Showing posts with label historic preservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historic preservation. Show all posts

Friday, March 18, 2016

Giammo asks Rockville HDC to reconsider Chestnut Lodge review

Former Rockville Mayor Larry Giammo appeared before the Historic District Commission last night on the current hot topic in historic preservation: Chestnut Lodge. Following the Planning Commission's unanimous bodyslam of a proposed townhome development on the former site of the famed mental health facility last week, Giammo asked the HDC to reconsider the findings it made in a Courtesy Review of the project last year.

At that November 19 review, the HDC commissioners present expressed no objection to the plan of JNP Chestnut Lodge, LLC for townhomes at the 500 W. Montgomery Avenue site. The development team's presentation was well-received, in stark contrast to the response of the Planning Commission and the public. However, the two HDC commissioners who are usually the most-outspoken on preservation matters, Jessica Reynolds and Craig Maloney, were both absent that evening. Maloney's term on the HDC has since ended.

But a re-review of the plan with Reynolds and new commissioner Stefanie Tincher on the dais could conceivably end with a different conclusion than the November session.

That possibility is on the minds of those opposing the plan, which includes Giammo. The former mayor told the HDC last night that the conversation planning commissioners had last week is the one he had hoped the HDC would have had last year. Giammo also was critical of staff's instructions to the HDC, which he noted were very narrow in scope.

In fact, Giammo said, Maryland law trumps the guidelines suggested by staff, and require the HDC to fully consider the impacts of such redevelopment on a historic site. That includes whether or not the project might have a negative, degrading impact on the historic character and integrity of the overall site.

The HDC must reach an "unequivocal determination" on all of the issues that have been raised, Giammo said. He also emphasized that the claims of the developer's historical consultant that there are no blueprints or design records that would permit reconstruction of Chestnut Lodge - which burnt down in a suspicious 2009 fire - are "entirely false." Giammo said Peerless Rockville and other historic preservation advocates such as historian Eileen McGuckian stand ready to assist in such an effort.

A legal agreement reached between the City and the developer at that time in 2006 required the rehabilitation of the Chestnut Lodge building as a condition for the construction of 7 condo units within the rehabbed structure.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Thursday, February 18, 2016

6-car garage proposed for historic W. Jefferson St. property; King Farm dairy barn plan on HDC agenda

Repair and renovation of the dairy barn complex at the former King Farm is on the agenda of the Rockville Historic District Commission tonight at City Hall at 7:30 PM. City staff is recommending approval of a plan that would replace the steel roof with a new terne steel roof that meets the Secretary of the Interior standards, repair the existing wood siding and doors. Only one door requires a full replacement.

The Thompson's Dairy lettering, as pictured above, will be reproduced on the new roof.

There is one condition for approval of the plan, which is that the original wood siding be reinstalled on the barn after the interior work is completed.

A potentially more controversial agenda item is a proposal to construct a six-car garage and circular driveway at the Luckett House at 107 W. Jefferson Street. The property is located in the West Montgomery Avenue Historic District.

This is a Courtesy Review by the HDC, and staff is seeking commissioners' advice for the applicant as to how these non-traditional elements can be incorporated into the existing property.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Rockville planning commissioners want more historic designation options

Planning Commission Chair
Charles Littlefield
Members of the Rockville Planning Commission would like the City to take a more varied approach to historic preservation, as planners and commissioners consider a report on the past and future of such efforts. Rockville's Chief of Long Range Planning David Levy told commissioners that one of the main objectives of the report is to get feedback from the public on historic preservation during the Master Plan process currently underway. Levy and planner Cindy Kebba said the topic has not really come up in the many public listening sessions the City has hosted so far.

While communities such as Lincoln Park have welcomed preservation efforts, other neighborhoods like Twinbrook have been wary of what historic designation would mean for property values and redevelopment options for the small homes there.

Commissioner Don Hadley said sometimes the current designation process goes too far. Not every historic building is of the same importance or value, and some restrictions on properties are cumbersome while adding little value to preservation efforts. Hadley gave the example of a homeowner who can't easily obtain a particular siding material for a small outbuilding being forced to pay for custom manufacturing.

The City needs "a more nuanced set of tools," Commissioner Jack Leiderman concurred. He suggested having several gradations of preservation that could be more flexible, and put the property in question into the right context. When it comes to historic designation in the City today, he said, "people are a little bit scared what that means."

Commission Chair Charles Littlefield asked staff why the thresholds to start and complete the designation process are so high. It currently takes 40% of residents to agree to start the process, and 85% to apply the designation. Littlefield said that is much higher than the simple majority (51%) or two-thirds majority more often applied to legislative decisions. Zoning Chief Jim Wasilak said the City intentionally set a "high bar" for designation, to ensure that such decisions wouldn't be rammed through easily by a minority of residents. The current system requires clear buy-in by the community in question, Wasilak said.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Opposition to Chestnut Lodge proposal surfaces at Mayor and Council meeting

Chestnut Lodge in 2003
Rockville's Mayor and Council were briefed on the JNP Chestnut Lodge, LLC proposal to build 7 townhomes on the site where Chestnut Lodge sanitarium once stood last night. But before that briefing could be delivered, several residents voiced objections to the advancement of the project during the Community Forum segment of the meeting.

Among them was former Mayor Larry Giammo, who raised several points regarding the destruction of Chestnut Lodge, and a past legal agreement developers made with the City.

Giammo chastised the owner of the property at the time Chestnut Lodge burnt down, a shell company for Chase Communities, for neglecting to secure the vacant historic building from trespassers and vandals. The fire that destroyed the structure was suspected to have been intentionally set. Giammo noted that a representative of the development firm appeared to laugh off the frequent trespassing at Chestnut Lodge - prior to the blaze - in a video. I believe he may have been referring to this Fox 5 news story on the Lodge, in which Chase Communities' Morty Levine jokes that he hopes to meet a ghost in Chestnut Lodge, so that he can sell the spirit a condo.

But the former mayor had some additional concerns regarding neglect. Giammo said "city staff is 0-for-2" in enforcing a binding legal agreement the City reached with that developer. It stipulated that no additional construction permits could be issued prior to the developer "rehabilitating" the historic Chestnut Lodge structure. Just because the building burnt down, doesn't mean the agreement is invalid, he suggested.

Rockville's current Mayor, Bridget Donnell Newton, also had some concerns regarding the briefing given later by the applicant's attorney, Soo Lee-Cho. Some of what was stated did not reflect her recollection of events, Newton said, and she asked city staff to provide additional information on those points. Councilmember Julie Palakovich Carr asked staff to inquire with historical preservation organization Peerless Rockville on best practices, as the project moves forward to seek approvals from the Planning Commission and Mayor and Council.

The loss of Chestnut Lodge remains a painful one for preservation advocates in Rockville, as it seemed a totally-unnecessary fate for the prized building.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Peerless Rockville contesting Historic District Commission decision on Confederate statue

Eileen McGuckian, Executive Director emerita of historic preservation organization Peerless Rockville, criticized the September 17 vote by the Historic District Commission to allow Montgomery County to relocate the city's Confederate statue at last night's Mayor and Council meeting. McGuckian said the HDC made at least two errors in its decisionmaking process.

On the question of whether or not the statue had itself been declared historic, McGuckian said HDC commissioners were misled by city staff, who had said no such evidence could be found. She said that was incorrect, and that the statue had indeed been declared historic in the past. McGuckian also argued that the HDC used the wrong set of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards in reaching its conclusion.

The deadline to file a request to reconsider the HDC decision is October 4, McGuckian said. But the next Mayor and Council meeting is not until October 5. The Mayor and Council couldn't do anything about the matter anyway, Councilmember Tom Moore told McGuckian, as they have no authority to intervene.

Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton and Councilmember Beryl Feinberg said they would make themselves available to meet with McGuckian this week to discuss the matter.

McGuckian also called for more training for HDC commissioners, whom she said "were clearly uncomfortable with their roles" on September 17.

Newton said the Mayor and Council must have a public discussion on a separate issue regarding the statue October 5 - whether or not it will be accepted by the Beall-Dawson House, which is the preferred location by Montgomery County so far.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Twinbrook back on Historic District Commission agenda for Thursday

The agenda for the Rockville Historic District Commission for its Thursday, August 20 meeting includes an "update on HDC meeting with Twinbrook Citizens Association." Discussion of historic preservation options for the Twinbrook neighborhood, and a potential meeting with their association, has been postponed at least twice this year.

The talk of such options has raised some concerns among Twinbrook homeowners, and the topic was discussed at the TCA meeting in April. Many Twinbrook homes fall within the 50-year window for consideration as historic, Commissioner Jessica Reynolds noted this past March.

Other notable items on Thursday's agenda include an update on a draft Historic Preservation text amendment, and a courtesy review of the proposed new ADA-compliant parking lot for the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre and social hall.

Thursday's meeting will be at City Hall, and will begin at 7:30 PM.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Historic District Commission to meet with Twinbrook residents April 28

Twinbrook residents concerned about the future of their historic neighborhood may want to attend a meeting next month. Members of the Rockville Historic District Commission will attend a Twinbrook Citizens Association meeting Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 PM to discuss options the neighborhood can consider going forward. Commissioner Jessica Reynolds says "many of those homes are now within the 50 year" eligibility period, and that homeowners may wish to explore historic designation or other preservation efforts.

Friday, February 20, 2015

HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION DECLINES TO RECOMMEND HISTORIC DESIGNATION FOR 5 CHOKE CHERRY ROAD

The demolition reprieve the Sullivan and Associates-designed building at 5 Choke Cherry Road received from Rockville's Historic District Commission was short-lived. Last night, the commissioners voted unanimously that the structure did not merit historic designation by the city. Jack Sullivan has been recognized as one of the most significant architects in the history of Rockville.

The motion was made by Commissioner Anita Neal Powell, and seconded by Commissioner Craig Moloney.

Commissioner Jessica Reynolds urged the city to begin considering which of Sullivan's buildings in Rockville should receive such designation, to be preserved from demolition in the future. Moloney said he concurred.

The vote removes one of the last hurdles for developer JBG's planned Upper Rock retail project to proceed.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

WHAT'S LEFT OF THE HISTORIC PINK BANK IN ROCKVILLE (PHOTOS)

What's left? Not much. The demolition of the historic Suburban Trust Building at 255 N. Washington Street may well be the most shameful land-use decision by the city since its disastrous "urban renewal" of the 1960s. Virtually the entire historic downtown was demolished back then, in contrast to Maryland cities like Frederick and Hagerstown, who have maintained their original downtowns as desirable assets. This recent demolition was opposed by Rockville's Historic District Commission, as well as by historic preservationists in the city.

The demise of the "Pink Bank" not only cost Rockville a rare example of New Formalist architecture, and a historic building that represented the primacy of the suburban lifestyle that defines Rockville. It also eliminated the "sense of place" developers often cite facetiously. Whether you liked the Pink Bank, or not, you knew exactly where you were when you passed it. The same cannot be said of the cookie-cutter town centers around the DC area, with few exceptions. All the same restaurants, shops and indistinguishable architecture leave the visitor puzzled and unimpressed. Why go "there," when all the same stuff is "here?"
Remnants of the bank's
drive-thru

The bank's drive-thru gate
is still standing

Just a pile

Mixed-use development
will replace the Pink Bank