Title
HPC12-09, 815 Mimosa Blvd., Andrew & Sheila Shepard, Land Lot 385
Body
Item Summary:
Applicant is requesting a Certificate of Appropriateness for the purpose of constructing a garage/storage building on their property located at 815 Mimosa Blvd.
Staff Report:
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of detached garage/storage building, as submitted.
Issue
The applicant is proposing to construct a two-story, 24'x32' detached garage/storage building at the northeast corner of their property. The main floor will be used to store cars and a boat, while the upper floor will be for general storage. The building will be built at the rear of the property and will be 26' tall. There is a grade difference of 17' between the front of the property where the main house sits and the rear of the property where the proposed garage/storage building will go.
The building's foundation will be clad in a 4" thick stone veneer and the walls will be clad in 1"x6" rough sawn pine horizontal siding which will be painted white to match the color of the main house. The applicant proposes to use gray synthetic slate shingles for the roof. Simple trim will frame five single-paned reclaimed wood windows, one door, and two carriage style garage doors.
The applicant does not intend to install plumbing, HVAC, or electricity to use this building as a second dwelling unit.
History
The structure located at 815 Mimosa Boulevard was constructed in 1849 according to the Fulton County Tax Digest. The 2001 Historic Properties Survey classified the property as "Historic."
Frances Minhinnett, an English stonemason and landscape gardener who helped build many of Roswell's early structures, built this small frame house on Mimosa Blvd. A rock foundation encloses the basement kitchen and its fireplace. The structure is a vernacular example of Greek Revival architecture.
The two-story home is clad in clapboard siding and a standing-seam metal roof. Character defining features include a front facing gable roof, wide band of cornice trim, front porch, and four-panel door with broken transom lights. A projecting bay is evident on the front façade and Staff hypothesizes that the home originally had a full-façade front porch which was later partially filled in.
In 2011, the HPC approved a minor application for the homeowners to relocate their driveway (HPC11-31). Other previous HPC cases include two requests for a new office building to be constructed to the south of the historic home (HPC99-55; HPC00-03).
Analysis
The Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation states that "new work shall be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment." In addition, the City of Roswell HPC Design Guidelines state that "new construction should respect roof pitches, shapes, orientation, and materials found in the district" and that new outbuildings "should be detached from the house and located to the rear of the lot"
The location of the proposed garage meets setback requirements and is sensitive to the historic Minhinnett house as the building is detached and set as far back on the property as zoning will allow. The orientation of the garage requires the least amount of disturbed area.
Staff supports a height of 26' due to the grade difference between the front and rear. If the grade were the same, Staff would not be supportive as it would overwhelm the mass of the historic structure. Chapter 10.4 of the Zoning Ordinance states that "accessory buildings shall not exceed twenty-four (24) feet in height." The Zoning Ordinance measures building height "from the grade to the mean height level between the eaves and the ridge of a gable." It is evident from the drawings that the proposed building complies with the ordinance, however, when building permits are submitted, an additional dimension line should be added to prove compliance.
The gable roof is compatible in pitch, shape, orientation, and material. The applicant prefers to use a synthetic slate material, but is also open to using a galvanized tin roof. Staff supports the applicants request for synthetic slate as it will help differentiate the new building from the old. Synthetic slate is an appropriate roof material for new construction as it respects the look and feel of historic materials while also providing evidence of its construction date. A shade of gray, such as the proposed Colonial Gray, should be used.
Staff also supports the use of rough sawn wood clapboard siding, wood windows, and wood doors as they are common materials used in the district. The window light configuration respects that of the main house, while clearly distinguishing it as new construction.
The proposed garage/storage building is visible from Mimosa and Atlanta Street, however, it is important to note that a number of Leyland Cypress have been planted along the east property line. As these trees continue to grow, the visibility of the new building from Atlanta Street will decrease. While there is no landscaping planned for the north side of the proposed building, the new building will provide a barrier to the paved parking lot and state highway from historic Mimosa Boulevard.
Staff commends the applicant on their historically appropriate addition and recommends approval, as submitted.
Department Comments
Arborist
No comment at this time.
Building
A building permit is required for this project.
Fire
No comment at this time.
Presented by:
Courtney Lankford, Planner II