Historic Preservation Commission approves additions to Lynen Hill carriage house over neighbor objections

The Richmond Historic Preservation Commission on March 9 approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for two rear additions and the installation of solar panels on the garage at 24 South 21st Street, a property historically recorded as a carriage house in the Lynen Hill Conservation District.

The commission voted in favor following a staff recommendation that the proposed additions — located at the rear and described by staff as roughly a 17–20% increase in footprint depending on whether the porch is counted — would be visually compatible with the surrounding fabric on criteria including height, window proportions, materials and roof shape. The motion to approve was made and seconded; the recorded votes in the meeting transcript show Commissioners Tina Ki, Josh Mhof, Kameha Edwards and Roxy Deer voting in favor and the chair declared the motion carried.

Neighbors raised concerns that the project would harm the property’s historic relationship with the adjacent main house and alter the streetscape. Jill Nelson, an adjacent property owner and co‑owner of Lynen Hill Redevelopment, told the commission the proposal "includes not one but two additions to this structure that would be inappropriate in scale and harm the 100‑year‑plus significance of the carriage house" and urged denial, citing National Park Service preservation guidance and an absence of neighborhood design guidelines.

Petitioners Barry Kramer and Jeff Bessler, who told the commission they have owned the house for about 30 years, said the work is intended to improve livability while preserving historic fabric. Kramer described the project as necessary to enlarge a narrow, awkward kitchen and said the overall footprint increase would be “about 20%.” Bessler said they have instructed contractors to "do as little damage" as possible to interior plaster and trim, to salvage and reuse window frames and other fabric, and to preserve existing paint colors.

Staff relayed that 33 adjacent property owners were notified, that the Wayne County interim report (2001) categorizes the property as a contributing 'C' resource, and that the city received six written responses to the notice (five in favor and two opposed). Support letters read into the record praised the petitioners' maintenance of the property and confidence that the additions would be compatible with the neighborhood. Opposing letters, including one from the adjacent owners at 2039 East Main Street, argued the additions would erode neighborhood cohesion and contract with the conservation district’s purpose.

Commissioners asked technical questions about the footprint percentage, which the petitioners said ranged from roughly 17% (excluding the porch) to about 19–20% (including it), and about which earlier 1929–1930 addition would be altered. Petitioners explained the new work would replace a lower, shallow‑pitched roof at the rear, raise upstairs headroom to a more typical level, and match the main roof pitch to improve proportions.

After the vote, several commissioners praised the thoroughness of the application and reiterated that establishing neighborhood design standards for the Lynen Hill Conservation District is a priority for the commission this year. Commissioners also discussed whether a modest COA filing fee might be appropriate for the city to consider.

The commission set its next meeting for April 13, 2026. The approved COA includes the two rear additions and permission for solar panels sited so they are not visible from the right of way; staff noted no written commitments were appended to the approval in the record.