Title
Consider/Discuss/Act on a Request by Paul Harrison on behalf of Owner Greg Curry for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition of the Detached Garage Located at 705 W Hunt Street
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Enhance the Quality of Life in Downtown McKinney
MEETING DATE: December 5, 2024
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning Department
CONTACT: Cassie Bumgarner, Planning Manager
Jennifer Arnold, AICP, Director of Planning
RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION:
• Staff recommends approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition of the detached garage at 705 W Hunt Street.
ITEM SUMMARY:
• The applicant requests approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition of the detached garage located at 705 W Hunt Street.
• The applicant did not submit any documentation of a structural assessment or conditions report. The Letter of Intent documented that the proposed demolition of the garage is meant to make room for an addition on the home and a new, two-car garage.
• Both staff and applicant performed historic research on the property to pinpoint a construction date for the garage; however, it was inconclusive. The first year a garage is mentioned with the property is 1952; however, there are no accompanying details of style or photographs to firmly date the structure.
• The home was surveyed in the McKinney Historic Resource Survey of 2023 and listed as built circa 1935. The exposed rafter tails on the garage are consistent with architectural detailing associated with the Craftsman style; Craftsman style buildings were very popular in the 1930s.
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 705 W Hunt Street to be medium priority rating, built circa 1935.
• 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.