Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Summary – August 8, 2024
Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Summary – August 8, 2024
The Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission convened on Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 5:31 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Skyline Center, 929 North Front Street, Wilmington, NC. Chair Kathleen Egan presided with members Joan Keston, Alison Watts, Ashley Wilson, and Ross Tomaselli present; Vice-Chair Christopher Yermal and Stephen Sulkey were absent. The meeting adjourned at 6:11 p.m.
Approval of Minutes
- The minutes from the July 11, 2024 meeting were approved by a 5-0 vote.
Public Comments
- No members of the public spoke during any evidentiary hearing.
Discussion Items
Old Business – 402 S 3rd Street (McCoy House)
- The commission considered after-the-fact exterior alterations to the contributing Queen Anne style dwelling: enclosure of the rear porch with plywood and wood siding, installation of three windows, installation of a rear door and transom, and replacement of a rear window. The applicant had rescinded earlier requests for a new fence, modification of the rear yard driveway, and construction of a rear covered deck. No public comments. The commission initially approved the request including the fence and driveway, but later corrected the motion to exclude those elements. The final motion (with seven conditions including payment of after-the-fact fees, provision of window dimensions, siding reveal, manufacturer specifications, etc.) passed 5-0.
Old Business – 216 S 3rd Street
- The applicant requested a continuance to the September 12, 2024 meeting. The commission granted the continuance unanimously (5-0).
New Business – 512 Chestnut Street (Warren House)
- Proposed construction of a second-story rear addition and exterior modifications: removal of existing deck posts, balustrade, and screening; infilling with repurposed siding; repurposing three historic windows; and replacing rear double doors and adjacent windows with a patio door. Staff noted that reuse of historic stained glass windows preserves a contributing feature and that the rear location meets standards for additions. No public comments. The commission conditionally approved the request 5-0 (conditions: addition not to exceed existing height, compliance with codes, changes via bypass).
New Business – 315 N 7th Street (Thomas E. Davis House)
- The applicant sought approval to replace the existing asphalt shingle roof with a modern standing seam metal roof (flat panels, mill-finished aluminum, 16-inch-wide panels) and after-the-fact approval of a front door installation. The door was a Croxley fiberglass door with tinted, frosted, and opaque glass, which staff deemed inappropriate for the Craftsman style. No public comments. After deliberation, the commission voted 5-0 to conditionally approve the roof replacement and deny the after-the-fact door installation. Conditions for the roof: no removal of existing vents or chimneys, no alteration of roofline, no new vents or chimneys. The applicant may apply for a bypass for a more appropriate door.
Other Business – Items from Staff
- Megan Bacik announced a change to the tree removal process: in Historic Districts and Historic District Overlays, only a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) will be required moving forward, eliminating the previously redundant requirement for both a COA and a zoning tree removal permit, as historic requirements take precedence.
- Ms. Bacik announced that her last day with the city will be September 16, 2024. Commissioners expressed appreciation and best wishes.
Key Outcomes
- All five motions passed unanimously (5-0).
- The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 12, 2024.
Meeting Transcript
The repeal must be submitted to Superior Court. Evidence pertaining to an agenda item must be presented during the evidentiary portion of that item. Individuals who wish to address the commission will be sworn in as witnesses to present material and substantial evidence. The chair will recognize each witness who wishes to address the commission during the evidentiary portion. In order to ensure that witness evidence is properly recorded, each individual should come to the podium and clearly state their name and address before addressing the commission. As a brief reminder, members of the commission are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of city council. Our charge is with respect to the protection and preservation of properties located within the city's designated historic districts. The commission is held to the requirements of the Wilmington design standards for historic districts and landmarks, as well as the applicable North Carolina state law. We are to determine whether exterior changes to a building are congruous with the special character of the city's historic districts. It is important that the commission deliberate the merits of each request in a manner that provides a record of the basis for our decisions. Please remember that our deliberation should be centered on how a project meets the Wilmington design standards and whether the changes are congruous. Commissioners, if you have received or have been made aware of any information outside the subvidentiary hearing related to an agenda item before the commission, please recuse yourself from that agenda item. Before the meeting begins, please ensure that all cell phones are in silent mode or turned off. Thomas Alley. Ashley Wilson. Alison Watts. John Keston. Thank you. Now we will swear in those present who wish to present evidence related to an agenda item tonight. If I can have all staff, applicants, and members of the public, please stand and raise your right hand. Do you swear that the testimony you're about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Thank you. Thank you. We have received a copy of the minutes from the July meeting. Are there any suggested suggested edits or corrections to the draft minutes? Could I have a motion then to accept the minutes as drafted? I'll make a motion. A second. Second. All in favor? Aye. Motion passes. We will now move to the evidentiary portion of the meeting, and we will follow the agenda. We will begin with old business, which is 40. The first one is 402 South Third. The subject property is located on the southwest corner of Nunn and Southbird Streets and is contributing resource to historic district residential. Revisions to all facades of the building and site are subject to design review in this district. The McCoy House, built 1887 for William McCoy and his wife Catherine Bacon, is a modification to a published design from the Carpentee in Building 1886. Design was modified by James F. Post and constructed by Alfred Howe, a prominent black contractor in Wilmington. Howe and Post were extremely active in the construction of Victorian era Wilmington. Post is attributed to several renowned Wilmington buildings, including the Bellamy Mansion and the New Hanover County Courthouse. Howe served as an alderman in 1869 and oversaw the construction of many Capitol projects and several dwellings, including 408 Market Street. This elegant Queen Anne style dwelling has an irregular plan with local isometry and features a wraparound one-story front porch along front, eastern, and side southern facades. That is supported by turn columns and OG arched opaque ramas between each post. Two large interior chimneys project from the asymmetrical roof line, and a small second story balcony can be seen along the front facade. The applicant seeks approval for the after fact enclosure of the rear porch of plywood and wood siding. The porch is partially infilled and will be continued to be infilled with southern yellow pine, one inch by six inch with a reveal of five inches to match existing. The applicant also seeks approval for the installation of three windows in the infill. Two of the windows measuring 33 inches wide by 66 inches high are located on the rear west facade, and one for which the dimensions were not provided is on the northern facade.
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