Historic Lancaster Commission approves downtown signage, fencing, siding and retaining wall; tables demolition request

LANCASTER, Ohio — The Historic Lancaster Commission unanimously approved several property alteration applications for downtown Lancaster at its Aug. 20, 2025 meeting and tabled a demolition and parking proposal that lacked required documentation.

Chair Bryan Everitt opened the meeting at 2:00 p.m. at City Hall and led roll call; commissioners Jason Annecy, Matt Brady, Joyce Harvey and Debi Stemble were present. City staff and members of the public attended and several public attendees represented specific applications.

The commission approved Certificate of Appropriateness case CA-00546 for 219 N. Columbus St. after applicant Nick Schilling described planned signage: an arch metal sign on the northwest alley side, a metal directional sign on the north side, two signs over rear awnings bearing the Shumaker name, a two-sided blade sign at Columbus and Mulberry, and a small blade sign at the Columbus entrance. Commissioner Debi Stemble moved for approval; Joyce Harvey seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Case CA-00547 (136 N. Columbus St.) — a signage-and-color application — was considered in the applicant’s absence. City staff member Andrew Lundell informed the commission that the sign and color matched a prior approval (case CA-00473, March 2024) and that the business had already relocated with the signage in place. Joyce Harvey moved to approve; Debi Stemble seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Applicant Nancy Engeman received approval for CA-00548 at 131 E. Mulberry St. to install a 4-foot-tall white vinyl fence along the alley where she had recently removed boxwood bushes; Engeman said the new fence would match an existing fence on the property. The motion to approve, made by Debi Stemble and seconded by Joyce Harvey, carried unanimously.

For CA-00549 at 333 N. Broad St., Brent Odson of RVR explained that scalloped siding on a small gable on the Broad Street side was deteriorating and proposed replacement with white vinyl in a straight shake design (owners preferred straight shake over the scalloped option). Matt Brady moved to approve replacement using the straight shake design; Debi Stemble seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

The commission also approved CA-00551 for 151 E. Chestnut St.; Jerry Childers of Natural Creations said the existing stucco retaining wall was crumbling and would be covered with stone veneer. The motion passed unanimously after a second from Matt Brady.

A separate, more consequential application, CA-00552 for 955 Lincoln Ave., was tabled. Applicant Jennifer Theller, representing a funeral-home buyer, said the property’s center section (added in 1924) was in poor condition and that the prospective owners planned to demolish that portion, rebuild in a similar style and pave a 50-space parking lot. Chair Everitt and city staff member Mitch Harden told Theller that the Historic Code and Lancaster’s codified ordinance 1327.15 require a written justification for demolition, financial documentation and a reuse plan before demolition could be approved. Matt Brady moved to table CA-00552 for lack of information; Jason Annecy seconded and the motion to table passed unanimously.

The commission recorded an administrative approval for temporary construction signs at 104 E. Main St. (CA-00550). A brief informational item followed: Commissioner Jason Annecy asked about lit signs beside O’Huids for a potential downtown map; staff noted such signs are not generally approved under historic guidelines and Andrew Lundell agreed to check whether an application had been submitted previously.

The commission set its next regular meeting for Sept. 17, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. Chair Everitt adjourned the meeting at 2:47 p.m. Minutes were submitted by Shannon Seesholtz.

Actions recorded at the meeting included unanimous approvals of CA-00546, CA-00547, CA-00548, CA-00549 and CA-00551; administrative approval for CA-00550; and tabling of CA-00552 pending required demolition justification and plans.