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Historic District Commission

Town of Chapel Hill · Historic District Commission
Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at 6:30 pm · RM 110 | Council Chamber

Regular meeting Historic preservation

Agenda document Minutes Meeting page Watch

What's on this agenda

Chapel Hill's Historic District Commission approved minutes and a batch of routine certificate-of-appropriateness decisions on consent, then took up two substantive items in new business. Property owner Brian Jensen won approval for changes to a non-contributing house at 260 Glandon Drive, including filling an interior pool, replacing a plexiglass roof with shingles, and adding skylights and clerestory windows. The commission found the changes not incongruous with the district's character.

The commission also voted to recommend the Coker Hills neighborhood for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, after a Preservation Chapel Hill representative presented the nomination on behalf of the neighborhood's homeowners association. Counsel clarified that national listing carries no additional regulatory oversight. Commissioners closed by discussing how to build support for a May Historic Preservation Month proclamation.

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

How the votes went

All motions during the meeting, including approval of the amended agenda, minutes, consent-agenda decisions, the 260 Glandon Drive certificate of appropriateness, and the Coker Hills NRHP nomination recommendation, carried by unanimous vote.

Speaking at this meeting

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

Agenda items (20)

Other · 8Procedural · 4Consent agenda · 3Discussion item · 2Minutes approval · 1Staff or committee report · 1Resolution · 1
  1. Opening
    Other
    Meeting opening.
  2. Roll Call
    Procedural
    Roll call; Vice-Chair Daniels and four commissioners present, Chair Tise excused.
    Charnika Harrell, Staff Liaison, Anna Scott Myers, Staff Liaison, Kevin Hornik, Counsel to the Commission
  3. Secretary reads procedures into the record
    Other
    Secretary reads standard hearing procedures into the record.
  4. Commission Chair reads public charge
    Other
    Commission Chair reads the public charge governing meeting conduct.
  5. Approval of Agenda
    Other Historic preservation
    The agenda was amended to add a discussion of a Historic Preservation Month proclamation before approval.
    approved · Pass · Vice Chair Daniels asked to amend the agenda to discuss the historic preservation month proclamation. Commissioner McCormick moved, seconded by Gurlitz to approve the amended agenda. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
  6. Announcements
    Procedural
    Counsel briefed the commission on an updated guide for evidentiary hearings and motion scripts.
    Kevin Hornik, counsel to the commission, explained the updated guide for evidentiary hearings and motion scripts he shared with commissioners.
  7. Petitions
    Other
  8. Approval of Minutes
    Other
  9. 1. December 9, 2025 Meeting Minutes
    Minutes approval
    Routine approval of the December 9, 2025 meeting minutes.
    approved · Pass · Commissioner Gurlitz moved, seconded by Moore, to approve the December 9, 2025 meeting minutes. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
  10. Information
    Other
  11. 2. Administrative COA Approvals and Maintenance Work Report
    Staff or committee report Historic preservation
    Staff report listing administratively approved certificates of appropriateness and maintenance work completed since the last meeting.
  12. Consent
    Consent agenda
  13. 3. 132 S. Columbia Street
    Consent agenda Historic preservation
    Consent-agenda certificate of appropriateness for exterior changes at 132 S. Columbia Street.
    • 132 S Columbia St · no matching parcel on file
  14. 4. 304 N. Boundary Street
    Consent agenda Historic preservation
    Consent-agenda certificate of appropriateness for exterior changes at 304 N. Boundary Street.
    approved the Consent Agenda · Pass · Commissioner McCormick moved, seconded by Connolly, to approve the written decisions for 132 S. Columbia Street and 304 N. Boundary Street. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
    • 304 N Boundary St · no matching parcel on file
    • 132 S Columbia St · no matching parcel on file
  15. New Business
    Other
  16. 5. 260 Glandon Drive
    Discussion item Historic preservation
    Property owner Brian Jensen requested approval to modify a non-contributing house: filling an interior pool, replacing a plexiglass roof with a shingled one matching the existing roof, adding skylights, clerestory windows, and a stainless steel flue, and replacing west-elevation lattice with matching siding.
    approved · Pass · Vice Chair Daniels asked if there were any conflicts of interest and there were none. Brian Jensen, the property owner, was sworn in and explained that the house is a non-contributing building. He said the house is noted in the design standards as breaking with the district’s architectural style. He presented site images and stated that proposed changes will not be visible from Glandon Drive but…
    • 260 Glandon Dr · no matching parcel on file
  17. 6. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Nomination - Coker Hills
    Resolution Historic preservation
    Preservation Chapel Hill presented a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Coker Hills neighborhood, developed with the Coker Hills Homeowners Association, with a boundary matching the existing neighborhood conservation district.
    approved · Pass · Phill Lyons, a representative of Preservation Chapel Hill, presented the Coker Hills National Register nomination. He explained that he has been working with the Coker Hills Homeowner's Association on the process. In response to the commission's questions about public notice of the meeting, staff explained that the State Historic Preservation Office prepared a legal ad and staff included informati…
  18. Adjournment
    Procedural
  19. 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
  20. Discussion
    Discussion item Historic preservation
    Commissioners discussed how their proposal to proclaim May as Historic Preservation Month in Chapel Hill has been received, and agreed to keep working on ways to raise awareness.
    Vice Chair Daniels, on behalf of Commissioner McCormick, shared concern over the reception of their work to proclaim May as Historic Preservation Month in Chapel Hill. The commission discussed options to increase historic preservation awareness and agreed to add the topic to future meeting's discussion items.

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