Title
Consider/Discuss/Act on a Request by Owner Brian Miller for a Certificate of Appropriateness for the Rehabilitation of the Residential Structure Located at 401 N Bradley Street.
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Enhance the Quality of Life in Downtown McKinney
MEETING DATE: June 5, 2025
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning Department
CONTACT: Rayna Alam, Historic Preservation Planner
Cassie Bumgarner, Planning Manager
RECOMMENDED HPAB ACTION:
• Staff recommends approval with conditions of the Certificate of Appropriateness; the condition of the approval would be on removing the two shed dormers from the scope of work. In Staff’s professional opinion, the proposed design does not meet Standards 2, 9, and 10 of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
ITEM SUMMARY:
• The applicant requests approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness for the rehabilitation of the structure located at 401 N Bradley Street. Their initial submittal documents are attached. A summary of the proposed work includes:
• Partial demolition of existing undated additions on the southwest end of the home to add a single, cohesive one-story addition.
• Demolition of undated existing dormer to add two new shed dormers
• Windows, exterior doors, siding/cladding, trim and decorative elements, porches will be restored or replaced as needed
• Roof replacement
• Fencing
• Staff evaluated the request and found that the request was largely compatible with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation; however, staff had concerns about the impact of the two shed dormers, one on each side of the residential structure. The shed dormers would span the length of approximately half of the residence and incorporate 3 styles of windows.
• Staff met with the property owner, Callie Miller, and design consultant, Mark McReynolds, on May 7, 2025. At the meeting, Staff explained that the portion of the work that could not be approved were the two shed dormers. Because Staff and the property owner could not come to an agreement on the shed dormers, Staff has forwarded the item to the Historic Preservation Advisory Board.
• In staff’s review of the proposal, the southwest rear addition and required demolition met the Standards because it does not change the windows and door fenestration, is compatible with the size and scale of the historic property, and does not impact the essential form and integrity of the historic property. The proposed area that requires partial demolition are likely additions to the original structure. Staff could not find a date for any alterations to the original form of the home.
• In the evaluation of the proposed shed dormers, staff felt that the design did not fit the following Standards:
• Standard 2 - The historic character of a property will be retained and preserved. The removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces, and spatial relationships that characterize a property will be avoided.
o The shed dormers alter the way the façade is perceived because of their size, changing the space.
• Standard 9 - 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 The massing and size of the shed dormers feel disproportionate to the size of the other features of the home. Generally, the dormers give a more vertical and wide emphasis on the second floor that is not compatible with the style of the home. The use of the three window styles also contributes to the incompatibility.
• Standard 10 - 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 The shed dormers are not small enough in scale to truly be considered removable. Their current design has a large impact on the essential form of the residence.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
• The Zoning Ordinance states that owners shall not construct, reconstruct, alter, change, restore, expand, or demolish any exterior architectural feature of a building or structure that is visible from a public right-of-way located in the H - Historic Preservation Overlay district without first obtaining a certificate of appropriateness.
• The criteria for approval mandates that the following standards, guidelines, and criteria be used in a balanced evaluation of the project:
o Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings to assist in the consideration of all applications.
o Checklist of design elements to be reviewed and evaluated.
o Consideration of the preservation priority rating assigned to the property in question.
• The McKinney Historic Resource Survey of 2023 found the home at 401 W Bradley Street to be medium priority rating, built circa 1900.
• Definition of medium priority: Contributes significantly to local history or broader historical patterns, but alterations have diminished the resource’s integrity; is a significant example of architecture, engineering or crafted design; is an outstanding example of a common local building form, architectural style or type; is a modern or recent landmark not old enough to be judged in a historical context.