*noted attachments will be added after approval of the draft by the ARB Minutes Architectural Review Board FXBG April 14, 2025 City of Fredericksburg Community Planning & Building Council Chambers You may view and listen to the Architectural Review Board meeting in its entirety here. The time of each presentation is in brackets below [00:00:00]. Members Present Members Absent Staff Helen P. Ross (Chair) Kate Schwartz Kelly Penick (Vice Chair) Samantha Payze James Jarrell IV Caroline Hieber Andi Smith Miller Blackburn D.D. Lecky Karen Irvin Chair Ross called the Architectural Review Board meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. OPENING REMARKS Chair Ross determined that a quorum of seven members was present, and asked if public notice requirements had been met. Ms. Schwartz stated that they had. APPROVAL OF AGENDA [00:04:25] The agenda was approved as written. Ms. Irvin motioned to approve the agenda, Vice Chair Penick seconded and the motion carried 7-0. ANNOUNCEMENTS & REPORTS None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES [00:05:08] Ms. Lecky motioned to approve the minutes from the March 10, 2025 meeting. Dr. Smith seconded and the motion carried 7-0. Vice Chair Penick motioned to approve the minutes from the March 24, 2025 supplementary meeting. Ms. Lecky seconded and the motion carried 7-0. DISCLOSURE OF EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS Chair Ross stated that she had a conversation with the applicant for COA 2503-0104 at 1108 Sophia Street, Adam Lynch, but represented herself as a part of the Board and did not discuss matters beyond the materials presented. DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST None. CONSENT AGENDA [00:08:371 A. COA 2502-0101 - 706 Princess Anne Street - Sign Installation B. COA 2503-0102 = 1010 Charles Street - Sign Installation C. COA 2503-0106 - 215 William Street - Sign Installation There were no public comments on the consent agenda. Dr. Smith made a motion to approve the consent agenda as submitted. Ms. Irvin seconded. The motion carried 7-0. PUBLIC HEARING [00:10:32] New Applications A. COA 2501-0097 - 1407 Caroline Street = Paul Janney requests approval of the detailed architectural design of a new one-and-one-half story single-family dwelling on this vacant lot. The site planning, scale, and massing of the dwelling was approved by the ARB on March 10, 2025. The applicant was not present. One written public comment from Danae Peckler, speaking on behalf of the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc., was read into the record by staff (see attached). Dr. Smith discussed the consensus on the false dormer windows with Ms. Schwartz. Ms. Irvin motioned to continue the application to the May 12, 2025 meeting. Ms. Lecky seconded the motion and it passed 7-0. B. COA 2503-0103 = 801 Sophia Street - Douglas Kittell requests to make alterations to this building, including repairing and applying a coating to the brick exterior, replacing the message board on the façade, and constructing a new entry to the rear basement door. The appliçant was present and stated that they were available for questions. One written public comment from Ms. Peckler, speaking on behalf of the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc., was read into the record by staff (see attached). Ms. Irvin thanked the applicant for letting the Board walk around the property during the March 24 work session. Ms. Irvin agreed with the staff recommendation of splitting the application and conditions by component. Mr. Jarrell had no further comments. Vice Chair Penick discussed placing a condition on the approval that Public Works approve the rear entrance grading prior to building permits. Ms. Lecky commented that she would have liked visual proof of the coating and would not be comfortable approving the application without it. 2 Dr. Smith also thanked the applicant and agreed with Ms. Lecky about a visual representation of the brick coating but further stated that the coating would be fine for the south side because that portion of the building is not intended to match the facade. Dr. Smith also commented on the repairing of the bottom of the message board over replacing the whole, as the photo demonstrates it is historic in its own right. Mr. Blackburn thanked the applicant and discussed with the applicant the possibility to repair the bottom of the message board over replacing it. Chair Ross had no further comments. Vice Chair Penick motioned to approve the application with the conditions that the water repellent coating may only be applied to the south side elevation, the message board should be repaired to have components replaced in kind, and the basement walkout will be reviewed and approved by Public Works for work on City property. Mr. Blackburn seconded the motion and it passed 6-1. C. COA 2503-0104 - 1108 Sophia Street - Adam Lynch requests to replace the existing wood front door with a new engineered wood door, add a storm door, and replace the mailbox. The applicant, Adam Lynch, was present and thanked staff and other parties that helped them with the application. Mr. Lynch also gave an overview of the reasons for the replacement door. There were written comments from Ms. Peckler (HFFI) (see attached). Ms. Irvin and Mr. Jarrell supported the application and had no further comments. Vice Chair Penick questioned the use of engineered wood. Ms. Lecky supports the application and did not have an issue with the engineered wood. Ms. Lecky also commented that the door should be kept or donated rather than thrown away, but would not require it. Dr. Smith commented that the mailbox was a non-issue and stated that maintaining the three-light configuration would be most appropriate. She agreed with Ms. Lecky about appropriate disposal of the door. Mr. Blackburn had nothing further to add and supported the application. Chair Ross commented that the detailing of the triple-light would have been ideal, but that she understands the need for replacement. The Board discussed the possibility of creating a triple-light door and they discussed what engineered wood is. Ms. Lecky motioned to approve the application as submitted. Dr. Smith seconded the motion and it passed 7-0. 3 D. COA 2503-0105 - 1320 Caroline Street - Judith Burke Miller requests to construct a new 196 square foot accessory structure in the rear yard of this single-family dwelling. The applicant was not present. Rupert Farley, 1305 Caroline Street, commented that more density is positive for the City and that he was in favor of the ADU report in 2023. He supported this application and stated that more of these accessory buildings should be approved. Ms. Irvin discussed with staff the height of the building, the finishes on the wood siding and the type of door and finish fori it. Ms. Irvin supports the application but would like to include these details in the motion for clarity. Mr. Jarrell, Vice Chair Penick, Ms. Lecky, Mr. Blackburn, and Chair Ross were in support and had nothing further to add. Dr. Smith noted concerns with the cross-gabled roof design. Ms. Irvin motioned to approve the application with the condition that the roof height be 10 feet at the midpoint and 12 feet at the peak, the wood siding have a painted finish, and that the door be a vertical wood door with a painted finish. Mr. Jarrell seconded the motion and it passed 7-0. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT None. OTHER BUSINESS [00:54:541 A. Cathedral Product Examples Mr. Jarrell gave a couple examples of where the brick coating that Mr. Kittell was proposing to apply to 801 Sophia Street could be seen, commenting that the shiny look is not permanent. STAFF UPDATE [00:56:36] Ms. Schwartz informed the Board that City Council is now in the public hearing phase for the Comprehensive Plan update and that the Board's contributions to it were valuable. Ms. Schwartz also told the Board that a presentation on conservation districts had occurred at the City Council work session on April 8. The Board was also informed of staff applying for grants for the Idlewild site. ADIOURNMENT Chair Ross adjourned the meeting at 7:56 p.m. PA Helen P. Ross, Chair 4 HISTORIC Fredericksburg FOUNDATION, INCC 14 April 2025 To: Kate S. Schwartz ksschwartz Ofredericksburgva.gov CC: Planning@fredericksburgva.gov The Historic Fredericksburg Foundation has reviewed the upcoming agenda and related COA documents for the April 14, 2025, meeting of the Architectural Review Board and submits the following comments on select projects to be distributed to ARB members and read into the public record. Public Hearing: 10.A. COA 2501-0097 = 1407 Caroline Street - DEFERRED TO MAY 12, 2025 As discussion of the architectural details for this project is now deferred to the May ARB meeting, HFFI reiterates some comments made at the March meeting as they relate to the details of the proposed design, particularly the need for a some kind of drawing or visual model to place the proposed design in context with neighboring residences' along Caroline Street. The ARB and members of the public are left to guess about how this new construction relates to its context and neighboring historic resources. Perhaps the information provided for the May meeting could provide basic benchmarks to show the heights and widths of adjoining buildings to illustrate the new design's relationship within the existing context? HFFI supports the applicant's choice of a Neo-Traditional Colonial style for the house and applauds efforts made to simplify its façade and unify prominent features like its roofline by standardizing various pitches wherever possible. Given the roof's visibility at the facade, might the width of its dormers, including windows and cheeks, be sized to match first-floor windows? Current drawings suggest that they are slightly shorter and narrower though no numbers are provided to detail the size of these elements. We also support staff's preference for Elevation B, as it simplifies the southern wing's design and streamlines its roofline. Again, HFFI appreciates the applicant's willingness to make minor alterations to improve the compatibility of this design with the smaller and narrower houses on the block. Changes made to exterior materials of the proposed dwelling are also greatly appreciated, particularly the inclusion of higher-quality windows, siding, and shutters along the façade. 1 10.A.ii. COA 2503-0103 = 801 Sophia Street HFFI is pleased to see SO much care and attention to detail in this application and is excited to see this individually listed National Register property and iconic Fredericksburg landmark sensitively repaired and improved. We generally agree with staff's recommendation for this application but caution against widespread use of the water-repellant where hard, cementitious mortar has accelerated the deterioration of the church's older bricks. As stated in Preservation Brief 1: Assessing Cleaning and Water-Repellent Treatments for Historic Masonry Buildings, water-repellants can act serve as a consolidate by penetrating the exterior surface at a greater depth than waterproofing applications; however, places where the underlying cause of water and moisture penetration has not been addressed, this material can inadvertently result in greater delamination https:/www.nps-gov/orgs/1739/upload/preservation-bner-et-01-cleaning- masonry.pdf). It is hoped that additional work planned as part of this project further reduces the amount of moisture penetrating the masonry walls around visibly deteriorated areas. 10.A.iii. COA 2503-0104 = 1108 Sophia Street This application involves one of our district's most strongly worded guidelines stating that "historic doors must be preserved and retained wherever possible. 13 This guideline is meant to convey the character-detining role that front doors play at the façade of any historic building. HFFI identified two sets of photographs -one dating from the early 1980s and another from the 2006 cost-share survey of the district- - -both of which show the existing door behind a storm door. With little archival evidence available to identify the door's history, HFFI was pleased to hear from the property owner, Adam Lynch, and contact a few area tradespeople to provide additional insight. One area woodworker and carpenter, Avery Toves, came by to inspect the door more closely. The findings from this second opinion affirm those presented in this application, namely: The construction of the existing front door suggests a later construction date, sometime from the mid- to the late-20th century, perhaps as recently as the 1980s; and While its design seems to match those of its mid-twentieth-century wood windows, its width is in keeping with most interior doors, rather than exterior ones. HFFI appreciates the applicant's willingness to explore options for augmenting the existing door to reinforce its strength, and to get another opinion on its construction. Given the strength of language employed in the guidelines, it is important that such features not be replaced lightly and without due consideration to facilitate their preservation. 2 HFFI is therefore pleased to support the application's proposal to replace this wood door with one that is similar in material and design to others in the neighborhood. We further hope that the door could be donated for architectural salvage to avoid the landfill. 3