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Historic District Commission

Town of Chapel Hill · Historic District Commission
Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 6:30 pm · RM 110 | Council Chamber

Regular meeting Historic preservation

Agenda document Minutes Meeting page Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved 1.November 11, 2025 Action Minutes approved · Pass · Commissioner Moore moved, seconded by Connolly, to approve the November 11, 2025, meeting minutes. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
  2. Approved 2.132 S Columbia Street approved · Pass · Zell Hoole, representative of the architect, presented a list of the proposed changes and restated the feedback from the commission at the November meeting. Hool…
  3. Approved 3.304 N Boundary Street approved · Pass · LeAnn Nease Brown, counsel for the property owner, explained that the existing house has a modern design that was approved in 2000. She explained that there have…

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

Chapel Hill's Historic District Commission reviewed two individual property applications at its December meeting. At 132 S Columbia Street, the architect presented revised plans for a bedroom addition, setting the brick wall back a foot and adding two roof dormers in response to the commission's earlier feedback; the commission approved it unanimously. At 304 N Boundary Street, the owner's attorney and the property owner presented a plan to add a greenhouse entrance to an existing garden, replacing a temporary gate; that was also approved unanimously.

The commission also adopted revisions to its own Rules of Procedure and approved its November 11 meeting minutes, both without dissent. Preservation Chapel Hill gave an update on the Coker Hills National Register nomination during announcements.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The commission approved the revised plans for 132 South Columbia Street on a condition: the two new roof monitors on the bedroom addition must be lengthened and match the glazing of the original dormers. Zell Hoole and Kal Fadem, for the architect, showed the bedroom wall set back a foot and the cafeteria addition inset a foot, answering November's comments. Josh Gurlitz questioned windows running up to the cornice, and Chair Don Tise asked for dormers that match the original building.

At 304 North Boundary Street, owner Madhu Beriwal and attorney LeAnn Nease Brown proposed a metal and glass greenhouse to replace a garden gate that has been temporary for almost six years. It was approved without conditions. The commission also adopted revised rules of procedure, and heard Preservation Chapel Hill's update on the Coker Hills National Register nomination. Nobody spoke at either hearing.

How the votes went

Every vote was unanimous, with Vice-Chair Brian Daniels absent. 132 South Columbia Street found not incongruous with a condition on the roof monitors, 5-0 (Gurlitz, Connolly). 304 North Boundary Street found not incongruous, 5-0 (McCormick, Gurlitz). Rules of procedure revisions adopted (Tise, Gurlitz). Agenda and 11 November minutes approved 4-0 before Gurlitz arrived.

From the published minutes.

Speaking at this meeting

Town of Chapel Hill's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Jump to an item (15 on this agenda)
  1. Opening
  2. Roll Call
  3. Secretary reads procedures into the record
  4. Commission Chair reads public charge
  5. Approval of Agenda
  6. Announcements
  7. Petitions
  8. Approval of Minutes
  9. 1.November 11, 2025 Action Minutes
  10. 2.132 S Columbia Street
  11. 3.304 N Boundary Street
  12. Discussion
  13. 4.Chapel Hill Historic District Commission Rules of Procedure Revisions
  14. Adjournment
  15. Order of Consideration of Agenda Items: 1. Staff Presentation 2. Appl…

Agenda items (15)

Procedural · 8Other · 2Minutes approval · 2Public hearing · 2Discussion item · 1
  1. Opening
    Other
  2. Roll Call
    Procedural
  3. Secretary reads procedures into the record
    Procedural
  4. Commission Chair reads public charge
    Procedural
  5. Approval of Agenda
    Procedural
    approved · Pass · Commissioner McCormick moved, Moore seconded, to approve the agenda. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
  6. Announcements
    Procedural
    Phillip Lyons, a representative of Preservation Chapel Hill, gave the commission an update on the Coker Hills National Register nomination. Staff Liaison Myers mentioned that staff are working on the Certified Local Government report.
  7. Petitions
    Other
  8. Approval of Minutes
    Minutes approval
  9. 1. November 11, 2025 Action Minutes
    Minutes approval
    approved · Pass · Commissioner Moore moved, seconded by Connolly, to approve the November 11, 2025, meeting minutes. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
  10. 2. 132 S Columbia Street
    Public hearing Historic preservation
    approved · Pass · Zell Hoole, representative of the architect, presented a list of the proposed changes and restated the feedback from the commission at the November meeting. Hoole explained that the brick wall of the bedroom addition was set back one foot, so it would be more distinct. He presented photos of the revised elevations and renderings. He said two dormers were added to the roofline to tie the bedroom ad…
    From the minutes: Approved 5-0 with the condition that the roof monitors be extended and match the glazing on the original dormers.
    • 132 S Columbia St · no matching parcel on file
  11. 3. 304 N Boundary Street
    Public hearing Historic preservation
    approved · Pass · LeAnn Nease Brown, counsel for the property owner, explained that the existing house has a modern design that was approved in 2000. She explained that there have been additions to the house since then and that the house is unique to the district. Madhu Beriwal, property owner, said the application is to add a greenhouse as an entrance to the existing garden which has a temporary gate that has been…
    • 304 N Boundary St · no matching parcel on file
  12. Discussion
    Discussion item
  13. 4. Chapel Hill Historic District Commission Rules of Procedure Revisions
    Procedural Historic preservation
    approved · Pass · A motion was made by Chair Tise, seconded by Gurlitz, that the Commission adopt the revisions to the Rules of Procedure. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
  14. Adjournment
    Procedural
  15. Order of Consideration of Agenda Items: 1. Staff Presentation 2. Applicant’s Presentation 3. Public Comment 4. Board Discussion 5. Motion 6. Restatement of Motion by Chair 7. Vote 8. Announcement of Vote by Chair Public Charge: The Advisory Body pledges its respect to the public. The Body asks the public to conduct themselves in a respectful, courteous manner, both with the Body and with fellow members of the public. Should any member of the Body or any member of the public fail to observe this charge at any time, the Chair will ask the offending person to leave the meeting until that individual regains personal control. Should decorum fail to be restored, the Chair will recess the meeting until a genuine commitment to this public charge is observed. Unless otherwise noted, please contact the Planning Department at 919-968-2728; planning@townofchapelhill.org for more information on the above referenced applications. See the Advisory Boards page http://www.townofchapelhill.org/boards for background information on this Board.
    Procedural

Agenda changes

What moved between published versions of this agenda. Item numbers shift constantly as things are inserted, so only genuine additions and removals are listed.

Other recent meetings of this board