709 Milan St

District: Uptown - Partial Control

Owner: Valerie D Moon

Rating: Contributing

Applicant: Robertson Cassandra

Description: Retention of demolition of more than 50% of the exterior walls of a Contributing rated two-story, single-family residential building without a Certificate of Appropriateness.

HDLC Guidelines:

Section 12, Pages 23-24 of the Guidelines for New Construction, Additions and Demolition, state that the demolition of all or portions of historic resources within a local Historic District or Landmark site are considered drastic actions since they alter the character of the area. Once historic resources or buildings that contribute to the heritage of the community are destroyed, it is generally impossible to reproduce their design, texture, materials, details and their special character and interest in the neighborhood. As a result, the HDLC rarely considers the demolition of Significant or Contributing buildings or structures within a local Historic District or on a Landmark site to be an appropriate option.

Staff Recommendations:

FEMA survey and Sanborn map research indicate the building was likely constructed between 1885 and 1895 and it first appears on the 1893 Sanborn map. The building appears to have retained its original type, style, scale, massing, footprint and roof form, including the camelback addition which was constructed sometime between 1893 and 1903.

The applicant did have a building permit issued in 2021 for interior work and limited structural replacement of floor framing, however, this approval did not include the scope to remove and reconstruct the rear of the building and the camelback addition. The applicant applied for this specific work as a supplemental application in March 2022 and sufficient drawings for HDLC review were not provided until August. HDLC completed the review of these drawings and confirmed that approximately 61.3% of the first and second-floor exterior walls were proposed for removal and the application was added to the next meeting agenda. In preparation for this meeting, Staff completed a site inspection of the property and confirmed that the rear of the building was already fully demolished without a building permit or CofA issued. The applicant is now requesting retention approval for this unpermitted demolition.

Following the previous meeting, the applicant worked with HDLC Staff and provided a video taken at the site documenting the completion of the rear demolition work. The metadata for this video confirms the demolition was largely completed by June 1st. As such, this application is subject to the previous demolition fine structure. Based on the age of the building, its Contributing rating, and because the original camelback was constructed within the period of significance for the local historic district, Staff recommends approval of the retention request and recommends a moderate fine be levied.

Staff Recommendation: Approval with a moderate fine
- Fine Range = $1,000 to $10,000

Previous Commission Actions:

10/04/2020: The Commission voted to defer action on this application until the next meeting so that the applicant may have additional time to work with HDLC Staff to verify the date of demolition.

Case History:

09/09/2020: Structural renovation application submitted for interior work including repair/replacement of floor joists.

12/01/2021: Structural renovation application issued by Safety and Permits.

03/10/2022: Supplemental structural renovation application submitted to remove and reconstruct the existing camelback addition. Deputy Director Eleanor Burke notes that sufficient drawings were not submitted and requests Safety and Permits forward drawings to HDLC once submitted to complete the review.

08/15/2022: Sufficient drawings not yet submitted. Application is assigned and HDLC Staff contacts applicant to request drawings and materials to complete the HDLC review.

09/13/2022: HDLC Staff completes review of submitted drawings and confirms more than 50% of the exterior walls are proposed for demolition and replacement. Application is included on meeting agenda as a request for partial demolition.

09/27/2022: Site inspection of property for context photos confirms that rear portion of building and camelback addition were demolished without a building permit or CofA. Application changed to request for retention of demolition.