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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Historic Preservation Commission Special Meeting – April 29, 2019: Review of 1623 Rankin Street Construction

Historic Preservation Commission — Monday, April 29, 2019

BodyWilmington, North Carolina

SessionHistoric Preservation Commission

DateMonday, April 29, 2019

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:42:55

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

5:51

Good evening.

5:52

I would like to go ahead and call the special meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission to order.

5:57

This is Monday, April 29th, 2019.

6:01

Thank you for coming.

6:02

We appreciate your attendance at this evening's meeting.

6:07

Hearings before the Historic Preservation Commission are quasi-judicial in nature.

6:12

This is a design review process to determine if the proposed project is congruent with the historic aspects and special character of the historic district or landmark.

6:20

Decisions of the Commission are based on the record of these proceedings, the Wilmington Design Guidelines for Historic Districts and Landmarks, and the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation.

6:30

Evidence submitted to the Commission for review becomes part of the record.

6:34

Appeals of commission decisions are to the Wilmington Board of Adjustment and then to Superior Court and are based on the record.

6:41

Appeals must be filed within 30 days of the date of the commission's action.

6:45

Public comment portion is heard during the public comment portion of the agenda item.

6:49

Those who want to address the commission are sworn in as witnesses.

7:13

To use, please switch on the T-coil on your hearing aid or ask city staff for assistance.

7:18

At this time, I would like to request that all cell phones be either turned off or put on silence mode.

7:24

A reminder of the commissioners, if you have received or been made of any aware of any outside evidence related to any of the matters, please recuse yourself or let it be known.

8:14

At this time, I would like to ask each commissioner to introduce themselves.

8:29

Michael Smith.

10:15

This will be the only item on the agenda tonight.

10:19

This is the subject property at 1623 Rankin Street.

10:23

Jonathan, are we okay?

10:26

Jonathan, are we okay?

10:29

Yes, we should be.

10:31

This is the subject property.

10:33

It's a vacant lot, has been cleared of most of its vegetation, and the house is currently under construction.

10:42

This is North 17th Street as it terminates into Rankin Street and becomes one way back here at Princess Place and Grace Street.

10:54

So this is a one-way section of Rankin Street that continues westbound and then southbound on North 16th Street.

11:19

Again, this is the subject property.

11:21

This is vacant lot owned by Bellevue Cemetery.

11:25

This is also a vacant lot recently fenced.

11:29

And then there are two properties kind of along the streetscape of Franken Street that actually face North 16th.

11:39

Be happy to review any of these as adjoining properties or surrounding fabric if you wish.

11:50

This is the 1955 map.

11:54

These were three small single story structures.

12:08

As to where the subject property lies within this block 469, it's hard to determine, but the subject property is in this block.

12:20

At the time, Rankin Street was unpaved between 16th and 17th.

12:32

So this was a dirt road, if you will.

12:45

Again, this is the subject properties.

12:54

Not sure what this is, maybe an old alley.

13:09

These two one-story dwellings are no longer present.

13:14

They have been demolished.

13:17

Again, this is the subject property.

13:19

This is the house under construction.

13:21

Rankin Street in the foreground.

13:27

This is a three-story structure, a three-bedroom, two-bath.

13:31

It is being serviced by a separate tank due to the innavailability of sewerage service.

13:45

That the only purview the commission has is what can be seen from a public right-away.

13:50

So obviously the Rankin Street elevation is present or visible, I should say, from a public rideway.

14:00

And then this is the western elevation viewable from North 16th Street.

14:06

And you can see these photographs are recent.

14:14

Another view from North 16th Street.

14:29

These trees have been removed.

14:32

Staff may comments in the staff report that replacement trees should be a part of this review process.

14:41

This is the front door.

14:42

At the time we weren't certain, but this door is actually on the house now.

14:48

It is a thermatrue fiberglass door with simulated divided light panels.

14:55

This is the site plan is submitted by the applicant.

15:00

You can see the initial drain field line, and then this is apparently a repair area that's being required for reservation on the lot to make sure the septic system is properly served should the initial drain field fail.

15:18

These are the two landscape plans.

15:20

This is one that was initially reviewed by the commission.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Building Design███████████████████████████████████████39%

Neighborhood Congruity██████████████████████████████30%

Historic Preservation████████████████16%

Landscape Design████████8%

Public Engagement███3%

Historic Preservation Agreement██2%

Urban Planning█1%

Building Permits█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission Special Meeting – April 29, 2019: Review of 1623 Rankin Street Construction

This special meeting of the Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission was held on Monday, April 29, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. The single agenda item was a Certificate of Appropriateness request for a three-story single-family residence at 1623 Rankin Street, already under construction due to an erroneously issued building permit. The property lies within the Carolina Heights/Winoca Terrace Historic District Overlay.

Public Comments & Testimony

Frederick Bingham (405 North 16th Street) submitted a letter read into the record. He argued the house is incompatible with the neighborhood in height, form, proportion, massing, roof shape, setbacks, spacing, and orientation to the street, citing the commission’s own guidelines. He also questioned the accuracy of the applicant’s claim about headlights and flood zone issues. He did not attend due to being out of town.
No other public speakers came forward.

Discussion Items

Applicant Presentation: Steve Dutton, the builder/owner, stated he had worked with staff to modify the design after learning of the overlay. Changes included a narrowed driveway, a front porch, and a revised landscape plan with Leyland cypress trees for privacy. He offered to use Hardie plank siding (lap) instead of cedar shake to better fit the neighborhood, though he preferred cedar.
Commission Deliberation: Commissioners noted the unusual fragmented location of the lot at the edge of the district near a cemetery and busy street. Some felt the structure was not congruous with nearby bungalows and one-story homes, but others pointed to the eclectic mix of architectural styles in the broader district. Concerns were raised about minimal architectural modifications (especially the porch) and the landscaping plan, which was seen as insufficient. Commissioner Hill read a description of the Winoca Terrace area’s variety. Commissioner Smith noted the house could be largely hidden by existing and new vegetation. Commissioner Keston (who missed the earlier meeting but reviewed audio) stated she considered it incongruous but would be willing to approve if the commission acknowledged it as an exception. City Attorney Huffman clarified that the guidelines do not allow an explicit “exception” for incongruity; the commission must determine congruity based on evidence, including the eclectic nature of the district.
A possible continuance was discussed, but the applicant preferred a decision that evening due to financial pressures. After an informal poll showed a likely 5-2 split, a formal motion was made.

Key Outcomes

Motion: Commissioner Rob Romero moved to approve the request with conditions as outlined in the staff report (24 items) and additional conditions: use of lap siding (Hardie plank with 7” reveal, smooth side out), the front porch built as shown in the 3D rendering, and a revised landscape plan to be submitted at the May 9, 2019 meeting. Seconded by Daniel Hill.
Vote: 4 in favor (Romero, Hill, Michael Smith, Sherry Demas) and 3 opposed (Chairman Tara Murphy, Joan Keston, Edward McCaleb). Motion carried 4-3.
Next Steps: The applicant is to submit a detailed landscape plan for commission review at the May 9, 2019 meeting. All other conditions are to be implemented as per the staff report (including window glazing, foundation parging, parking area redesign, fencing, mechanical screening, etc.). The Historic Preservation Planner will review and approve many elements prior to final inspection.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I would like to go ahead and call the special meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission to order. This is Monday, April 29th, 2019. Thank you for coming. We appreciate your attendance at this evening's meeting. Hearings before the Historic Preservation Commission are quasi-judicial in nature. This is a design review process to determine if the proposed project is congruent with the historic aspects and special character of the historic district or landmark. Decisions of the Commission are based on the record of these proceedings, the Wilmington Design Guidelines for Historic Districts and Landmarks, and the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation. Evidence submitted to the Commission for review becomes part of the record. Appeals of commission decisions are to the Wilmington Board of Adjustment and then to Superior Court and are based on the record. Appeals must be filed within 30 days of the date of the commission's action. Public comment portion is heard during the public comment portion of the agenda item. Those who want to address the commission are sworn in as witnesses. To use, please switch on the T-coil on your hearing aid or ask city staff for assistance. At this time, I would like to request that all cell phones be either turned off or put on silence mode. A reminder of the commissioners, if you have received or been made of any aware of any outside evidence related to any of the matters, please recuse yourself or let it be known. At this time, I would like to ask each commissioner to introduce themselves. Michael Smith. This will be the only item on the agenda tonight. This is the subject property at 1623 Rankin Street. Jonathan, are we okay? Jonathan, are we okay? Yes, we should be. This is the subject property. It's a vacant lot, has been cleared of most of its vegetation, and the house is currently under construction. This is North 17th Street as it terminates into Rankin Street and becomes one way back here at Princess Place and Grace Street. So this is a one-way section of Rankin Street that continues westbound and then southbound on North 16th Street. Again, this is the subject property. This is vacant lot owned by Bellevue Cemetery. This is also a vacant lot recently fenced. And then there are two properties kind of along the streetscape of Franken Street that actually face North 16th. Be happy to review any of these as adjoining properties or surrounding fabric if you wish. This is the 1955 map. These were three small single story structures. As to where the subject property lies within this block 469, it's hard to determine, but the subject property is in this block. At the time, Rankin Street was unpaved between 16th and 17th. So this was a dirt road, if you will. Again, this is the subject properties. Not sure what this is, maybe an old alley. These two one-story dwellings are no longer present. They have been demolished. Again, this is the subject property. This is the house under construction. Rankin Street in the foreground. This is a three-story structure, a three-bedroom, two-bath. It is being serviced by a separate tank due to the innavailability of sewerage service. That the only purview the commission has is what can be seen from a public right-away. So obviously the Rankin Street elevation is present or visible, I should say, from a public rideway. And then this is the western elevation viewable from North 16th Street. And you can see these photographs are recent.

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