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Commission approves carriage-house COA at 17 Lawrence Street with conditions to protect Live Oak and refine details
Summary
The commission approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for a two‑story carriage house at 17 Lawrence Street with conditions including a staff‑reviewed driveway reconfiguration to protect a large live oak, matching corner‑board details, soffit material specification and a bracket detail.
The Historic Preservation Commission approved a Certificate of Appropriateness Feb. 5 for construction of a two‑story carriage house of about 1,199 square feet at 17 Lawrence Street in the Old Town Bluffton Historic District, subject to a set of staff conditions and additional clarifications.
Staff recommended approval with five conditions: show how the driveway will be reconfigured to provide access to the left (north) bay and protect a 42‑inch live oak on the property; provide a top rail at least 2.75 inches as required in the UDO specification cited by staff; supply beaded or quarter‑round inset trim for corner boards (or match the main house corner boards); identify soffit material and configuration; and list all building materials, including door and window materials, on the project analysis sheet. Christopher Epps was listed on the agenda as the applicant; architect Chris Fretz of Encircle Architecture presented and answered detailed questions about elevation and wall‑section details.
Commissioners and the applicant discussed the proximity of the carriage‑house garage bay to an existing gravel driveway and the live oak. The applicant said the driveway as shown represented existing conditions and agreed to provide a revised site plan showing driveway reconfiguration; commissioners requested that staff review the revised driveway plan (staff‑level approval) and, if necessary, require a landscape architect or arborist plan to ensure minimal impact to the tree. The commission also asked for a bracket detail and for consistency between the submitted elevations and wall sections.
The motion to approve the application included the staff recommendations, required the corner boards to match the existing main house, and added the bracket detail and driveway reconfiguration as staff review items. The motion passed by voice vote; the transcript records a commissioner making the motion, a second and the chair calling “All in favor? Aye.”
