:34

I don't know because I haven't seen the instructions from SHIPO.

3:38

Just finally, this represents the culmination of three and a half years of work to get the nomination at this point.

3:52

And it's been a wonderful project and a collaboration between the Coker Hills Neighborhood Association and Preservation Chapel Hill.

4:01

So I look forward to talking to you again about it soon, but did not want to uh wind up on your agenda without you knowing in advance.

4:11

Thank you very much.

4:12

If you have any questions, happy to try to answer them.

4:15

Does anyone have a question?

4:18

I just want to say thank you to Preservation Chapel Hill, but also to you personally because you've spearheaded this and done a great job as usual.

4:25

We appreciate it.

4:26

Very kind, thank you.

4:27

And so everybody knows when he says SHIPO that stands for State Historic Preservation Office.

4:31

A lot of people don't know that alphabet suit, so that's what we're talking about.

4:36

All right.

4:37

Thanks for that clarification.

4:42

All right.

4:44

So approval of the minutes from November 11.

4:50

I'm assuming you guys have had a chance to look at them or you remember them.

4:55

Do we need a motion to approve the minutes?

4:57

Do you want here a motion?

5:00

Make a motion to approve the amendment says a second.

5:04

And we have a second, so all in favor, say aye.

5:07

Aye.

5:08

Aye.

5:08

Okay.

5:09

A minute's approved.

5:11

Now let's move on to old business.

5:16

Oh, good.

5:17

Now we definitely have a quorum.

5:30

Um Don, don't forget the conflicts.

5:35

And X by communication and swearing in.

5:38

Do I have that?

5:40

Um you had a piece of paper well, please.

5:43

Can we see if I have it?

5:46

I don't think it can go that way.

5:51

While you're looking for that, and before we get started, just wanted to make notes that Josh Gurlitz is now on the panel.

5:56

So we have five.

5:58

Sorry for me.

6:00

So we'll talk about you later.

6:03

So there's the oath.

6:07

This was the oath.

6:09

Yeah.

6:09

So that's the instructions and multiple.

6:11

Okay.

6:12

Oh, nope.

6:13

Yeah, there's the owner.

6:15

So just those.

6:17

Okay.

6:18

Um first ask.

6:26

All right.

6:27

So this is this is a redo from last time, but I need to ask are there any conflict of interest with this particular party, this particular applicant.

6:36

If not, uh, I'm going to read an oath for you guys to affirm.

6:42

And after you say that oath, if you can uh say I affirm and your name, that'd be awesome.

6:47

Thank you.

6:48

Okay.

6:49

Oh, so I affirm that the evidence I shall give to the historic district commission and the referenced application show you the truth and nothing but the truth.

6:57

I so affirm.

6:59

I affirm Cal Fatum.

7:01

I affirm Exilla Hul.

7:03

Okay, thank you.

7:04

Something work for you?

7:06

Okay.

7:06

Well, uh they're ready.

7:08

Let's get started.

7:09

All right.

7:10

Well, good evening, everyone.

7:11

I'll be presenting our revised proposal for the design of an addition to the Delta Kappa Epsilon house located at 132 South Columbia Street.

7:19

After the presentation during last month's meeting, you all agreed to continue this business to tonight.

7:25

So just as a quick refresher, these were the proposed items for the edition from last month.

7:29

We were wanting to extend the existing cafeteria 14 feet outward toward Cameron Avenue.

7:35

This would interfere with the existing ADA parking on the site, so we also had to reconfigure that on the site plan as well.

7:41

And above the cafeteria extension, there would be a balcony with access from a new study lounge, which was converted from the two bedrooms located above the existing cafeteria.

7:50

And so to offset the loss of those two bedrooms, we were also proposing an addition to the second floor.

7:56

So after you reviewed and discussed last month's proposal, we were told that there were six main points which needed to be addressed.

8:02

Firstly, there was a big problem with the overall massing of the second floor edition.

8:07

We were told to explore designs, which would help create visual distinction between uh the existing building and the proposed edition.

8:15

The roof of that second floor edition also needed to be further fleshed out in order to be more compatible with the existing building.

8:22

There are also some discrepancies between the site plan and the renderings when depicting the cafeteria edition as being inset from the existing building.

8:29

And we were also told to be careful in acknowledging the setbacks and the offset of the existing of the um addition from the building.

8:38

Additionally, in last month's discussion, it was brought up that the cafeteria edition could potentially be situated on the north facade of the building.

8:45

Um and so to address all this, um, I'll be going through our response with updated imagery and drawings that will have more contacts added to them in order to help better visualize our revised proposal.

8:58

So I'll start with the site plan, which now shows rendering materials in the two front yards of the house as well as where we're altering that ADA parking.

9:06

This is the existing site with that ADA spot on the bottom left or the southwest corner.

9:11

And the plan also shows the rough locations, the types of vegetation on the site.

9:17

So now here is the proposed site plan, and you can see how we're not impacting any of the existing vegetation and the stone walls or any masonry and walkways and patios.

9:36

So this right here is an image of the southeast corner of the house.

9:40

And here's a view of our revised proposal.

9:43

Um a view from when you're standing on the sidewalk at the intersection of Cameron and Columbia.

9:48

So now this is a picture taken from the sidewalk in front of the Carolina Inn.

9:53

And here's our proposed design.

9:55

And I should point out that the two trees in front of the basketball court aren't present here.

10:00

And we did that in order to show the south facade just a bit better.

10:08

So I'll go back to the feedback that we received from last month.

10:11

Firstly, the design or the placement of the exterior wall, the second floor edition needed to be changed from the last proposal.

10:17

The solution that we landed on here was to place a new brick wall back one foot from the existing walls.

10:23

This helps create some distinction between the existing building and the addition so you can visually understand the history and the iterations of the additions to the house.

10:34

And in that addition, it was also mentioned that the form of the roof should look more compatible with the rest of the house.

10:40

And in order to make this happen, two dormers have been incorporated into the roof line.

10:44

These dormers help visually tie the addition into the existing building.

11:04

Sorry.

11:06

And there was also some confusion regarding the offset of the addition from the existing building.

11:12

And so just to make that clear, the cafeteria extends 14 feet outwards from the existing building, while the existing balcony extends 13 feet out.

11:20

This is similar, however, it's like not it's not the same, but this is well within the setback that was required by the Lumo.

11:28

There's also some discussion and encouragement to explore placing the addition on the north side of the building.

11:33

Unfortunately, as you can see here, that is not really an option.

11:37

We're extending out the cafeteria and not the dine and not the um the kitchen, which is located on the north side of the building.

11:47

Finally, you asked to see uh more context in our presentation of the proposal.

11:53

So here are some new renderings uh to show the existing vegetation of the two front yards, and these views are also taken from angles which were requested by you all.

12:05

Uh so hopefully these images uh can help you better understand our proposal and help see our revised proposal as well.

12:15

And so I'd like to invite y'all to ask any questions that you may have.

12:19

Thank you.

12:24

I always hate to be the first one, but everyone's being so quiet.

12:29

Um, I like conceptually where you're going with it, where you've pushed back the second floor and left a horizontal over top of the first floor at the first and second floor level.

12:41

It's kind of kind of a good idea.

12:43

Um what concerns me and what my questions are about are some of the details.

12:48

Right now, it looks like the way you've got the downspout strong in relation to the existing gutters and cornices.

12:54

Are those built-in gutters that they have there now?

12:57

They are, and those are fairly accurate representations of how they are currently.

13:02

Okay.

13:03

So would you have built-in gutters on your new addition?

13:06

Because that's a long low slope roof, so there's a lot of water coming that way.

13:10

So we have not addressed that currently, but um my thought was that they they would be at the eve of the roof.

13:16

That they would be what?

13:18

At the edge of the roof.

13:19

At the edge of the roof, okay.

13:21

Like a uh like an exposed gutter or yes, and and that's that's also how how it currently um is on certain parts of this roof.

13:31

Okay.

13:31

So there is the the basically the the roof that we're filling in currently has an exposed gutter on the left side on the right, the the existing house from the twenty is that the twenties, the right side.

13:46

That has the built-in gutter, the the three-story.

13:49

Okay.

13:52

Can we make sure we're speaking into the mics?

13:56

Both.

13:56

Everyone, thank you.

13:58

Oh, was that being too quiet?

14:00

That's rare.

14:02

Can um can I see an elevation of the um Cameron Avenue of the um sorry, the the um Columbia Street elevation?

14:15

So maybe something okay.

14:16

Now switch back to the Cameron Avenue elevation.

14:22

Right.

14:23

One thing that you're doing in the um addition, which is inconsistent with the existing house, is that the windows on the addition are extended up right to underneath the cornice.

14:42

Um I can understand why you would do that from a construction perspective, but it it does not it feels like a um like a noncompatible detail with the um Columbia Street elevation.

15:00

existing house is that the the windows on the addition are extended up right to underneath the cornice um I can understand why you would do that um from a construction perspective but it it does not it it feels like a um like a non-compatible detail with the um Columbia Street elevation so it the detailing is changing as you move around the building in this case I find the windows um particularly um disturbing extending up the way they do because windows always have um structure above them to hold up the roof or to hold up some other thing so while I I guess I know why you're doing this my question is why why are these windows extending so far up you're talking about on the brick fast on the brick facade correct uh on the brick facade but also yeah so on the brick on this on this elevation yes sir on the brick facade um the those windows are actually made to match what is going on on the second floor to the left side of this image where they actually do extend uh to the bottom of the cornice yeah if you look to the left of the 1920s edition okay so carry us around there and see if we got uh so would you like a view of just the house as is like a picture of the house that'd be great yeah get that for you yeah right there I see okay thank you for um explaining that yes sir and and I will add that um yes we do have two different conditions going on here there's there's no um it's a broken pediment on the the right hand side um uh original structure so we thought that since we're matching the height that we would um we would simulate that detailing yeah and go back to your render thank you okay back to the the windows thing but this is going up a little higher to the dormers um I like the idea of the dormers there uh but the way they're rendered um needs to be adjusted because it you can see a little bit of a dormer sticking up on the original building there those dormers are actually six over six um with some really nice trim detail around them and I don't have a problem with the dormers if they're detailed to match the original because that has a really nice look and scale to it whereas those dormers is drawn without any windemolions look a little austere do you agree or disagree?

17:40

I'm just curious what I would agree with that.

17:43

Okay.

17:43

Can I ask a question may I ask a question about the dormers okay um on the front of the building it looks like the pitch of the roof is much deeper so you see some of the roof behind the dormer and and I don't see that here is that correct yes that's correct that's because of because of just the um the low slope of this roof um we intend to have some sort of cricket behind behind these dormers um because we looked at running the dormer all the way back on a one and a half and twelve and it just it did not look right now.

18:19

But you bring up a good point thank you is that um I know you can't run the dormer all the way back into traditional dormer detail but the way it you can flip through some others but the way it's shown in some other renders you can see the front and the back of the little dormer boxes you're creating and it looks kind of like a faux dormer.

18:39

If you could make them a little longer so that from the street eye level you're not aware that you're putting little they're basically monitors they're not really dormers.

18:50

So that's it's kind of odd it looks good from the street level in this render but it's you're kind of faking everybody out then can I change it to monitors that we would like to add to this I mean that's what they actually are they're actually monitors they're not dormers but I know they're meant to mimic the dormer we do and we do intend for them to actually bring light into the space good so they're not fake.

19:27

No awesome at this point they're not real but they will be real some point Nancy you've been awfully quiet no I really don't have any questions on the architects.

20:06

Okay, well then I guess we can close the presentation portion.

20:11

And we'll have a quick discussion if that's okay.

20:14

All right.

20:15

Sounds good.

20:21

Well, I think they've answered the um the issues that we raised.

20:26

And I think the at least for me, the principal issue was the um monolithic brick facade.

20:35

And while I wish you could recess it more than a foot, because I would like deep shadow lines rather than shallow shadow lines.

20:51

And I do notice in these renderings that you are um you're recessing the cornice molding and you were reflecting the fact that that wall is back.

21:04

So I'm glad you answered that question.

21:08

And I'll kind of repeat myself.

21:10

Uh I agree with Josh in that I love the concept behind what you're doing in the placement of the windows and everything.

21:16

Uh my biggest concern is with how it ends up being detailed.

21:21

Um, particularly how you're going to catch water and keep it from flying over the edge, because obviously if you don't have a gutter, that facade will look really bad in six months.

21:32

So uh so detailing it properly is going to be critical.

21:35

And the same.

21:37

Um if we make a motion, we could probably put this in there, but your your dormal windows need to represent uh something I think is more appropriate to the original building with the six over sixes and this same trim detail.

21:57

Thank you for clarifying your uh presentation from last time.

22:00

It's much more clear to see what's happening with the site, and I agree with uh what's been said so far.

22:10

So does anybody want to make a motion?

22:17

Can I ask that now?

22:18

Okay.

22:26

I don't I don't have a motion piece of paper here.

22:29

Neither do I.

22:31

We were motionless.

22:33

Yes.

22:34

I need a cheat sheet.

22:36

Yeah, gotta have our cheat sheet.

22:43

Do you want to read it?

22:44

Yeah.

22:45

Yeah, be more appropriate.

22:48

I move that the application is not incongruous with the special character of the historic district according to the application of the relevant provisions of LUMO and the HDC design standards based upon the facts presented in the record.

23:07

Um I would add that the um that the um monitors on the top be extended more deeply so that they are more compatible with the um elements on the roof of the existing building, and that the they have a six over six uh glazing pattern to keep them compatible.

23:40

Okay, does everybody understand the motion?

23:42

Motion's been made.

23:43

Would anyone like to second it?

23:46

I second.

23:47

Okay, if we have a motion, we have a second.

23:50

So do I need to roll call this one?

23:53

Or do I just say all in favor?

23:55

Uh you can do either.

23:57

Okay.

23:57

We'll just say all in favor, say aye.

24:02

That sounded unanimous.

24:03

Aye as well.

24:05

So it passed.

24:06

Very good.

24:06

Thank you.

24:07

Thank you.

24:07

Thank you all very much.

24:08

Thank you.

24:20

And thank you for getting the senator monitor turned on.

24:29

I need to know how to try to do that.

24:32

Uh you thought you were trying to sign up.

24:36

I didn't mind just running there.

24:38

And it just didn't do it.

24:42

Um hit um control altar.

24:48

Yeah.

24:50

There's a deleting this bad one right there.

24:52

Yeah.

24:53

So okay.

24:54

And then do you capitalize on the case?

24:56

I'll lowercase.

24:57

All lowercase.

24:58

All lowercase.

24:59

Okay.

25:04

All right.

25:07

Oops.

25:10

Oh, she is.

25:16

And then this PowerPoint is out there on the table, Nancy.

25:25

Very good.

25:26

And they have an order right here.

25:30

So you can use the mouse or you can use the arrows.

25:35

Thank you.

25:37

And you'll come back and assist me when I mess it up.

25:39

Yes.

25:40

It is.

25:43

Okay, so 304 North Boundary Street.

25:47

I'm going to read you the O's and afterwards.

25:49

Sure, my gun.

25:52

Sorry about that.

25:53

Okay, 304 North Boundary Street.

25:55

After I read the Oath, if you could say I affirm and your names, that would be excellent.

26:00

Thank you.

26:01

I affirm that the evidence I shall give to the historic district commission and the referenced application shall be the truth and nothing but the truth.

26:09

I so affirm.

26:11

I affirm my due Barry Wall.

26:13

I affirm Leanne Brown.

26:16

Very good.

26:16

Thank you.

26:18

Don, can we do conflicts of interest?

26:21

Are there any conflicts of interest on this one?

26:24

Nope.

26:25

No, they are not.

26:33

Are you ready for us to go ahead?

26:36

Please.

26:37

Good evening.

26:38

We are delighted to be here with you today.

26:40

We're going to split the presentation in two parts.

26:47

So that we are more entertaining and also because I think each of us is better suited to do the part that we're going to do.

26:58

This is the barewall house.

27:03

It is house at 304 north boundary.

27:06

It is a modern design house.

27:46

And I can't read that far on that screen, so I have to find my notes.

28:04

It was developed and subdivided with large lots and wooded buffers.

28:20

It was built in 2000.

28:21

Built in 2000, approved before that.

28:24

And it became a part of the historic the historic district.

28:54

It's been written up in the News and Observer.

28:57

It was published.

29:06

It's got the AA Triangle Honor Honor Award in 2005.

29:11

It's been featured in the New American House innovations in residential.

29:16

Excuse me.

29:17

Could you please speak into the line?

29:31

So the house, we believe, and and um actually have presented to this commission before and really said the same thing to you.

29:40

This particular house has added to the architecture in the district in a contemporary fashion in a way that has been recognized for uh the quality of the house that is there.

30:00

But this house, the other thing I will say about this house is I cannot go around the district and find other examples of this house or other examples of features of this house.

30:05

It is uh it is a unique contributor to the particular district.

30:11

And with that, I'm gonna turn it over so you can find out more about the project.

30:15

Do you want to keep this?

30:16

Yes, please.

30:18

I might not be able to read that far either.

30:24

Okay.

30:27

So what we are proposing to do is add an entrance to the property.

30:32

And what is remarkable about this house is that it doesn't have sort of a front like you would normally have.

30:38

I think I need to explain that a little bit because it's going to be germane to the whole request that we have.

30:47

The back of the property fronts on north boundary, and the front of the house is actually hidden deep inside the cluster of homes that's there.

31:00

So this house was uh completed in 2000.

31:04

Uh I did not build this house.

31:05

This was another uh couple who lived there that got permission from the HDC for this house, and then it was completed in 2000 uh itself.

31:16

Uh I purchased this house in 2015.

31:19

Uh an addition was approved as Leanne mentioned last year, and we are working on the uh extension now to build this extension to this house.

31:30

The house is is a modern design made of metal and glass, and we as you'll see in the presentation, we've tried to keep the materials the same for what we are proposing for the uh for access to the home.

31:44

So uh since um 2020 when a garden was put in and there was a fence that was approved by the historic commission.

31:58

There's been a temporary gate to end to access the area inside the garden.

32:04

And that temporary gate, which was supposed to be there for a short period of time, and now it's approaching six years, and it's just a very uh rusty construction temporary gate that's been there.

32:18

So, what we are proposing to do is to remove that gate and put a permanent access point.

32:25

So we we're wanting to put a vestibule to come into the garden area, which is fenced, and uh so happens that a greenhouse is available that would fit there, which fits the architecture of the house and the materials in the house and would form I think a unique entry to a very unique house.

32:50

So it will be just replacing the temporary wooden door slash gate and putting a greenhouse there instead.

33:01

We go through it exactly how it looks.

33:04

So I'll talk a little bit about the existing conditions here.

33:08

Uh so the green area, the green um polygon there is the is the property, and the little blue rectangle in the center of it is where this would sit.

33:23

So it's far inside the property boundary that you'd actually have the structure sit.

33:31

This is a schematic of all of the surrounding properties.

33:37

But as you can see, again, that there's a sort of a green rectangle where this gate would this greenhouse would sit, and it's not visible to anyone at all.

33:49

They would have to be they have to be coming to this house for them to actually even see the structure.

33:58

This is what the entrance to the the driveway to the property looks like.

34:02

Um actually it's not visible from this angle, but there's a jog in the road, so you actually can't even see the house at all until you corner that the jog, and then you can see the house itself.

34:17

Uh, and this is just past the jog, as you can see for the first time you see the house itself.

34:23

Um the I will show it in a subsequent photograph where the gate is, but you can just about see it.

34:30

Yeah, you see that that right next to the tree, there's a space right there between the two ends of the masonry walls.

34:38

That's where that temporary gate is sitting and is cut like chicken wire there in between, so it's sort of transparent in this photograph, but that's where it would be sitting.

34:50

Uh now you can see it much better.

34:52

So there's masonry walls on both sides, and there's a gate in between.

35:01

It's been there for six years.

35:03

I would say quite an eyesore to have it be there.

35:07

But hopefully it will be replaced.

35:11

This is the view from North Boundary Street.

35:14

And as you can see, you can't see the house from there at all.

35:20

And the just as just as a explanation, this is the back side of the house, so the structure is on the other side.

35:28

So you'd never see that structure from this side from north boundary.

35:34

Another view from along Rose Lane towards north boundary.

35:38

Again, you can't see the house, definitely won't see the structure because it's beyond the house.

35:44

So here's a visualization.

35:46

This is the actual structure.

35:48

It shows it in black, but it's going to be a silvery gray, the color of the house itself.

35:53

So it would blend in with the house itself.

35:57

And it would not be this black color.

36:00

This is a AI rendering.

36:02

This is the best we could accomplish working with the AI to try to kind of sight it within the uh within the masonry walls.

36:11

That there is a slope to it, and uh you have double doors that lead in, and then you have double doors that lead out to enter the garden area and approach the house.

36:25

This the AI portion of it is just the greenhouse itself, the rest of it is actually a photograph.

36:34

Here you can see very clearly the existing wooden structure.

36:39

As you can see, it's very primitive and rustic, but has served its purpose for the last almost six years.

36:49

So what are the materials to be used?

36:52

Uh the materials are uh metal and glass, exactly the kind of substances that are used in the house, metal and glass.

37:03

Uh the front of this uh the structure is uh eight and a half feet tall and it slopes down to six and a half feet.

37:11

It will because of the way that it's designed, it has to slope down.

37:15

And if the front was shorter, then somebody my height could go through, but other people might have trouble getting exiting from the from that structure.

37:25

Uh it's seven and a half feet deep.

37:27

There's enough space there for there's still a patio there, existing patio, so it would not require uh making more space to be able to enter this particular area.

37:43

So here you see a schematic of it.

37:46

The parallel lines there are steps that lead down towards the house, and the the black lines are for the masonry wall that is currently there, and then uh the greenhouse sits there.

38:02

On the side of it is the existing garage.

38:11

This shows at least one of the walls, the right side wall as when facing the house, and then the greenhouse sitting over there.

38:21

And this one shows the slope of the greenhouse.

38:23

It's flat in the front and then slopes down.

38:26

It kind of echoes the roof of the house, which I also has a little angle to it, so I think it is consonant with how the house and the roof interact to have the roof of the vestibule also echo a sloped structure.

38:44

I'm gonna turn it over to Lianne.

38:52

So finally, um I wanted to speak to you briefly about how we believe this project meets the applicable design standards.

39:01

Um, and the two standards that were particularly important to be considered here, I think is standard 1.1.7, which contemplates that new site features be compatible in scale and design and material with the overall hysteric character of the site and of the district.

39:18

Uh the proposed edition is compatible in scale design and materials with the existing house on the property.

39:24

This particular proposed edition is compatible in scale and design.

39:29

The materials match this particular this particular house, and yet it does not appear to be part of the original house.

39:36

It is it is separated in a way that meets your guidelines.

39:41

Um I'm not going to tell you that the metal and glass that's used in this greenhouse is compatible with what you would see driving down Franklin Street in the Franklin Rosemary District, but it's very compatible with this particular house, and it's this this greenhouse is designed to lean into a green garden.

40:01

So you'll have that sense of greenery coming in as you are there.

40:06

The other standard that I wanted to particularly point out is 1.1.8, which contemplates the introduction of contemporary site features in locations that do not diminish or compromise the overall character of the site and district, typically in rear large yards or other locations not visible from the street.

40:41

And as was demonstrated in the pictures, uh it is in a location that is not visible from the street.

40:47

The only time you would ever see this particular feature would be if you were coming to the house for some reason.

40:55

Um coming down the driveway, you have to get, as you could see in the pictures, you have to actually come down the drive before you would you would uh it would be visible to you at all.

41:06

Um in no way would this addition compromise or diminish the overall character of the district, um, and it is compatible with the modern design and materials of the of the house.

41:19

Um I wrote on my notes, and I just want to to include it here because I think it's particularly applicable here.

41:26

Um Lumo section 3.6.2 picks up from what the state statute says about uh development in the historic district, and it the intention is not to impose an architectural style, but to uh encourage design, whether contemporary or traditional, which is harmonious with the character of the district, because the house in and of itself is as a contributing part of the district is compatible with the district.

41:53

We think this addition, um this very very small addition is compatible, and uh we would ask your consideration to approve it, and we're happy to answer any questions you have.

42:06

Does anyone have any questions for the applicant pretty straightforward?

42:17

Seems pretty straightforward.

42:19

And I can see that there's gonna be no comment from the public.

42:24

Okay, but I feel like I had to put that in the record.

42:28

Okay.

42:29

So uh I'm gonna um stop the public portion and we'll have some discussion.

42:35

Is that okay?

42:36

Well, I'm gonna start it.

42:38

First of all, um I've got to say when I took the chairmanship, I didn't think I would be reviewing a greenhouse gateway.

42:50

It's a unique animal.

42:52

Um but at the same time, I've got to say I knew Ken Hobgood, he was the original architect there.

42:58

Ken would really prefer this over the uh the temporary gate that you have.

43:03

He's aware of it.

43:05

Okay, good.

43:08

So, yeah, for your you don't know Ken's quite a character.

43:13

Um comments?

43:15

I'd like to underscore the fact that in this particular part of the district.

43:23

The um we have a variety of design expressions.

43:28

I would refer to the Peacock house next door.

43:32

Um I refer to other houses in the area, and this um area incorporates very modern design.

43:42

It incorporates some very um very good design.

43:46

This particular house is um, I think one of the more one of the best designed modern houses.

43:55

Um, and I'm very proud to have it in the district.

43:59

I think this particular greenhouse reflects the transparency of the original house, and it also reflects um in the proportion of the metal members holding it up, and the glass um area, those proportions are similar to the existing house.

44:23

They're not the same, but they are similar.

44:26

So I think that this particular greenhouse addition is very compatible in terms of design with the original house.

44:36

And I think that the um thinking of it in context to the neighborhood, that we do have a variety of modern expression, and so the fact that this is similar in context to the original house satisfies my concern.

44:56

I think it's a good addition.

45:01

Anybody?

45:05

Okay, well, I uh I concur with what Josh says.

45:08

I think it's uh it's a very appropriate, even though interesting, very appropriate uh solution to an interesting problem.

45:16

Well, it's also seems to be a great improvement over what is there now.

45:23

Without without question.

45:25

Um and I think it's important just to put into the record that we're not setting precedent here for gateways for other parts of the historic district.

45:33

I think you kind of alluded to that in this district for this house at this moment.

45:37

It's it's appropriate.

45:41

So does anybody want to make a motion?

45:46

We have the motion cheat sheet here.

45:51

What's the address?

45:52

34 304 304 north boundary.

45:57

All right.

45:58

I move that the application for um a certificate for 304 North Boundary Street is not in congruence with the special character of the historic district according to the application of the relevant provisions of the LUMO and the HDC's design standards based upon the facts presented in the record.

46:24

Uh motions be presented.

46:26

Second.

46:28

Okay.

46:29

Um all in favor, say aye.

46:32

Aye.

46:32

Aye.

46:33

I think you get a unanimous you pass.

46:35

Thank you.

46:36

Thank you very much.

46:37

Thank you so much.

46:38

Certainly.

46:40

Yes.

46:41

Nice to be seen.

46:46

Okay, last but certainly not least, uh, Sharneek, I think you're up.

46:50

Uh there's a um discussion of some revisions you guys made to the procedure.

46:57

Yeah.

46:58

Um, so staff have made some revisions to the commission's um rules of procedures.

47:07

Um were just reformatting and making the document a bit easier to navigate, um, and also bringing the rules um into alignment with council policy as far as um the the policy for officer roles and referring to that policy uh instead of restating it in the the rules of procedure.

47:33

So the change does um eliminate the deputy vice chair role.

47:38

Um so there would just be two officers and uh so the two officers are chairman and chair and vice chair.

47:47

And what?

47:47

Vice chair vice chair, just vice chair, okay.

47:53

Very good.

47:54

Yep.

47:55

So I think y'all um do you need a motion to adopt the rules of procedure?

48:03

Well, I'll I'll make the motion to adopt the uh proceed the rules of procedure revisions.

48:09

Is there a second?

48:11

Okay, all in favor?

48:13

I okay that's unanimous.

48:17

So we're good.

48:18

So I think we are ready to adjourn.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
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Summary of Proceedings

Chapel Hill Historic District Commission Meeting - December 9, 2025

The Chapel Hill Historic District Commission met on December 9, 2025, at 6:30 PM in Room 110 of the Council Chamber at 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The commission approved an addition to the Delta Kappa Epsilon house at 132 S. Columbia Street with conditions, approved a greenhouse gateway at 304 N. Boundary Street, adopted revised rules of procedure, and received an update on the Coker Hills National Register nomination.

Announcements

  • Phil Lyons, a trustee of Preservation Chapel Hill, announced that the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has approved the nomination of the Coker Hills neighborhood for the National Register of Historic Places. The matter will come before the commission in the new year for action or a hearing. This represents the culmination of three and a half years of work in collaboration with the Coker Hills Neighborhood Association.

Consent Calendar

  • The agenda was approved as submitted.
  • The action minutes from November 11, 2025, were approved unanimously.

Old Business

  • 132 S. Columbia Street – Revised proposal for an addition to the Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) house. The applicant presented updates addressing six main points from the previous meeting, including a one-foot setback of the second-floor addition to create visual distinction, incorporation of dormers (monitors) to tie into the existing roof, clarification of the 14-foot cafeteria extension, and additional context renderings. Commissioners discussed detailing issues, including built-in gutters, window placement (windows extending to the cornice), and the dormer design (recommending six-over-six glazing and deeper extension to appear as true monitors). The applicant noted the dormers are functional monitors intended to bring light into the space.
    • Motion: Approved with a condition that the monitors be extended more deeply and have a six-over-six glazing pattern to be more compatible with the existing building. Vote: unanimous aye.

New Business

  • 304 N. Boundary Street – Application for a certificate of appropriateness for a greenhouse/vestibule to replace a temporary gate at the Barewall House, a modern-design house built in 2000 and recognized as a contributing structure in the historic district. The applicant (represented by Leanne Brown and Barry Wall) explained that the proposed metal-and-glass structure is not visible from any public street, is compatible in scale, design, and materials with the existing house, and meets design standards 1.1.7 and 1.1.8. Commissioners noted the unique context of the property (house hidden from street) and praised the design as compatible and an improvement over the existing temporary gate. Commissioners emphasized that this approval does not set a precedent for other gateways.
    • Motion: Approved as not incongruous with the special character of the historic district. Vote: unanimous aye.

Discussion Items

  • Chapel Hill Historic District Commission Rules of Procedure Revisions – Staff presented reformatted rules to improve navigation and align with council policy on officer roles, eliminating the deputy vice chair position (leaving only chair and vice chair). The commission adopted the revisions unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • 132 S. Columbia Street: Approved with conditions (monitors to be deeper and have six-over-six glazing).
  • 304 N. Boundary Street: Approved without conditions.
  • Rules of Procedure: Adopted as revised.
  • Next Steps: The Coker Hills National Register nomination will come before the commission in the new year.

Meeting Transcript

Historic districts design principles and standards, which sets forth standards for changes in the historic districts and the rules of procedure adopted by the Chapel Hill Historic District Commission, as well as the significance reports from all three historic districts and photographs. I also call to your attention each of the applications and associated materials in your agenda packet. All of these items are hereby entered into the record. Thank you. And while I have my microphone on, I'll just remind commissioners to please turn your mic on and speak into the mic clearly. Thanks. I am now speaking into my mic. I'm going to uh read the uh public charge. The advisory body uh body pledges its respect to the public. The body asks the public to conduct themselves in a respectful, courteous manner, uh, both with the body and with fellow members of the public. Should any member of the body or any member of the public fail to observe this charge at any time? The chair will ask the offending person to leave the meeting until that individual uh regains personal control. Should the quorum fail to be restored, the chair will recess the meeting until a genuine commitment to this public charge is observed. Um property owners may represent themselves or be represented by attorney, however, professionals such as architects, engineers, designers, and others may provide factual evidence and expert opinions so far as they are qualified, but not legal arguments on behalf of the property owner. So that is the public charge. And now we need an approval of the agenda. Is there gonna be are there gonna be any changes to the agenda that you guys know of? Okay. Can we have someone want to approve the agenda? Move the agenda as submitted. I second. All in favor? Aye. We'll just go with a straight eye on that one. Is that okay? I'm not gonna do the roll call on that. Um and then announcements. I don't think there are any, are they? Yes. Uh so Phil Lyons is here. He wants to give the commission an update on the Coker Hills um National Register nomination. And um, and staff is working on our um CLG report that's due at the end of the month. Um we don't have any substantive update, but um we are working on that to get it submitted. Okay, very good, thank you. Come on up, Phil. Have exciting news. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, members of the commission for the record my name is Phil Lyons. I am a trustee of Preservation Chapel Hill. We have been advised by the state historic preservation office that SHIPO has approved the staff that should have approved our application or our nomination for the Coker Hills neighborhood and the National Register of Historic Places. We understand further, since Chapel Hill is a CLG, just recently mentioned, uh, that this matter will come before this body sometime in the new year for action and possibly as much as a hearing. I don't know because I haven't seen the instructions from SHIPO. Just finally, this represents the culmination of three and a half years of work to get the nomination at this point. And it's been a wonderful project and a collaboration between the Coker Hills Neighborhood Association and Preservation Chapel Hill. So I look forward to talking to you again about it soon, but did not want to uh wind up on your agenda without you knowing in advance. Thank you very much. If you have any questions, happy to try to answer them. Does anyone have a question? I just want to say thank you to Preservation Chapel Hill, but also to you personally because you've spearheaded this and done a great job as usual.

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