Historic Preservation Commission Meeting - February 23, 2023

The Frederick Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) met on Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in City Hall, 101 North Court Street, for a public hearing and workshop, with Chair Robert Van Rens presiding. The commission approved previous minutes and a consent item, endorsed a letter of support for a Maryland Historical Trust grant, voted on two applications for 19 W. 2nd Street, denied a siding replacement at 241-243 E. 2nd Street, and held a workshop on proposed demolition and new construction at 105 W. 2nd Street. All motions passed unanimously.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes: The draft hearing and workshop minutes from February 9, 2023, were approved unanimously.
• HPC23-117 - 50 Carroll Creek Way: Rehabilitation application by South Market Condo Assoc., LLC, was approved unanimously on the consent agenda, with no public comment or objection.

Public Comments & Testimony

• HPC23-16 / HPC23-17 workshop - Peter Samuels (neighbor): Samuels supported demolition of the existing garage at 105 W. 2nd Street, stating it was "structurally shot" and not worth a full renovation, though he disputed parts of the engineer's report (e.g., bay sizes and foundation description). He strongly opposed the proposed new garage design, calling it a "suburban/rural McMansion developer type" building that is incompatible with nearby historic garages and carriage houses, and urged a design more like the area's carriage houses. He also asked for an unbuilt strip to preserve possible future shared parking.
• Neighbor emails: The applicant stated that several neighbors had emailed in support of the garage demolition, citing safety concerns.

Discussion Items

• HPC business - Grant support letter: Staff requested the commission's endorsement of a letter to the Maryland Historical Trust supporting the city's "Fredericktown Sites of the Enslaved Documentation and Interpretation Phase One" grant application, developed in partnership with the African American Resources Cultural Heritage Society. Commissioners expressed strong support and unanimously voted to endorse sending the letter.
• HPC23-65 - 19 W. 2nd Street (partial demolition): Staff recommended approval of demolition of the second-floor frame screen wall, frame porch closet, and a roughly 4-by-8-foot second-floor brick wall for a new stair enclosure, but recommended denial of converting a first-floor window opening into a door. Applicant Ben Bates (Bates Architects) argued the door was needed for rear access and interior layout and involved only about nine square feet of brick, with the historic header and window width retained and the window relocated. Several commissioners agreed the rear-facing location and minimal impact justified approval. The commission voted unanimously to approve the application as presented by the applicant, thereby allowing the first-floor brick opening.
• HPC23-66 - 19 W. 2nd Street (rehabilitation & addition): Staff recommended approval of the replacement plan, including infill of existing openings, enclosure of the second-floor porch stairs, relocation of a window/door, and other work, with the condition that second-floor porch work be limited to selective in-kind decking and post replacement and that the historic porch railing be retained. The applicant agreed not to replace undamaged railing and to return for approval if additional damage was found. The commission approved items 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, with the porch-work limitation, thereby excluding the request to replace the historic porch railing.
• HPC23-68 - 241-243 E. 2nd Street (siding replacement): The applicant, Brian Gilbert (co-owner, Sunshine Properties), sought to replace traditional wood German lap siding with James Hardie cementitious siding. Staff and commissioner site visits found severe paint deterioration but no widespread siding decay. Staff cited guidelines that require wood siding on historically wood-clad buildings and explicitly prohibit cementitious siding in rehabilitations. The commission voted unanimously to deny the application.
• Workshop - HPC23-16 (105 W. 2nd Street demolition): The six-bay garage, built between 1930 and 1947, was discussed as a contributing resource, although not of unusual importance. A structural engineer's report found undersized and decayed components, no footings under most of the building, and concluded the building was "less than adequate for use as a garage or shed." Staff noted the garage retained its original form and front facade. Commissioners discussed whether its structural deficiencies outweighed its contributing status and whether demolition criteria such as public safety and substandard construction were met. No formal action was taken; a site visit and possible contributing-resource vote were discussed for the March 9, 2023 HPC meeting.
• Workshop - HPC23-17 (105 W. 2nd Street new construction): Ben Bates presented a proposed four-bay, one-and-a-half-story garage (about 22.5 feet tall at the ridge, with the ridge set back 13 feet from the facade and the eave line 24 inches lower than the existing garage). Staff and several commissioners raised concerns that the massing, height, roof form, and residential-style porch made the building read as a house or suburban structure and would dominate the streetscape, which features smaller one-to-two-story garages and carriage houses. Some commissioners suggested simplifying the front, reducing the building depth by one foot, lowering the roof pitch, and reconsidering the side porch. One commissioner defended the design as compatible and well-proportioned. No vote was taken; the applicant agreed to consider revisions, and staff set a March 13, 2023, 11:00 a.m. submission deadline for updated plans.

Key Outcomes

• Approved February 9, 2023, hearing and workshop minutes (unanimous).
• Endorsed a letter of support for the Maryland Historical Trust grant for the "Fredericktown Sites of the Enslaved" project (unanimous).
• Approved HPC23-117 (50 Carroll Creek Way) on consent (unanimous).
• Approved HPC23-65 (19 W. 2nd Street) partial demolition as presented by the applicant (unanimous), allowing the contested first-floor window-to-door conversion.
• Approved HPC23-66 (19 W. 2nd Street) rehabilitation and addition with conditions (unanimous), including retention of the historic porch railing.
• Denied HPC23-68 (241-243 E. 2nd Street) James Hardie cementitious siding replacement (unanimous).
• HPC23-16 demolition and HPC23-17 new construction at 105 W. 2nd Street were workshop-only items; no votes were taken. The demolition application was expected to return for a contributing-resource determination at the March 9, 2023 HPC meeting, and updated new-construction plans were due by March 13, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.