ARC approves rear addition for bungalow at 5709 North Seminole Avenue

The Architectural Review Commission on Oct. 12 approved a certificate of appropriateness for a rear addition at 5709 North Seminole Avenue, a 1920s Craftsman bungalow in the Seminole Heights Historic District.

The applicant, Alan Dobbs of Florida Design Studio Corp., told the commission the project adds a modest master suite — about 288 square feet — to create a third bedroom and reconfigures a small rear utility area into a mudroom. “It’s an existing, 2 bedroom, 1 bath bungalow… they need to add an additional bedroom,” Dobbs said while walking commissioners through site plans, elevations and wall sections.

Historic Preservation staff recommended approval. Elaine Lund said staff found the application “consistent with the Seminole Heights design guidelines and the Secretary of the Interior standards and guidelines for rehabilitation.” Staff noted the site’s previous approval (2012) to use concrete pavers because of suspected sinkhole activity and confirmed the driveway pavers had been previously accepted.

Key elements of the approved design include a rear master suite with a clipped (jerkinhead) gable roof set to match existing roof heights, wood windows to match existing profiles, painted brick piers on the porch, a raised rear patio with brick-faced retaining walls, and a new 18-by-9-foot parking pad to meet transportation comments. The plan preserves the front facade and locates new work at the rear and side so the addition reads as new construction behind the original house.

Commission discussion focused on materials and differentiation of new from old. The applicant said the team would match the existing beveled lap siding and window trim and that the new roof would match the existing profile and color. Commissioners asked staff to confirm whether the pavers proposed for the raised patio matched the approved driveway pavers and to make any final selection a condition of approval; the applicant agreed to accept staff review as a condition if the board preferred.

The commission moved to grant a certificate of appropriateness for the drawings and documents presented (case ARC25-0000167). The motion passed; the public record shows the vote concluded with the chair calling for “aye” and the motion recorded as passed.

The COA allows the owner to proceed with permitting and construction; owner/agents remain responsible for securing any required building permits and inspections from the City of Tampa.