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Historic panel approves six neighborhood renovation and construction requests
Summary
The Tuscaloosa Historic Preservation Commission on June 10 approved multiple Certificates of Appropriateness for decks, a garage addition, a new house, a gazebo, a parking pad and window replacements, with conditions such as a final inspection and specified materials on some projects.
The Tuscaloosa Historic Preservation Commission approved a package of renovation and construction requests at its June 10 meeting, granting Certificates of Appropriateness for six separate homeowner projects across the city's historic districts.
The approvals included a rear‑porch alteration at 1419 Dearing Place after staff described a stop‑work order placed April 10 for work done without prior HPC approval. Applicant Brandon Shirley said he was taking over the job from an unlicensed contractor and told the commission, "I'm picking it up to further license to do it as appropriately as possible." Commissioners found the project materials and scale acceptable and voted to approve the certificate.
The commission also approved a detached‑garage addition at 11 Buena Vista, with the architect Evans Fitz confirming at the hearing that the commission’s direction to use wood windows would be followed. A new two‑story, 2,215‑square‑foot house in the Glendale Gardens Historic District was approved with specified materials including hardy plank siding and aluminum‑clad wood windows. An accessory gazebo in Hillrest (a 12x16 premanufactured metal gazebo) cleared a divided vote, and a rear parking pad expansion in Pinehurst was approved after staff confirmed the proposal would use 33 percent of the rear yard, under the 35 percent guideline.
On windows at a duplex on 17th Avenue, the commission approved replacement of 22 original wood windows with cellular PVC units designed to match existing sightlines. The applicant, Matthew Morrison, brought a sample window to the meeting to aid the commission’s material review. Commissioners discussed differences between cellular PVC and other vinyl products before approving the replacement.
Each approval carried standard conditions: staff will perform final inspections, applicants must confirm materials/finishes when specified (for example, wood windows in the Buena Vista garage addition), and applicants were reminded to consult city staff if plans change. These cases were routine uses of the commission’s design guidelines, which are anchored in Chapter 20, Article 2 of the Code of Tuscaloosa.
The commission handles Certificates of Appropriateness to ensure changes in designated historic districts respect the character, scale and materials of the area. Applicants who received approvals were told to coordinate final inspections with city staff before work proceeds.
