Special Historic Preservation Commission Meeting - August 27, 2026
Special Historic Preservation Commission Meeting
Summary
The Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission met on August 27, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the Village Boardroom. The meeting covered two new business items: a height determination for a carriage house garage at 15211 S. Dillman Street and a historic preservation rehabilitation grant for roof repairs at 23822 W. Lockport Street. One old business item was removed from the agenda due to incomplete documentation.
Old Business
- 23842 W. Main St. (Certificate of Appropriateness) – Removed from the agenda at the applicant's request because quotes for windows and doors were not yet available. The item will be rescheduled to October.
New Business
1. 15211 S. Dillman St. – Height Determination for Carriage House Garage
Staff Report: Staff noted this is an unusual request because the property is not a landmark or in a historic district. The zoning code limits accessory structure height to 15 feet in the R1 overlay district, but the HPC can authorize a variation. Two previous height determinations were for 16-17 feet. The proposed garage would be 17 feet 4 inches using the zoning code height definition (midpoint from eaves to ridge). Staff supported the proposal, noting the design is sympathetic to the neighborhood.
Applicant Testimony: Breck Dron, the property owner, testified that the existing garage was from 1956 (modern type), not 1931 as earlier assumed. He provided a building permit from 1956 found inside the garage, supporting that it was not a historic contributor.
Commission Discussion: Commissioners clarified the height calculation. The proposed height is measured as the midpoint between eaves and ridge. Calculations resulted in a height of 16 feet 8 inches (10 feet 9 inches from grade to eaves plus half of 11 feet 10 inches from eaves to ridge). Commissioners expressed satisfaction that the height is similar to the principal house and that the design appears subordinate and appropriate. The garage is set back and not highly visible from the street.
Motion: To recommend approval of a height determination of 16 feet 8 inches for the proposed carriage house garage.
Vote: Unanimous (7-0).
2. 23822 W. Lockport St. – Historic Preservation Rehabilitation Grant ($2,500)
Staff Report: The property owner is replacing the roof with architectural asphalt shingles. Three bids were submitted; the selected bid includes reinstallation of ridge cresting and finials. The work is eligible under the grant program (50% of eligible costs up to $2,500). The Certificate of Appropriateness was handled administratively as minor work. Staff noted the owner was informed of the grant when landmarking the property, which may have incentivized the designation.
Commission Discussion: Several commissioners expressed concern that the original wood shingle roof was a character-defining feature and that the grant should not subsidize replacing historic materials with non-historic alternatives. However, they acknowledged that wood shingles were extremely expensive and difficult to source (20,000+ more than asphalt), and the owner had acted in good faith. Commissioners noted the owner is preserving the roof shape, ridge cresting, and other features. Some argued the grant should be used to bridge the cost difference for preservation, but also recognized the practical need to prevent deterioration.
Motion: To recommend approval of the $2,500 grant with stipulations: (1) execution of a historic preservation grant agreement, and (2) retention and reinstallation of the ridge cresting as reflected in the contractor's quote.
Vote: Unanimous (7-0).
Key Outcomes
- Item 23842 W. Main St. removed from agenda; rescheduled to October.
- Height determination for 15211 S. Dillman St. approved at 16 feet 8 inches (unanimous).
- Rehabilitation grant for 23822 W. Lockport St. recommended for approval with stipulations (unanimous); recommendation will go to the Village Board.
Meeting Adjourned
Meeting adjourned after all business.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, well that's so far knock out wood. I know. Ah, I know I'll try to have the name but it's not a good idea. I think these are been awesome. Do you see the staff recommendation? The height is wrong. I thought it was like seventeen feet versus twenty-two in the feet. Like that's okay. Roll call. Commissioner Derek? Present. Commissioner Failing? Here. Commissioner Olson? Here. Commissioner Rapp. Here. Commissioner Schmidt? Here. Commissioner Scholz? Here. Here. I rise for the pledge. I pledge the legally flag. The next item is the approval of the agenda. And I would like to make a motion that we amend the agenda. Is there any discussion on the motion to amend? And just for clarification, could you identify the item removed? We would like to okay. I'll do the the address. For the for the address 23, 842 West Main Street, case number 2127-070426 dot COA. I would like to amend the agenda to reflect that the quotes for the windows and the doors requested by the commission aren't ready yet. And so we don't have anything we can really um discuss in detail. Anyone else have a discussion item? Yeah, so the proposal is to remove that case that item from the agenda. Remove that, yes. Any questions? No. Is there a second to that motion? I'll second that. Jinx. So hearing no further discussion, we'll proceed to vote. All in favor of amending the agenda to remove item one under old business for 238-42 Westreet for certificate of appropriateness. Say aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed. Okay. Motion is carried. Uh we'll move this to probably October.
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