Frederick Historic Preservation Commission Meeting - March 24, 2022
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Frederick Historic Preservation Commission Meeting - March 24, 2022
The City of Frederick Historic Preservation Commission met virtually on March 24, 2022, at 6:00 PM, with a workshop session beginning at 7:30 PM. This was the commission's last virtual meeting due to the ongoing health emergency; future meetings will be in person at City Hall. The commission handled five demolition reviews, a fence denial, several rehabilitation requests, and one workshop item. All votes were unanimous unless otherwise noted.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The March 10, 2022 hearing and workshop minutes were approved with a correction to the call-to-order section (Commissioner Bailey requested the change; motion by Bailey, second by Alby, passed unanimously).
- Consent Agenda: HPC22-192 (119 Record Street, rehabilitation) and HPC22-200 (154 N. Market Street, rehabilitation) were approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public called in to comment during the hearing.
- Lindsey Bryant (421 N. Bentz St.) stated the fence replaced a deteriorated one and she was unaware of the need for approval; she asked not to have to tear it down.
- Eric Anderson (74 E. South St.) requested a three-panel door with a half-light to preserve natural light in a narrow rowhouse; he stated a goal of matching the neighbor's well-maintained front.
- Kara Norman (7th St. Fountain project) indicated willingness to comply with staff conditions.
- Hamza Mahmood (36 S. Market St.) asked that signage be approved, noting smaller sign alternatives were available.
- John Temple (workshop, 112 E. 7th St.) argued that adding a second window adjacent to the existing one would preserve all historic fabric while bringing more light into the house.
Discussion Items
- Demolition Reviews: Staff presented assessments for five properties:
- 800 Rosemont Avenue (1939 brick dwelling and garage) – not individually significant.
- Old National Pike (1966 pool house and pool) – not eligible for designation.
- 319 E. Patrick Street (garage constructed between 1930 and 1947) – not individually eligible.
- 321 E. Patrick Street (dwelling and garage from 1873-1887) – contributing to the National Register district but not individually eligible.
- 6839 Monocacy Boulevard (1920s former residence with later additions) – integrity compromised, no designation.
- Commissioners unanimously agreed not to initiate designation applications, but several expressed concern about the East Patrick Street area being outside the local historic preservation overlay, and Commissioner Alby strongly urged considering expansion of the local district.
- HPC22-19 – 421 N. Bentz Street Fence: Staff recommended denial because the board-on-board style is explicitly prohibited by the design guidelines and because the structural (unfinished) side faced outward on two property lines. The commission denied the application unanimously.
- HPC22-132 – 74 E. South Street Door: Staff found that the proposed three-panel half-light door did not match the original four-panel design shown in historic photographs. The commission approved the replacement with a solid four-panel wood door, a new wood storm door, and front entry sill/masonry repairs, subject to staff review of product details and conditions that all wood elements be painted with an opaque finish, mortar be removed by hand tools, lime-based mortar matching historic mortar be used, and new brick match the existing wall. Passed unanimously.
- HPC22-134 – 7th St. Fountain Park Redesign: Staff recommended approval with conditions on planter sizing and lighting color temperature. The commission approved the redesign unanimously, requiring planter dimensions/shapes to be submitted for staff review and all lighting (acorn lights, canopy downlights, and halo lighting under seat platform) to have a color temperature of 4500 K or less.
- HPC22-137 – 36 S. Market Street Awning and Signage: The commission approved the awning replacement with acrylic fabric, signage, and valence. It then denied all LED, plastic cabinet, and internally illuminated window signage in a separate motion, as such signage is not permitted by the guidelines. Both motions passed unanimously.
- HPC22-151 – 219 E. 2nd Street Railings and Gas Lamp: The commission approved the installation of metal railings at the stoop and replacement of an existing non-historic gas lamp with a new gas fixture. Passed unanimously.
- Workshop HPC22-195 – 112 E. 7th Street: The applicant seeks to modify a prior approval by adding a new window opening beside the existing rear window, replicating its size, sill, and segmental arch. Staff noted the guidelines generally prohibit new wall openings absent code or adaptive reuse needs; no such need was identified. Commissioners discussed the historic fabric, the narrow brick mullion between the two windows, and the potential for a paired-window design. No vote was taken; the applicant was encouraged to explore spacing changes. The resubmission deadline is April 4, 2022, and the next hearing will be in person on April 14, 2022.
Key Outcomes
- All five demolition review motions (800 Rosemont Ave, Old National Pike, 319 E. Patrick St, 321 E. Patrick St, 6839 Monocacy Blvd) passed unanimously: the commission will not initiate historic designation applications.
- HPC22-19 (421 N. Bentz St.) was denied unanimously; the applicant must contact staff/code enforcement about next steps.
- HPC22-132 (74 E. South St.) was approved unanimously with conditions.
- HPC22-134 (7th St. Fountain) was approved unanimously with conditions.
- HPC22-137 (36 S. Market St.): awning approved unanimously; signage denied unanimously.
- HPC22-151 (219 E. 2nd St.) was approved unanimously.
- HPC21-1449 (11 S. Bentz St.) was postponed to the April 14, 2022 meeting because the required public notice sign was not posted.
- The next meeting will be in person at City Hall on April 14, 2022.
Note: The agenda lists commissioners as Van Rens, Fitzgerald, Hart, and Saller, but the transcript identifies commissioners as Bailey, Alby, Burns, and Hart. This summary uses the names as spoken in the transcript.
Meeting Transcript
March 24th, 2022 meeting of the City of Frederick Historic Preservation Commission. I just want to make a quick announcement that we will be having a meeting in person next time, which is April 14th. That meeting of the HPC will be at City Hall. Again, that meeting will be in person. So that means that tonight's meeting will be the last meeting we have conducted virtually due to the ongoing health emergency. Members of the commission, staff, and applicants will all be attending the meeting remotely. The complete proceedings will be televised on Channel 99 and on the city's website. Public comment will be accepted on each agenda item. Those wishing to make public comment will be asked to call 301 600 1213 during the staff presentation of the item they would like to make comment on. Your call will be answered in the order that it was received and will be transferred to the live feed of the meeting accordingly. Each person wishing to make public comment must state their name and general address, and then they will be sworn in by the chair before providing testimony. For applicants, please join the meeting while the case immediately before your item is being discussed. When we call your presentation after the staff report, please announce your name as well as those members of your team present this evening. At that time, I will read the oath, and each member of the team should state their name and signify I do thereafter. All members of the team not speaking should mute their microphones. After your item has been voted on, we ask that you promptly leave the meeting. The technical qualifications of the commission and staff are in file with the City of Frederick and are hereby made a part of each and every case this evening. The City and Frederick Historic Preservation Commission uses the guidelines adopted by the Mayor and Borda Alderman and the Secretary of Deterior Standards for Rehabilitation published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. These guidelines and standards are hereby made a part of each and every case and are applied as appropriate. All cases were duly advertised in the Frederick News Post in accordance with Section 301 of the land management code. It is the purpose of the historic preservation commission to safeguard the historical and cultural heritage of the City of Frederick by preserving sites, structures, or districts that reflect elements of cultural, social, economic, political, archaeological, and architectural history to stabilize and improve property values of such sites, structures or districts, to foster civic beauty, to strengthen the local economy, and to promote the preservation and appreciation of such sites, structures, and districts for the education and welfare of the residents of the city of Frederick. I will now take a roll call of commissioners. Commissioner Burns present. Commissioner Hart, present. And Commissioner Stoller. This is Commissioner Alby and I was not present on March 10th. But we have applications tonight. So I'm prepared to vote this evening. Thank you, Commissioner Alby. And this is Commissioner Bailey. And I also was not present at last meeting. Anyone else? Okay. Also in supporting us this evening. Go ahead. Yes, hi. This is Hanza Mamun. We are from 36th South North Market Street. South Market Street, Frederick, Maryland, and we wanted to talk about our CBD and tobacco shop. We have signs here for the HPT noted. And our case number is 22137. This is Lisa Morazic Murphy. That item is on the agenda. It's item number 13. So the case will be called when we get to that point, and then it'll be your your opportunity to present. Okay. All right. Thank you so much. Thank you.
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