Historic District Commission
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Meeting Minutes
The Historic District Commission held a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at town offices, 705 Chesham Road, and via zoom.
Members present: Doug Walker, Anne Howe, Rex Baker, Noel Greiner, Scott Oliver
Members absent: Kathy Scott
Agenda
Members approved the agenda as distributed.
Minutes of previous meeting
Members moved and voted unanimously in favor to approve the minutes of June 22.
HDC Rules of Procedure
Anne Howe distributed the final, edited, and previously approved Rules of Procedure so that members could change out the old and insert the new versions in their books. The revised application form will be inserted at the back of the booklet. All are available to the public on the Historic District Commission page of the town website.
HDC Regulations – Definitions
Members discussed three definitions that were revised by the subcommittee:
1) “contributing resource” – Following review of a short and a long version, members opted for the long version;
2) “public view” – Members moved and voted in favor to approve the definition as written;
3) ”structure” – Members moved and voted in favor to accept the definition as written.
4) “personal wireless service facility” – Members moved and voted in favor to retain the definition.
HDC Regulations
Members reviewed the updated regulations beginning with Article VI d (3) on page 7. They discussed whether changing exterior material should be discouraged or prohibited for structures that were historically unpainted or uncoated. Members voted to leave language as written, using the word “discouraged.”
Article VI f(6) – Members reviewed and discussed language related to requirements for windows and revised wording based on what already appears in F. 5) If the historic window is to be replaced, the replacement window shall be of the same material…
Article VI f (8) – Members moved to exchange “discourage” for “prohibit” related to enlarging or reducing window rough openings on primary elevations
Article VIII D. – Members agreed to revise language about personal wireless facilities to synchronize with town zoning ordinances.
Article VIII F. Signage – Members revised to require consultation with HHI for signs on Historic Harrisville properties in addition to town ordinances.
Article IX -Fences and Guardrails – Members agreed to retain the word “stone” referring to stone walls.
Guardrail and Handrail – Members approved this heading. Members also agreed on additional wording related to requirements for proposed vehicle guardrails.
Article X – Renewable Energy Systems, B. Design Guidelines – Members voted in favor to delete this provision as it’s not referred to anywhere else in the regulations.
Page 16 – Members agreed to revise language to clarify the notice of decision and appeal process.
Resources – Members agreed to a couple of additions to this section.
With regulation review complete, Anne Howe moved to approve the updated HDC Regulations, including the Definitions section, for public hearing. Members voted unanimously in favor.
Bringing HDC Regulations Public
Members then discussed the required enactment and adoption procedures, according to RSA 675:6-7, including the requirement that the public hearing be held within the historic district. They also briefly discussed the best way to share the draft regulations to foster public feedback, including by mailing copies to historic district property owners, making them available at the post office, town offices and the library, and posting them on the website.
Photo Inventory Project
Organization of all the historic district property photos is nearly complete. Anne Howe and Nancy Nickerson continue their work.
Membership
Members will explore possibilities for new additions to the commission.
The meeting adjourned at 9:05 pm.