Historic Preservation Advisory Board approves demolition, HNIZ tax exemption and selects 12 homes for 2026 calendar

The City of McKinney Historic Preservation Advisory Board took several formal actions at its April 2025 meeting: it approved the consent agenda, granted a certificate of appropriateness for the demolition of a detached shed, approved a Level 2 Historic Neighborhood Improvement Zone (HNIZ) rehabilitation tax exemption, and selected 12 homes for the 2026 Preserve Historic McKinney calendar.

Consent agenda: The board voted to approve the consent agenda for its March 2025 regular meeting. The motion was made by board member Bridal and seconded by board member Robertson; the chair called the vote and the motion passed.

Demolition: The board considered a certificate of appropriateness request from owner Nancy Jennings to demolish a detached shed at 1407 West Louisiana Street. Rayna Lam, historic preservation planner for the city, presented the staff report, describing the shed as constructed circa 1925 and recorded in the 2023 historic research survey as a medium-priority resource. Lam said the shed first appears on a Sanborn map in 1965 and that staff recommended approval because the structure was not character-defining and its removal would not change the property's priority rating.

Nancy Jennings did not speak at the meeting; Don Jennings, who identified himself as a resident and said the family owns the house, said the shed is an "eyesore" and sits inside a utility easement. He told the board the owners plan to remove the shed and later may build a craftsman-style carport, but said design work for a carport will be considered separately through the certificate-of-appropriateness process. A motion "that we approve the certificate of appropriateness for the demolition of the detached shed" was made by Ms. Bridal, seconded by Ms. Robertson, and the motion passed.

HNIZ tax exemption (612 West Virginia Street): Lam presented a Level 2 HNIZ rehabilitation application submitted by property owners Robert and Kelly Sharap for 612 West Virginia Street, a circa-1910 craftsman-style house listed as medium priority. Lam said the owner received a letter of eligibility from the city on Feb. 14, 2025, and submitted invoices and a final engineering report documenting foundation and drainage work that totaled $21,752. The work included replacing rotted wood, resetting and reshimming the understructure, installing surface drainage and performing grading, debris removal, engineering and permitting.

Owner Robert Sharap described the condition prior to purchase: earlier foundation repairs had been incomplete and poor drainage continued to undermine the understructure. He said the current owners corrected the drainage, replaced gutters and completed structural repairs. Staff reported the application met the program's minimum eligibility criteria and the board voted to approve the Level 2 HNIZ rehabilitation tax exemption; the motion was made by Mr. West and seconded by Ms. Kennedy.

2026 Preserve Historic McKinney calendar: The board considered nominations for the 2026 Preserve Historic McKinney home recognition calendar. Cassie Baumgartner, HPAB staff coordinator, walked the board through the nomination list, asked members to rank candidates 1-5, and the board selected 12 houses for the calendar. Selected addresses announced in the meeting were: 110 South Bradley; 1102 Lamar; 313 North Bradley; 808 West Tucker; 207 North Bradley; 204 South Tennessee; 509 West Tucker; 705 North College; 618 West Louisiana; 801 West Louisiana; 12808 (Tucker?) and 110? (note: the board read the final list aloud and staff will confirm addresses when notifying owners). Baumgartner said staff will notify chosen homeowners by letter and request contact information and permission; professional photography is planned for May to produce calendar images.

Procedure and next steps: For items requiring new construction (for example, a future carport at 1407 W. Louisiana), staff said applicants will submit separate certificate-of-appropriateness applications; such subsequent proposals would be reviewed by staff and, if necessary, returned to the board. For the calendar, Baumgartner said staff will send letters to owners next week, ask owners to provide contact information, and schedule photography in May, with designers assembling the calendar afterward.

Ending: All motions recorded at the meeting passed. Staff will notify homeowners selected for the calendar, follow up with property owners who received approvals about any next steps, and schedule a HPAB work session to review the City Hall breezeway exhibit materials.