Mar 03, 2025 Historic Landmark Commission on 2025-03-03 5:30 PM

I see a quorum is present here so go ahead and convene this meeting the Historic Landmark Committee for Monday March 3rd at 5.30pm. So first order of business as always I pledge allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to the Texas one state under God one and indivisible. Play ball. Alright so the second order of business on our agenda is to hear presentations from members of the public. We have one who is requested to speak or offer a public comment. Seeing none we will move to our items of consideration. So first A HLC 25-015 we're going to consider approval of the February 10th 2025 minute. I'll entertain motions. Second. We have a vote to approve in a second. Any discussion? Alright so item B COA 24-0014. We've got an application for certificate of appropriateness in accordance with our sections to replace exterior windows at 704 West Oak Street within the Oak history historic district. And I bet our presentation office has some issues. Okay as stated this is at 704 West Oak Street. It's located on the north side of West Oak Street in our Oak Hickory Historic District. The owners are gone and the construction date for the residents is 1951. So the request is for the replacement of 21 windows and removal of 13 storm windows. It would be along with the lanes entire exterior current conditions right now. It does have protected. It is protected by non historic storm windows and there is air leakage leakage that is currently happening. So as you can see here the reflective storm window and then some of that gaping with that air leakage. The current design is single pane. It does have horizontal lights which is when the sash goes horizontally. They're double hung windows with they are wood framing and they are original and they do have the storm windows. The proposed design is still double hung windows with that horizontal light but they would be double pane and then they would actually be a pine species painted white. As was provided in your backup staff's analysis looked at standards for rehabilitation 2, 3, 5, 6, and 9 from the standards of rehabilitation. Some examples of other windows along West Oak Street. We do have kind of for our ranch style homes. We have wooden multi light double hung windows. We also see wooden horizontal light double hung windows. We have aluminum horizontal light windows. So that is something that's very common for rich out homes. So it is something that we would see within that West Oak area. Staff's analysis also looked at section 4.9.4C broken down for the Oak Hickory Historic District looking specifically at architectural detail and then windows and doors. Staff is recommending approval of the replacement of the 21 main resident windows at 704 West Oak Street subject to the following conditions. Prior to any issuance of any building permits, staff would like to confirm that the main living room window picture window, which is this window right here, opening will remain as it currently exists. And then prior to any issuance of any building permits, confirmation and/or updated window specs showing the implementation of a horizontal light picture window in that main living room window. It wasn't clear from the materials received by staff from the applicant whether or not that large picture window would remain in existence. So that is why staff is recommending approval subject to the following conditions. And I can stand for any questions and I'll show you once again. This is what I mean by large picture window. Does that window open? No. And the applicant is not here to answer any questions. I will move approval of this request with the conditions. Thank you, Commissioner McKenna. I'll have a second. Any other discussion? I'll second it. All right. Vote, all in favor, aye? Aye. All opposed? All right, passes. All right, let's move on to item C. This is a consideration for an application for a certificate of appropriateness in accordance with codes to construct a new one story residence at 2203 Houston Place in the West Oak Area Historic District. Thank you, Chair. As stated, this is located along Houston Place. The property is owned by Randy Park. It is in that West Oak Area Historic District, and the property is currently vacant. So the request today is for that new residence, approximately 2,200 square feet. It would include three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a half bath, and a two-car garage. So this is current conditions right here, and then the proposed new residence here. So these are the proposed elevation drawings for that residence. So here is your north elevation, which is your main facade facing Houston Place. You have that western elevation, which is that two-car garage. You have your eastern elevation, and then you have your south elevation, which is facing towards the rear of the property. As you can see, there are going to be solar panels provided, which staff kind of covered in the backup packet for you all. Proposed architectural drawings. We have the floor plan here showing just the layout of the home itself. We have our roof plan. And I just wanted to show some examples of the residents in the West Oak Area Historic District, kind of based off what they're proposing. So similar to their proposed design, you have that broad entry porch that's at the front. We have one story. We have double-hung windows that you can see on this example. And then we also have a cross-gabled roof, which actually is the adjacent property next to the new proposed property. So just to kind of give you an example again, this is what we're looking at. So staff wanted to kind of highlight some of those details that are also seen in the neighboring residents. Staff's analysis, because it is a new build, looked at the standards for rehabilitation, focusing on these last two in terms of new construction. And then staff's analysis also looked at Section 4.9.6(c) of that West Oak Area Historic District, focusing kind of on those larger details when it comes to the residents itself. So the principal structure, the architectural detailing, building placement where it's placed on the lot, chimneys, facade materials, our front entrance, kind of those porch, and then the roof form itself. So staff is recommending approval as submitted of that COA for the new residents at 2203 Houston Place, as it does meet that Secretary of Interior's standards for rehabilitation in our 4.9.6(c) of the Dent development. I can stand for any questions. And we do have the applicants here if you have any questions as well. Tell us about your project. Pardon me? Just tell us about your project. The house is for my younger brother, Zoe, right here. I live just a few houses down on 2223 Houston Place. This is our father, Randy Park. He's actually owner of several of the lots right around in that same area. This is just, he's moved to Lewisville a while back for his son to go to use Lewisville Independent School District schools. And now his son lives on Alamo Place on the cul-de-sac. And we are wanting Zoe to come move closer to his son and closer to the rest of the family since nobody else lives in Lewisville. We all live right, most of us live right around and not in this historic district that we're talking about. All right. Spanning the gang's hideout, I guess. He'll be owner-occupied then, essentially. Yes, yes, yes. Back in the property right there. Yeah, I will gift the land to him for this project. Any other questions, discussion? Well, there seeming to be none. I will recommend that this petition be approved as submitted. I second that. All right. Motion has been made and seconded. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed, nay. Seeing no opposition. It's passed. Thank you. Thanks for coming to see us. Good luck on your project. Thank you very much. That's been the only vacant lot on that screen for a long time. I'm happy to see what it's going to be. And welcome back to them. Thanks, guys. Thank you. Thank you. All right, well, let's move right along into our work session. So item A, HLC 25-013 is to receive a report, hold a discussion, and give a staff direction on the Historic Landmark Commission's request for local historic designation of eligible historic properties. I have one. All right. This is a commercial property. Currently houses a number of businesses, including Soma Massage Therapy. It is a Mount Miller designed building. I don't know how many commercial buildings they would have done, but several. It's designed by Mount Miller, and then the material is the concrete that was concrete block that was manufactured in Den Creek. So I think it's sort of interesting in form, its proximity to downtown without being kind of right on the square. The fact that it is historically significant because of the architecture and then because of the materials that it uses. Nifty. So we would just need three people in support or three commissioners in support of adding this to the list. We've got our three, we've got Commissioner Adams, Commissioner Sherman, and then Commissioner Treats. I'm glad we also got four. We've got the three, and then it's going to be the only one that I am against. Each one of you. That's great. Any others? I have one that's big for me too, and I don't know, I just saw it today and it reminded me that's a really cool house. I had to look it up because I can tell you exactly where it is. It's the house where Ravel is. Oh, yeah. It used to be a photographer's studio. Before that it was on a beach a long time ago. Oh, wow. The house behind. Actually, the Ravel property, the building itself is kind of cool too. So it looks like it was like an old-school garden. It does look like it with that window up front. I think it was Buick. We're taking a journey. We're going to see the ground. I believe the folks who own Ravel. I just wanted to give you a quick background story. The former members of the commission had reached out at the time. They had expressed interest, former Commissioner Anne Anderson, Mary Anderson had reached out to them. But at that time they weren't necessarily interested. I think it's good to re-approach them. But just want to provide that background that they were approached about two years ago. So for the house and the... For the house itself. I agree. I like how you're thinking. I support both. Okay, so both the house and the former auto. Okay, and Ravel. Great, we're on a roll. I love it. I wanted to just follow up. I delivered a letter to Oak Street Draft House. And also had the opportunity to talk to John Lynch. So they are very interested. They'll be getting in touch. Okay. And yeah, we'll follow up with their big anniversary coming up here within a week. Open every 13 years. Wonderful. Okay, and I will give updates. I have not heard from the gentleman on the Stocker Building on Austin. I have not heard from that gentleman. And then I have not heard from the property owner. So yeah, you just mentioned it. Is that you? Oh, okay. I'll take him a little bit then. Okay, so that one's been received. I'll see you tonight. Alright, alright. I was wondering if it was ranch while I was waiting on it. If you got a complaint in our previous meeting that it was really hot in here, so I turned all the AC down earlier. Okay. It was so loud. That's okay. Why do you take so long? It's very funny. I have another business to discuss. Alright, hearing none, then I guess I'm ignoring your business. I will adjourn the meeting. Nope. We have the matrix and spooky items. Oh, my bad. I skipped ahead. You skipped ahead to the matrix. I skipped ahead to the matrix. No, I want to talk to the matrix. So that is item B. That's right. There it is, HLC 25012, discussion regarding the matrix. Talk to me. Take us back to the matrix. Yes. So there's the matrix. Is this the way that I would suggest something to go on the matrix? Yes. Okay. So something that I brought up, I don't know, maybe it was a year or so ago, was the idea of a music festival? A porch fest? There are other models where this happens. I know for sure Sacramento, California does it. Atlanta does it. I'm sure there are more. Where they do a music festival literally on the front porch of homes. I think it could be an interesting thing to do to showcase some historic homes in Denton. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to talk to the president of DMACC because I don't -- it's sort of like sort of in our lane, but also not in our lane. And so I think potentially community partners would be important to pull something like it off. But a fundraiser for something like DMACC, but something where we could work together to again showcase some historic homes in Denton I think could be interesting. To increase visibility about what we're doing and why it's important. They're very interested in talking about that. And I think essentially would take a lot of the lead in terms of programming a music festival. So I don't know. That's my pitch. I like it, dig it, love it. Just a thought, since you bring up that area, of course Randy Hunt has the historic Denton. They usually do like a tour maybe once a year, right? In the spring or is it the fall? I don't know. I've never been. Let me talk to him. Because that could be a fun thing is to both promote us and our work, right? Be able to have some handouts and maybe take away literature, right? DMACC sets up on the porches and then have a little tour of homes externally maybe. I guess the question would be where are you proposing it be located? I think that will be. I think it would make sense primarily to happen in one of our designated areas. Or on porches of designated homes if it's not in an area, then individual, but I think the key is that it's walkable from one to another. And I'm talking four porches, not getting that there could be like a jazz porch and a country porch or whatever. But I think doing it in one of our walkable kind of over piece would make a lot of sense. OK. So we just need three people in favor. I'm in favor of it. I'm in favor. I think it's great. So I'll bring my banjo. I'm going to have to learn the Washtub so we can participate. So maybe West Oak or some of the. So our three are West Oak, Belle and West Oak isn't actually West Oak. West Oak is the farther one. Yes. What is the central one? Okickery. Okickery is that central one that you would think. Yeah. There would be quite central. Belle is maybe more neighborhood ish and maybe slightly less conducive. I don't know. I think yeah. Okickery might make the most sense. My sister also happens to live there. So there's potentially two porches. There you go. Right. There are a few side streets. Right. Right. But it's walkable from downtown. It's walkable from the university. So I think that could be a cool. And then West Oak feels a little bit again. Maybe a little bit too disconnected from downtown. Well, I'll get that added to the matrix and then we can bring that back. I'm assuming you'd rather obviously do it sooner than later. So we can bring it back for next meeting to have that discussion of kind of like what that would look like and some of the partnerships. Sure. Cameron, is that something that you're already working on a program for the preservation month? But I don't know. Maybe too soon. But not this year. Maybe another year. Maybe there's a lot of this. I would say I'll do that. But I'm kind of. Of course. Great. Good discussion. Any other comments, questions? Okay. Well, now we're getting to concluding items. So what are some concluding items? So today we had our staff have their kickoff meeting for the South Ridge Neighborhood Historic Resource Survey. So it went really well. The consultant, I think you all, I sent you all an email last week. It's SWCA consultants. Great team to work with. It's funny, I just found out one of my old colleagues from New York City works for their Northeast region. So I was like, oh, okay, hi. But so we did the kickoff meeting. We had preliminary discussion about community engagement, what that's going to look like. They are planning to do that towards the end of April for community engagement and kind of that education. Why it's important to preserve what the point of the historic resource survey is, kind of just get the neighborhood excited. So just wanted to let you all know about that. Denton revealed, which is our preservation month here in Denton. It's our fourth annual this year, which is really exciting during National Preservation Month, which is in the month of May. So the city proclamation I'm going to send, Carly is going to send out an invitation for that, but the city proclamation for Denton revealed is going to be the night of April 15th at City Council. So we'd love to have some of our commissioners show up and support the kind of launch of that. And usually we make announcements about the different events. But there's going to be five events this year. We're kind of scaling it back just because a lot of the Denton revealed team is very busy this year, which is personal things. So five events, but all exciting things. But the first event, and I'll share this once it's kind of all finalized, but we do have Deenia neighborhood, Mr. McAdams, Deenia neighborhood on Saturday, May 3rd. The two new properties that were designated in September, they want to do a ribbon cutting that morning. And then they are would love to do a walking tour because they have expressed interest in creating potentially a historic district or a conservation district. So they want to kind of celebrate the neighborhood to kick off Preservation Month. So yeah, so kind of they were talking about maybe a little bit of porch fest, too. So we'll see. But that's that update and I'll share more information. And then tax exemption, I'm sure you guys are like Cameron keeps talking about this tax exemption and it keeps not appearing on the agenda. Trust me, staff is working on it. Still having lots of internal discussions, running lots of numbers, just kind of running up the chain of command. So it's still we're still working on it. So that will be coming to you all just because we don't want it to get to a year long either. So just want to let you all know that that's still working on it. And that's all the updates from staff. Awesome. May 3rd. May 3rd. Sorry, May 3rd. I love it. Well, there's no more discussion. And after those excellent updates, I'll now adjourn the meeting at five fifty seven. Thank you for your service.