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Commission approves COA for 28 Wharf Street with conditions on siding, porch details and screening
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Summary
The Historic Preservation Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness for 28 Wharf Street (applicant Malcolm Claxton on behalf of JRA Holdings) with conditions including switching the carriage house siding to lap, modifying gable vent trim, centering porch beam, reducing column bases, providing HVAC screening details, and replacing specified meter louvers with landscaping.
The Town of Bluffton Historic Preservation Commission on Feb. 4 approved a certificate of appropriateness for work at 28 Wharf Street, authorizing an expansion of an existing one‑story house and the construction of a new detached two‑story carriage house with several conditions attached.
Commission members heard staff recommendations that the project (filed on behalf of JRA Holdings by Malcolm Claxton) meet five primary conditions: replace louvered meter screening with landscaping in specified locations, identify the material for infill panels between porch piers, determine whether metal foundation vents are appropriate, change the carriage house soffit to match the main house, and revise the landscape plan to include a tree survey and demonstrate 75% tree canopy coverage. Staff also recommended removing board‑and‑batten on the carriage house in favor of horizontal lap siding.
During a detailed technical review, commissioners and the applicant discussed porch wall sections and soffit material, with commissioners noting the town’s UDO preference for a beaded or v‑groove profile on visible porch ceilings and agreeing that tongue‑and‑groove or another beaded profile would meet the standard. Commissioners also directed the applicant to center a major porch beam on its supporting column, reduce the porch column base to a slimmer profile (recommended be 1x rather than 2x), and flatten the porch ceiling rather than follow the bottom of the rafter. Staff and commissioners requested that HVAC units be screened and that spacing details for service‑yard boards be added to the plans; they agreed that the shorter meter screen installations may remain while taller meter locations should be replaced with landscaping.
On vents, staff noted existing foundation vents are metal and recommended matching existing vent material and appearance. The applicant agreed to provide clarified materials and dimensions for vents, spacings and screened enclosures as conditions of approval.
A commissioner moved to approve staff recommendations with the additional commissioner comments (reduce gable vent trim, center the beam on the column, change the porch column base to 1x, provide a flat porch ceiling, include spacing details for service‑yard boards, and keep HVAC screening with spacing details). The motion was seconded, a verbal vote was taken and the motion passed. Chairman Joe DePaul announced that the project had been approved with conditions.
Next steps: the applicant must submit revised plans and material specifications addressing the conditions (siding change, soffit and vent details, landscaping and screening plans, spacing measurements). Town staff will verify those revisions against the UDO standards before issuing final COA documentation.
