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Commission approves roof and porch changes at 1015 South 11th despite staff recommendation
Summary
Oxford City planners recommended denial for a proposed roof-raising and porch replacement at 1015 South 11th Street, but the Design Commission approved the Certificate of Appropriateness after commissioners judged the change modest and compatible with the streetscape.
The Oxford City Design Commission approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for alterations at 1015 South 11th Street that raise the roof ridge by about 39 inches, add a rear shed dormer and replace the front porch with a new gable porch, overruling a staff recommendation to deny the proposal.
Planning staff told the commission the proposal conflicts with design guidelines that favor preserving the primary roof form and locating additions on secondary elevations; staff recommended denial. The staff report described the house as a one-story, three-bay center-hall cottage with Colonial Revival influence built circa 1925 and said the proposed ridge would be 39 inches higher than existing.
Jonathan Maddox, the applicant's architect with Horwirth and Associates, said the project seeks to provide access to attic space to create a three-bedroom house while preserving the building's character; he said inserting a stair would remove a downstairs bedroom so the net gain is effectively one bedroom. "Our goal was to try to give them that space without really altering what a common purchaser would think," Maddox said, arguing the changed pitch and retained portions of the original roof keep the alteration modest.
Commissioners reviewed renderings, photographs and a massing study and debated a strict versus flexible interpretation of the guidelines for roof form. One commissioner said the ridge increase is modest compared with larger roof-raising projects, and Maddox noted a large three-story house behind the property reduces the perceived impact from the street.
A motion to approve the COA as presented was moved and seconded; the commission voted in favor and the motion carried. The transcript does not specify a numerical vote tally. The project will proceed subject to any required administrative approvals and applicable building permits.
The commission then moved on to other business, including an upcoming vice-chair election.
