Historic Architecture Review Board: approvals, continuances and conditions from April 17 meeting

The City of St. Augustine Historic Architecture Review Board on April 17 took votes on a mix of certificates of appropriateness, partial‑demolition requests and continued applications. Board members unanimously approved several items with conditions, continued a number of complex applications for additional information, and asked applicants to return with clearer documentation or less‑visible alternative locations in a handful of cases.

Why it matters: The board’s decisions affect preservation incentives and the character of Saint Augustine’s most sensitive historic districts. Several approvals included required follow‑up: measured documentation, mockups or more detailed construction drawings before work can proceed.

What the board decided (votes at a glance) - Approved minutes from the Feb. 20, 2025 meeting (unanimous). - Approved the modified agenda (unanimous); item 6A (COA at 32 St. Francis Street) was continued to May 15, 2025. - COA HP2025‑0026 — 172 Avenida Menendez: Approved replacement standing‑seam metal roof in the proposed medium bronze finish to match adjacent property; motion carried unanimously. - COA HP2025‑0031 — 52 St. George Street (window replacements): Continued to May 15, 2025 to allow the applicant to provide additional documentation and samples; board reiterated preference for wood windows on prominent elevations. - Opinion of Appropriateness 7A — 5 Palm Row: Approved with conditions (staff to review final materials, additional streetscape/sightline information and archaeology triggers); motion carried unanimously. - Certificate of Appropriateness / Ad valorem tax exemption parts 1 and 2 — 66 Saragossa Street: Approved with conditions requiring clarified scope and documentation of any additional replacement before the applicant advances to Part 3; unanimous. - Certificate of Partial Demolition — 47 Abbot Street: Approved with design adjustments requested for rear elevation (column spacing, door/window changes) and a planting/landscaping mitigation to screen part of the addition; unanimous. - Certificate of Partial Demolition — 91 Kings Ferry Way: Approved with conditions requiring smooth Hardie lap siding on the rear, 1‑over‑1 replacement windows of a compatible profile, and a simplified picket railing; the final samples and color to be administratively reviewed by staff; unanimous. - 27 Lovett Street (partial demolition / wholesale siding/windows): Continued to May 15 to allow the applicant to work with staff on a design that retains historic character where feasible. - 84 Bridge Street (St. Paul AME Church bell tower): Approved limited partial demolition to deconstruct and rebuild the failing bell tower with conditions — detailed construction documents and wall sections, structural plans, salvage plan for historic materials, mockup/brick samples, and documentation prior to any dismantling; unanimous. - 53 Evergreen Avenue (demolition of a non‑historic residence): Approved; unanimous. - 1306 N. Ponce de Leon Boulevard (former service station): Approved demolition with conditions requiring archival documentation and good‑faith salvage of the distinctive canopy/awning for reuse; unanimous. - 24 McCarris Street (contributing building in Fullerwood Park): Continued to May 15 to allow applicant time to submit detailed, itemized economic‑hardship documentation required for demolition of contributing structures. - Small‑cell antenna proposals (multiple addresses; current Tokes Place parking‑lot proposal): Continued to June 18, 2025. The board asked the applicant to return with multiple potential, less‑visible placements (including rooftop opportunities and options along the parking‑lot perimeter), photo simulations and a mapped plan showing how proposed locations fit into a larger citywide deployment.

What applicants must submit next (typical follow‑ups ordered by the board) - More detailed measured drawings, head/jamb/sill details and construction sections for any partial‑demolition that will be reconstructed (bridge tower, other significant fabric). - Archival documentation (photographs, measured drawings, Florida Master Site File entries) before any demolition allowed in historic areas. - Material samples and a small‑scale mockup for masonry and siding decisions where staff or the board requested sample comparisons. - For contributing buildings where demolition is requested, a standardized economic‑hardship packet showing rehabilitation cost estimates, alternative reuse scenarios and comparable market valuations; applicants were directed to the checklist staff provided.

Provenance: All votes and motions recorded on the April 17, 2025 Historic Architecture Review Board transcript.