Chapel Hill Historic District Commission Meeting - September 8, 2026
Chapel Hill Historic District Commission Meeting - September 8, 2026
The Chapel Hill Historic District Commission met on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber to consider several Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) applications, including a fence installation at 100 S. Columbia Street, a tiny house project at 21 Cobb Terrace, an accessibility and pool addition at 204 Glenburnie Street, and fraternity house renovations at 132 S. Columbia Street. The meeting began with a recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, approval of previous minutes, and a consent calendar. The commission approved two applications, continued one, and also approved revised Rules of Procedure.
Consent Calendar
- Approved as a batch: Items 3 through 6 (102 Fraternity Court, 111 Ridge Lane, 712 Gimghoul Road, 310 Pittsboro Street) – written decisions from the August meeting.
- The Administrative COA Approval and Maintenance Report (Item 2) was received as information only.
Public Comments & Testimony
- 204 Glenburnie Street: Charles Nunn, a neighbor from 709 East Rosemary Street, expressed concerns about the proposed pool, fence, and expanded deck. He argued that the pool and fence would be visible from East Rosemary Street (a historic district street) and that the fence should be around the pool only, not the entire backyard. He also stated the deck would overpower his property and not follow HDC guidelines on topography. The applicant's team responded that the design minimizes visibility and that the fence location preserves usable yard space. The commission ultimately continued the item for more information.
Discussion Items
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100 S. Columbia Street (University Baptist Church Memorial Garden Fence): Applicant Steve Harward presented revised plans for an aluminum picket fence around the memorial garden, addressing prior concerns about emergency exit access, signage visibility, and fence placement behind the stone wall. The commission discussed height relative to the stone wall at the corner (sign area). A motion passed to approve the application with a condition that the fencing at the diagonal corner (holding the church sign) be no taller than the existing stone wall. Vote: unanimous.
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21 Cobb Terrace (Tiny House and Carriage House Relocation): Applicant John Norwood proposed relocating an existing carriage house and constructing a new one-story plus daylight basement dwelling on a steep lot. Commissioner Don Tise recused himself due to a conflict of interest (his firm prepared drawings). The commission discussed the four-foot height increase, materials (cedar siding, brick foundation, glass block), and parking. A motion to approve as not incongruous passed unanimously (with Tise recused).
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204 Glenburnie Street (Accessibility Addition, Pool, Deck, Fence): Applicants Jonathan and Marica Schooler, represented by Build Sense, sought to add an ADA-accessible bathroom, lift, ramp, pool, and expanded deck for aging in place. After public testimony from neighbor Charles Nunn, the commission expressed uncertainty about visual impacts from East Rosemary Street and the massing of the deck. The commission voted to continue the item to the October 13, 2026 meeting, requesting additional renderings from the south and east elevations and encouraging further neighbor dialogue. Vote to continue: unanimous.
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132 S. Columbia Street (DKE Fraternity House Additions): Applicants Cal Fatham and Zell Hule presented plans for a covered patio, second-story deck, fire pit, additional bedrooms above a stairwell, and reconfiguration of ADA parking. The commission discussed lighting (recessed cans), dormers, and material compatibility. A motion to approve as not incongruous passed unanimously.
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Legal Training: Continued to the next meeting (October) due to time constraints.
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Rules of Procedure: Staff proposed a minor revision to adopt action minutes similar to the Board of Adjustment. The commission approved the revised rules unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- 100 S. Columbia Street: COA approved with condition that fence at the corner stone wall (sign area) not exceed the wall height. Vote: unanimous.
- 21 Cobb Terrace: COA approved as not incongruous. Vote: unanimous (Don Tise recused).
- 204 Glenburnie Street: Continued to October 13, 2026 meeting for additional visual information.
- 132 S. Columbia Street: COA approved as not incongruous. Vote: unanimous.
- Revised Rules of Procedure: Approved unanimously.
- Legal Training: Continued to October 2026 meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, I'd like to call this uh meeting to order, please. And we're gonna move through the administrative goodies while they're working on the um the technical stuff. So let's uh start with a roll call. Sandra Sider, Laura Moore here, Josh Gerlitz here, Brian Daniels is not here, and Mom Don Tice here, and Glenn Conley, I think you guys know she wanted to be here tonight, but she cannot be here, and she had to resign due to a new job position, if I'm not mistaken. So Glenn is no longer a commissioner. That's too bad. So, but we do have enough here for everyone in the audience for quorums for tonight's applicants. Okay. So this month is acknowledgement of the Hispanic Heritage Month. And I have a quick recognition of that to read. Before we begin, we'd like to take a moment to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month and its significance here in North Carolina and in Chapel Hill. Across our state, Hispanic and Latino communities have been central to our growth, contributing to rich cultural traditions, linguistic diversity, and leadership across agriculture, manufacturing, health care, education, technology, and public service. Today, one in five young children in North Carolina identify as Hispanic or Latino, underscoring the vibrancy uh of these communities. In Chapel Hill, the arrival of Latino American families since the 1990s has reshaped our community. A testament to resilience. Students and faculty spearheaded creation of the Carolina Latinx Center, which opened in 2019, now a hub of cultural events mentorship and heritage month programming at UNC. As stewards of Chapel Hill's historic district, we recognize that the story of our community and it is interwoven with the broader story of Hispanic and Latino history in the United States. 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. Members of the public may provide witness testimony and factual matters within their personal knowledge. However, a lay opinion testimony and property value impacts, traffic safety impacts, and other matters in which expert testimony is generally required may not be considered by the commission. Comments and legal arguments by attorney shall not be considered testimony or evidence unless the attorney is sworn in and acknowledges that he or she intends to provide testimony or evidence rather than legal argument. All right. Now we need the approval of the agenda. Anyone have any comments on the agenda? Or is there anything we need to change? Anna Scott. Okay. Can I get a motion for approving the agenda? So move. A second. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed. The agenda has been approved. I don't think there are any announcements for this evening. Are there? Just one. We'll have officer elections at the next meeting in October. Okay. I'm not sure you're close enough to mic. Officer elections at the next meeting. Sorry, we'll have officer elections in October at our our regularly scheduled October meeting. Okay, thank you. And uh already mentioned that uh that Glenn is no longer on the board. So those are our announcements. Petitions. There are no. There are none.
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