City of Aiken, SC Design Review Board Meetings, 3 Jul 2018

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From YouTube: Design and Review Board Meeting July 3, 2018

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Livestream of the Design Review Board Meeting held in City Council Chambers. Here is the agenda: https://edoc.cityofaikensc.gov/weblink/0/doc/414518/Page1.aspx

A

Attendees tonight to the gym, why Design Review, Board meeting and- and you all know what what we attempt to do is to assist property owners with improvements generally that are visible from the street, in historic districts and in the hold Aiken overlay districts, and we have two sets of guidelines.

A

We usually begin by reviewing our minutes of the previous meeting in June I. Think our board here are looking through those and then we'll proceed with our agenda and we, when we get started Ryan bland. Our secretary this evening will read the description of the of the application and, after that, if, if you are the applicant, if you just come forward to the center lectern and give your name and address, and then you may want to add something.

A

If not, we may ask you some questions, but we'll begin by just see if we have a motion on the on the minutes.

B

That we approve the minutes from the work session of regular section of the hour June 5th 2018 meeting and the special meeting of June 19th at 2018.

A

All right any other, any other comments regarding the minutes, if not all in favor of.

C

A

All right, mr. bland.

C

First item is under old business. This is an open finding of demolition by neglect at 325 called an Avenue South East the board due to failure to remediate fire damage, particularly in the upper floor bedroom that can be seen from both Calton and Union Avenue.

C

The Board issued a finding and stayed or did not impose any penalty subject to successful remediation of that to standard exterior condition and have asked for updates from either the property owner or a contractor. Regarding that, and so it's back on your agenda, I believe.

A

We have someone here that representing the owner and if you'll give us your name again, I think you were here before I'm.

D

Greg McCarley McCarley construction and I'm, representing dr. Booker good.

A

And you have a contract to do the renovations and have done a good bit of it. Yes,.

C

A

You tell us kind of where you are just briefly: we've.

D

Ordered all the trim we twirl the old trim off the house-senate off, be matched the old pickets, ground balls, dead, mole window casings and uh where we've received most of those we're in the process of priming them and putting a finished coat on them. So when we install- and we don't have to do as much paintwork to it, yeah.

A

And I think you're having some windows, maybe especially fabricated, yeah yeah good good. Do you have an idea when your of your completion date is four.

D

Weeks from now, okay.

A

Okay and then I suppose we had a time we were going to. We were, we had extended to I, don't know whether what the previous motion was but sounds like in rough roughly, the first couple weeks of August and so we're talking about. Okay, give.

B

You till September first would that be more than sufficient. It.

D

Should be as long as everything arrives on time, I had it's very hard to find this old glass. The house has some very big windows and we're using period-correct glass, which it's hard to come by yeah.

A

And actually, you may be able to complete the exterior and get it dried in and all even before you have the interior finished, correct and I think the exterior is the really the primary thing that we have jurisdiction over. Yes, sir, why.

E

Don't we request that he come back and give us an update next month? Okay,.

A

Don't matter you.

E

A

In do you live in the area? I do oh good, okay, yeah, I, think that would be great, and then you could. Let us know how the window fabrication was going. I think that'd be helpful for future applicants as well. Okay,.

D

I could even bring some pictures. Okay,.

A

B

So so I think the state of play here is we get we suspended or the penalties or decided not to impose the penalties. Until this meeting great.

D

B

We need to do something going forward about the penalties, correct.

C

You probably you do need to address how that's going to be okay,.

B

And so so, what I'm thinking is we give them until octo I mean I'm happy to have them come back in September and August and tell us how it's going, but to suspend the penalties until October give them plenty of time in if there's a problem, I'll.

D

Let you know yeah yeah and.

B

And and how do we, so? How does this closed out by the planning department.

C

So that it would be eventually I closed out, I guess the boy at the point. As long as the board is suspending penalties, so we have a finding in place right, so you're suspending penalties, I guess we would need a final action by the board that you're satisfied that the the the one.

B

Superior then back.

C

To a standard condition or release is on its way there to your satisfaction and then that you I guess I'll just be finding that no penalty would be imposed at that point. If the board were to choose to do that. Well,.

A

We work towards that and actually have something on the agenda in the October meeting. That would maybe state that let's wait and do an update that.

E

B

So hopefully we're gonna go and say it looks beautiful, no, no penalties go forward and be good and.

A

You know, since we don't normally have I, don't think we have an inspector working for our particular board that the building inspector can also give us a statement. The words complete right, yeah.

C

I know yeah that Tibbie you yeah course.

A

C

That we would take on most actions like that yeah is, there is a yeah there'd, be eventually a closed out of the building permit.

B

Before we yeah yeah, so hopefully all this can be done by the first Tuesday in October mm-hmm.

A

D

So I can't afford to stay there much longer yeah.

A

Okay, good, we don't have.

B

To make a motion, because.

A

B

C

B

Cuz, you know this is we gave them until now, and so now we need to just make it clear that we're doing until October. First, if that's satisfactory,.

A

Well, we'll go ahead. Thank you, we'll see, if any other there any other comments from from others from neighbors. Thank you.

D

A

Yeah it's the first Tuesday of the month, so it'll be the first Tuesday in August I. Don't know that her motion is gonna require you to do that. It sounds like we may. Let you get some work done and then come back and over is the is the debt? Is the deadline? That's what we're saying first Tuesday in October.

A

If you wanted to come in before then, if everything's all ready- and you got the inspector signing off, we could actually move it up. Yeah.

C

So as long as we would get roughly two weeks notice from contractors that we believe the work is done to satisfactory condition, we can that give us enough time to place it on their agenda for consideration earlier than that October day. That's what the word is using then.

B

The flip side of that is if it gets to the middle of September, and you need more time. You need to come in and write it on the agenda.

A

B

F

You yeah thank you.

A

D

A

And we'll see if there any others who like to speak regarding this repair and renovation of the house there at 325, Carlton I, don't see anyone here. So we could entertaining motion then so.

B

Mr. chairman, with respect to the demolition of neglect for property, located at 325, collet Avenue, South, East I, move that we suspend penalties on this matter until our first meeting in October, at which point.

B

We would consider whether the work had been completed and we could close this matter out.

A

Okay, second motion: in a second any any other discussion, I'm.

E

A

Everybody, okay! Well, all in favor of this motion ratio right here: okay, great.

A

All righty, mr. secretary, if you could all right.

C

The next item and final item under your agenda is item CRH 18 year to zero property is at 207 Politan Avenue Southwest as a southwest corner of cult and a Newberry Africans are requesting solar installation on the we call it the western or northwestern roof slope of the property.

C

We do have a section of the design review manual that addresses roofs but does not give specific guidance on solar installation.

C

So what staff has provided you in your packet, because the design review manual does reference the Department of Interior standards as kind of a baseline for those we went to the Department Department of Interior for their guidance, which they've issued a bulletin and provided to you. Okay,.

A

Now we have an applicant here that could come to the lectern and and the owner. Oh good I've got a wreath of Langston as the applicant that we've got an owner good yeah that won't you give us your name good. If you do that in the microphone she'll get your your name recording.

F

Richard Humphrey.

A

Okay and I think we've got your address and you live there.

F

A

Okay, now we got a pretty good update and you'll have lots of backup material here, and we actually heard that did one time it would be owned would have could have been on the south east side and that it's been moved over in the south south. What screen? It's not back here this it's on the southwest, I, suppose you'd, say and I, don't know. If you all would y'all have anything else you want to add, and then we can sit there. Other questions.

A

You know we had. We have some guidelines from the front of Ontario that actually discourage panels from being installed on roofs, own corner properties and backpack that came up. The visibility from the street would would maybe not not be advantageous and I suppose you all talked with with staff some about about that.

A

At this point, do you all have other any other questions.

E

Mr. Humphrey have you spoke with any of your neighbors to see if they're objecting have any objections to this or not.

F

The Margaret a neighbor next door, Marcus, it's.

E

E

Okay and I assume you just won't, do this to help with your electric bill right, the purpose for it yeah not for aesthetic reasons.

F

Down the hill, which you probably ought to put a cop out there more often, but it's really high- that's a that's a tall house. I can't see it walking did I try to stand on the back of my pickup, no.

A

Yeah I think we probably have to go back and rely on the probably interior guidelines in terms of corner the thing about it is once you do that you kind of have to a problem I come now on and that there is a super soak there in terms of putting it back on the southeast. I know how you all feel.

A

Continue to come up, I actually wondered if you maybe would resent we're in the meeting. I didn't realize you were in the meeting. What could you put some on each and then minimize, but it's a much more complicated.

F

F

There's a three-car garage up there that has roofs but they're, not they're, not simple roofs, they're, also, probably not up to the load.

A

And, and really you always have to if you, if you did break it down into other arrays I, suppose you it's gonna have to always be that same angle or it it confuses the inverter and all that.

F

From a cost point of it, you just want it to be matched to the roof. Yeah.

F

A

F

A

F

Did all of the planting facilities at Portsmouth and Paducah.

A

Okay, well you're an expert, then that's the that's, a very visible house in in many ways, I think.

F

Try to see the roof as you drive by.

F

A

Yeah and I think we recognize that the tree coming from the other direction blocks it, but it may it it's not going to live forever and you have more visibility, but you from the street that you have less people on that. Street. Obviously do you all have any other questions, if not we'll see, if there's someone here else who would like to speak unless you've got something else, you want to add?

A

Okay, we just we just go through this thing. Where you you, you represent your application and then we see if the public has comments. Yeah.

F

A

You yeah I, don't know that we have anyone else, speaking with regard to this one way or the other. So we could. We can open this up for some discussion. Our emotion with that a lot of discussion.

A

Have any other other questions so.

B

Mr. chairman, with respect to application number CRH 18, oh a request to install solar panels on the roof of 207 Colley Avenue Southwest I, move that we approve this application.

B

By way of discussion.

B

The proposal meets the following.

B

National Park Service, the solar technology can be successfully and we'll use successfully will benefit the historic building without compromising its character or the character of the site or the surrounding historic district, and the proposal is not only miss it only minimally visible from the public right-of-way and finally, it will be installed in a manner that does not damage the historic roofing for negatively impact, the building's historic character. It is reversible and.

A

Even though it's a corner a lot, it is the panels have been located away from the corner, and that was one of the examples that we had as well. Ok, I think.

E

It's also from my opinion, just because it's a corner lot doesn't mean that we're going to grant all corner Lots in the future. I think we've got to look at these things on a case-by-case basis and make a reasonable determination and then I'm all in favor of green energy, but but I I feel like this one's appropriate right.

A

I think they've done a good job, they've done their homework in terms of the efficiency of them and and they made some compromises in terms of visibility. So I think it's a good application, but all in favor raise your right hand, good. Okay, it's approved great thanks for coming in mm-hmm.

A

Okay I believe is that all on our agenda. So it is okay motion to adjourn.