The Prescott Preservation Commission voted 5–1 on Jan. 9, 2026, to approve application HP 25‑009 to build a detached garage and workshop at 230 South Mount Vernon Avenue.

Assistant planner Jacob Lund described the proposal as "a detached garage with a workshop" totaling roughly 602 square feet for the garage and about 304 square feet for the workshop and said the property is a non‑contributor to the East Prescott National Historic District due to earlier siding changes. Lund told commissioners the roof would be a gable‑on‑hip form with architectural‑grade shingles to match the primary residence and that siding and trim would match the primary residence. He said staff reviewed the design against the Prescott Preservation Master Plan for the East Historic District, city ordinances, the Secretary of the Interior standards, and National Park Service guidance and determined the project "meets all ordinance guidelines except for the proposed windows."

The most contested point during deliberations was window orientation. Commissioner Jim McCarver read the master plan and argued that "the vertical window design ... adds continuity and rhythm to the neighborhood" and that "horizontal and sliding windows should be discouraged." The applicant's draftsman, Aaron Raisley, said the higher, horizontally oriented windows were chosen for the shop use to allow light while preserving wall space for tools and workbenches and noted neighboring side facades with similar high windows as precedent.

Planning manager Alex Bramlett told the commission the review focuses on the Mount Vernon streetscape and that the proposed sliding windows sit on side elevations not visible from Mount Vernon; for that reason, staff did not find the windows out of compliance. Bramlett said changing the windows remained an option but staff was recommending approval. "It is looking from Mount Vernon Street," Bramlett said, "so that's the main scape we're trying to preserve."

Commissioner Diane Travis moved to approve HP 25‑009 "as written," and Commissioner Michael King seconded. After additional comments that the building is largely screened from the street by adjacent structures and vegetation, the commission took a recorded count: the motion carried 5 to 1. The record does not show an individual roll‑call of each commissioner vote; the chair announced the tally and that the motion carried.

Project details disclosed in the hearing record: the garage/workshop will sit in an SF‑9 zoning district with standard setbacks (25 feet front and rear, 7 feet sides; detached‑garage rear setback reduced to 4 feet except where a garage door faces an alley, where 6 feet is required); the proposed rear setback to the garage door is 6 feet. Staff noted the project would be subordinate and compatible with the district and in compliance with Standards 9 and 10 of the Secretary of the Interior standards, aside from the window orientation difference flagged by staff.

The commission's approval means the applicant may proceed with permit steps consistent with the city process; Lund and staff did not announce additional conditions attached to the approval at the hearing. The commission moved on to other business after the vote.