Decatur review board denies temporary canopy COA for Molton Street house

The Decatur Architectural Review Board on March 20 denied a certificate of appropriateness for a homeowner's temporary canopy located on Molton Street, after board members said the structure appeared attached and did not fit the historic-district guidelines.

The applicant told the board she built a small, movable canopy she described as "just a 4 by 6, out of 2 by twos and 1 by sixes" to provide summer shade for a window and intended to use it seasonally for about three months. She said there was insufficient space above the window for a retractable awning and that previous umbrellas had been damaged by wind.

Board members questioned whether the freestanding structure read as part of the house and whether the guidelines allow seasonal or temporary structures of that form. Members noted the commission must follow written standards and that any approval sets a precedent for other properties in the historic district. After discussion, a motion to approve the certificate of appropriateness failed and the COA was denied.

In explaining her application, the applicant said she had tried umbrellas in earlier years but they "kept getting tore up, and they kept getting faded and blown over by the wind," and that the temporary canopy reduced direct sunlight without making the room too dark. She also said she put the canopy up in July and took it down in September on a prior year.

Board members suggested alternatives such as a shallower, professionally made metal awning that could meet guidelines or interior window treatments, but several commissioners expressed concern about the canopy's appearance and its temporary enforcement (who would ensure it was removed outside the approved months). One member observed that although the structure might be movable, "it looks like it's attached to the house," and another said the application did not fit the guidelines as written.

The board's procedural materials provided at the meeting note that COAs must be issued before a building permit can be obtained and that denial letters are sent by certified mail to the property owner's address on file with the county revenue office. The applicant indicated she would instead plan to use an umbrella after the denial.

The vote was recorded as a failed motion and the COA was not issued. The board did not adopt any modification or conditional approval during the hearing; no additional staff direction or follow-up schedule for this applicant was recorded on the transcript.