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Charles Town HLC approves emergency carport demolition COA and a South George Street façade grant
Summary
The Charles Town Historic Landmarks Commission on July 13 approved a certificate of appropriateness tied to the emergency removal of a nonhistoric vinyl carport and awarded a façade-improvement grant to a South George Street property to repair porch boards and repaint trim. Both measures passed by voice vote with no opposition.
The Charles Town Historic Landmarks Commission voted July 13 to approve a certificate of appropriateness related to the emergency removal of a vinyl-clad carport and to award a façade-improvement grant for porch repairs at a South George Street house.
City staff explained that the carport — an ahistorical, vinyl-clad accessory to a circa-1900 brick building in the Old Charlestown historic district — had been removed after an engineer concluded its deterioration posed "a threat to life and property," and that the owner secured an emergency demolition permit. James, a city staff member, told the commission the carport "was removed based on that as an emergency building, demolition permit," and recommended approval of the COA tied to the structure’s removal. The applicant for that item was identified in discussion as Mr. Prince. Committee member (speaker 3) moved to approve the COA; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
On the façade grant, staff described a façade-improvement request for a three-story, circa-1890 house at South George Street. The applicant, Tasha Petro, who said she represents the property owner Graceford LLC, told the commission the work would focus on replacing rotted porch boards and repainting trim to match existing colors. James summarized the cost estimates: one quote was $3,587.74, and the city’s share on the lower quote would be approximately $3,100; he said the city’s new fiscal-year façade program has about $30,000 available. Petro said the project is intended "to try to get it fixed up and make it look nice." The commission opened public hearing, received the applicant's remarks, and approved the COA/grant request by voice vote with no opposition.
Why this matters: The two approvals remove a nonhistoric, failing structure that staff said posed safety risks and direct modest city façade funds to a property where the owner proposes to restore porch materials and repaint trim. The COA approval for the removed carport acknowledges the building has a contributing main structure but that the removed accessory did not meet design-review standards.
What’s next: The demolition-related COA reflects an emergency removal already carried out; the façade grant recipient may proceed with the contracted repairs per program rules and will coordinate final details with staff.
