Good evening, everyone.

Welcome to the Historic Preservation Commission meeting on this Thursday, October 8th, 2026.

Hearings before the historic preservation commission are quasi-judicial in nature.

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

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

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

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

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

Evidence is received during the evidentiary hearing portion of an agenda item, and those who want to address the commission are sworn as witnesses to present material and substantial evidence to the commission.

The chair recognizes those who want to submit such evidence during the evidentiary hearing.

Evidence should be directed to the commission.

To ensure that the evidence is properly recorded, please come to the podium to address the commission, state your name and address, and speak clearly.

Members of the Historic Preservation Commission are appointed by the city council on serve at its discretion.

Our responsibility is to protect and preserve properties within the city's designated historic districts.

We adhere to the Wilmington design standards for historic districts and landmarks as well as applicable North Carolina state law to assess whether exterior changes align with the unique character of the city's historic districts.

It is important that we deliberate the merits of each request in a manner that provides the uh a record of the basis for our decisions, and please remember that our deliberation should center on how a project meets the design standards and whether the proposed change is congruous or not.

Commissioners, if you have received or been made aware of any outside evidence related to any of the man matters, please recuse yourself.

And if you would all please um turn off your cell phones or set them to silent mode.

Thank you for that.

Um I would like to introduce staff over here to my left, Gina Esse, Assistant City Attorney, Brian Chambers beside Gina, that's he's the assistant planning director.

Ben Riggle, our historic preservation planning manager at Alden Finholm next to Ben, that's our historic preservation planner.

And over here to my right is Amy Bradshaw, our planning coordinator.

And if we could audience left, please introduce ourselves.

I'm

Christopher Yermal.

Ashley Wilson.

Stephen Sulkey on the

right.

If I could have all staff applicants and members of the public, anybody who wishes to speak tonight to please stand up and raise your right hand.

Please note that if you intend to speak this evening, you will need to stand up and be sworn in.

Do

you swear that the testimony you're about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Thank

you.

Anything that we read in there that needs modification, otherwise, if someone can make a motion to um accept those is right.

First item of business or some sorry, second of it of business is agenda item number one, one oh three North Seventh Street.

Um

Benjamin

Good

evening, Commissioners.

Case number one is a request to establish setbacks for a potential new house at 103 North 7th Street.

As described by staff, based on direct opter observation, the proposed project parcel is currently a vacant grass grassy lot.

The subject property is a non-contributing resource to the historic district residential, and all revisions to the site, including new construction, are subject to design review in this district.

The subject property is located on the west side of North 7th Street, the second parcel north of its intersection with Princess Street.

To better guide the design process, the applicant is requesting to establish setbacks for a potential new house on the currently vacant lot.

As

seen in this proposed site plan, the proposed front setback will be five feet.

Side setbacks will be three feet on the north and seven feet on the south.

And between the rear of the house and the rear west property line, a parking area or carport will be located with a setback of five feet from the western property boundary.

An eight-foot wide private drive is proposed along the southern property line.

If the proposed setbacks are approved, the applicant will move forward with designs for the proposed home.

Once the proposed dwelling and all associated outbuildings and parking are designed, the applicant will apply for another major work COA to be reviewed by the C by the HPC at that time.

Staff notes a two-story frame dwelling occupied the parcel from the late 19th through mid-20th century, as seen in the 1955 side sandborne fire insurance map on the left.

Based on publicly available aerial photographs, that house was demolished sometime between 1969 and 1982.

As seen on the sandborne map, the previous two-story dwelling that occupied this parcel was located the south of the parcel with very little setback along its southern edge.

Houses on this block do not have a uniform side setback, but they do appear to have an approximate five foot set front setback for the ones fronting North 7th Street as seen in the one map image on the right of the slide.

If approved, staff recommends the following conditions.

The approved plan is for the preliminary approval of proposed setbacks.

No site work shall occur until the final design of the new house and site are formally approved by the HPC during a separate hearing to be completed in the future.

The project shall comply with code and regulations, and any changes to the proposed project shall be reviewed.