Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on the request of Debbie Steele for approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness for deviations from the previously approved Certificate of Appropriateness for the house at 308 N Waddill Street
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Enhance the Quality of Life in Downtown McKinney
MEETING DATE: March 3, 2022
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning Department
CONTACT: Paula Jarrett Nasta, AIA, Planning Manager
Jennifer Arnold, Director of Planning
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the proposed Certificate of Appropriateness with the following condition(s):
1. The applicant shall build in strict compliance with the drawings and written documentation received by the Planning Department on December 20, 2021 and approved with this action;
2. The applicant will be responsible for meeting all applicable City ordinances and obtaining all necessary building permits; and
3. The applicant shall install lap siding on the gabled area above the front porch roof to match the profile of the siding on the remainder of the house.
However, should the applicant’s request be approved, condition number 3, noted above, would not apply.
ITEM SUMMARY:
• In 2019, the owner of 308 North Waddill Street received approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) to demolish the then-existing home and construct a new 2-story house on the site.
• During construction of the new house, the owner made several changes to the elevation, materials, and architectural features that deviated from the approved COA. These changes now require consideration of a new COA.
• Typically, Certificates of Appropriateness can be approved by Staff. However, the applicant is requesting certain design choices that do not follow the criteria established for approval of a COA. In cases such as this, Staff may elect to present the COA application to the Historic Preservation Advisory Board (HPAB) for action.
• Specifically, the applicant has requested approval of a stone clad front gable, using Tudor Revival style homes in the district as an example.
• Although the applicant was also previously requesting approval of small column bases on the front porch, they have since agreed to install larger column bases more appropriate in scale.
• Specifically, the new COA application seeks approval to install stone veneer as cladding both above and below the front porch roof.
ASSESMENT:
• In Staff’s professional judgment, the stone cladding on the front gable face are not in keeping with the spirit of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings Standard Number 9.
o Standard 9 States: “New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.”
o In applying Standard 9, new infill buildings within the historic district must be identifiable as a record of the period of their construction rather than literal replications of historic structures. In fill buildings should be compatible and differentiated from existing homes but not so differentiated as to detract from the existing historic context and built environment.
o In terms of the façade composition and the architectural features embodied by the gable and the exterior materials, Staff believes the stone above the front porch is not compatible with similarly styled houses of the district’s built environment. The façade composition, porch style, roof forms and column style are most similar to the Arts and Crafts/Craftsman style homes in the district. The Arts and Crafts/Craftsman style homes typically have lap or shingle siding on gable faces.
o The application of stone through to the top of the gable is more compatible with Tudor revival style but this house lacks characteristic roof slopes, roof profiles and porch forms of Tudor Style houses.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
• In 2019, the Staff issued an approved COA for demolition of an existing 1935 era 1-story house of medium preservation priority and an approved COA for the construction of a new 2-story residence with materials, scale, and rhythm, and a raised foundation that respected the character and features of other houses in the neighborhood.
• In the fall of 2021, prior to final completion of the home, City Staff identified construction deviating from the approved 2019 COA drawings.
• The process of obtaining a revised COA and making corrections began.
• As part of the new COA request, the applicant has requested the following design choices, which have been approved by Staff:
o Elongation (doubling in size) of the two windows in the front gable.
o Single light casement windows on the front façade.
o Relocation of the window on southern edge of west elevation of the porch to the south façade.
o Relocation of the accent window on the Logan St façade.
o Large square glass block windows on north and south facades changed to single pane picture window.
o Window added to south elevation - not visible from right of way.
o The rear exterior fireplace was changed to comply with code restrictions.
o The door styles on the front façade and the Logan Street façade were changed.
o The finish floor elevation rests at grade rather than the raised height approved.
o Porch railings were removed.
o New roof ridge lowered, and roof pitches reduced to 6/12 from 8/12.
o Roof lines at garage and rear patio changed.
o Stone type changed from Austin stone to Cottage Cobblestone.
• In Staff’s professional judgment the materials, forms, scale, and architectural feature changes listed above are in keeping with the spirit of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings Standards Number 9 and 10.
o Standard 10 states: New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
o In terms of the massing, orientation, scale, size, façade composition, fenestration pattern, and exterior materials, Staff believes the construction on the north, east, and west elevations is contextually appropriate and compatible with the character of the historic district’s built environment. The composition is generally consistent with the traditional rhythm and horizontal and vertical expression of the houses found in the Historic District.
• As a new construction residence, this is listed as a N (non-contributing) priority building. As non-contributing building in the district. However, a non-contributing building does not mean that the building isn’t important to the Historic District or that it requires no architectural review. While non-historic, “non-contributing” buildings currently are not targeted for preservation, adverse alterations could be made that would negatively affect the street and neighborhood. In general, new construction or changes to existing non-contributing buildings should strive to respect the character and features of the original structure.