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Historic District Commission

Town of Chapel Hill · Historic District Commission
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 6:30 pm · RM 110 | Council Chamber

Regular meeting Historic preservationAppointments and personnelCivil rights and nondiscriminationFaith and cultural communities

Agenda document Minutes Meeting page Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved 1.May 12, 2026 Meeting Minutes approved · Pass · A motion was made by Vice-Chair Daniels, seconded by Connolly, to approve the May 12, 2026 meeting minutes. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
  2. Continued 4.111 Ridge Lane continued the Legislative Hearing · Fail · A motion was made by Gurlitz, seconded by Vice-Chair Daniels, that the Commission continue the item to the August 11, 2026 hearing. The…
  3. Approved 5.214 McCauley Street approved · Pass · A motion was made by Vice-Chair Daniels, seconded by Gurlitz, that the application is not incongruous with the special character of the district and requested st…
  4. Approved 6.118 Mallette Street approved · Pass · A motion was made by Vice-Chair Daniels, seconded by Connolly, that the application is not incongruous with the special character of the district and requested s…
  5. Approved 7.Candidate Interview approved · Pass · A motion was made by Vice-Chair Daniels, seconded by Chair Tise,to recommend forwarding the application to the Town Council for appointment. The motion carried b…
  6. Approved [26-0184]111 Ridge Lane approved · Pass · A motion was made by Connolly, seconded by Moore, that the application is not incongruous with the special character of the district and requested staff and coun…

Another 3 items passed on the consent agenda, which is a single motion covering routine business. See the list.

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 would decide three certificates of appropriateness, which bind the property owner once granted: a contractor's request to build a detached garage and a new dwelling unit at 214 McCauley Street, an amendment covering already-completed demolition of a deteriorated garage at 118 Mallette Street, and a request to demolish the existing house at 111 Ridge Lane in the Gimghoul Historic District. None of the three is a landmark designation, which the commission recommends to Town Council separately.

The commission would also interview an applicant for its own vacant seat, vote on a resolution correcting a typo in an earlier written decision for 209 N. Boundary Street, adopt a written decision finalizing a solar-panel approval at 403 McCauley Street, and discuss a proposed rewrite of which minor exterior changes staff can approve without a hearing.

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 McCauley Street garage and dwelling and the Mallette Street garage demolition without dissent, finding both not incongruous with their historic districts. The Ridge Lane demolition split the board: a motion to continue the hearing to August failed 2-3, then a motion finding the demolition not incongruous passed 3-2, with Vice-Chair Brian Daniels and Josh Gurlitz opposed both times.

Commissioners also approved, without objection, the written decision finalizing a rooftop solar array at 403 McCauley Street and a resolution correcting a setback measurement in the 209 N. Boundary Street decision, and voted unanimously to recommend Sandra Sider's appointment to the commission after interviewing her. They set a special meeting for June 22 at 3 p.m. to vote on written decisions from this meeting, and announced that Commissioner Gurlitz's term would be extended one year.

How the votes went

Every recorded vote was unanimous except one. On 111 Ridge Lane, a motion to continue the demolition hearing to August failed 2-3, then a motion finding the demolition not incongruous with the district passed 3-2 -- Vice-Chair Brian Daniels and Josh Gurlitz voted for the continuance and against the final approval.

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 (25 on this agenda)
  1. Opening
  2. Roll Call
  3. Acknowledgement of Pride and Caribbean American Heritage Month
  4. Secretary reads procedures into the record
  5. Commission Chair reads public charge
  6. Approval of Agenda
  7. Announcements
  8. Petitions
  9. Approval of Minutes
  10. 1.May 12, 2026 Meeting Minutes
  11. Consent
  12. 2.403 McCauley Street
  13. 3.Resolution to Correct Error in 209 N. Boundary Street Written Decision
  14. New Business
  15. 4.111 Ridge Lane
  16. 5.214 McCauley Street
  17. 6.118 Mallette Street
  18. Candidate Interview
  19. 7.Candidate Interview
  20. Discussion
  21. 8.Design Standards
  22. Adjournment
  23. Order of Consideration of Agenda Items: 1. Staff Presentation 2. Appl…
  24. [26-0184]111 Ridge Lane
  25. Discussion

Agenda items (25)

Procedural · 7Discussion item · 7Other · 5Consent agenda · 3Minutes approval · 2Appointment · 1
  1. Opening
    Other
  2. Roll Call
    Procedural
  3. Acknowledgement of Pride and Caribbean American Heritage Month
    Other Civil rights and nondiscriminationFaith and cultural communities
  4. Secretary reads procedures into the record
    Procedural
  5. Commission Chair reads public charge
    Procedural
  6. Approval of Agenda
    Procedural
    approved · Pass · A motion was made by Vice-Chair Daniels, seconded by Gurlitz to approve the agenda. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
  7. Announcements
    Procedural
    Commissioner Gurlitz's term is announced to be extended for one more year.
    Commissioner Gurlitz's term will be extended for one more year.
  8. Petitions
    Other
  9. Approval of Minutes
    Minutes approval
  10. 1. May 12, 2026 Meeting Minutes
    Minutes approval
    approved · Pass · A motion was made by Vice-Chair Daniels, seconded by Connolly, to approve the May 12, 2026 meeting minutes. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
  1. New Business
    Other
  2. 4. 111 Ridge Lane
    Discussion item Historic preservation
    Certificate of Appropriateness case for a new house at 111 Ridge Lane.
    continued the Legislative Hearing · Fail · A motion was made by Gurlitz, seconded by Vice-Chair Daniels, that the Commission continue the item to the August 11, 2026 hearing. The motion failed by the following vote:
    • 111 Ridge Ln · no matching parcel on file
    • Pin 9788-87-2202 · Smith Nancy · assessed $1,230,600
  3. 5. 214 McCauley Street
    Discussion item Historic preservation
    Tack Kim, a contractor working for the property owner, seeks a certificate of appropriateness to build a detached garage and a new dwelling unit at 214 McCauley Street in the Cameron-McCauley Historic District.
    approved · Pass · A motion was made by Vice-Chair Daniels, seconded by Gurlitz, that the application is not incongruous with the special character of the district and requested staff and counsel to prepare the written decision. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
    • 214 Mccauley St · no matching parcel on file
    • Pin 9788-35-3304 · Stromberg Jacob Douglas · assessed $1,254,600
  4. 6. 118 Mallette Street
    Discussion item Historic preservation
    Jim Spencer, on behalf of the property owner, seeks to amend a 2025 certificate of appropriateness to cover demolition of a deteriorated garage, already torn down, at 118 Mallette Street in the Cameron-McCauley Historic District.
    approved · Pass · A motion was made by Vice-Chair Daniels, seconded by Connolly, that the application is not incongruous with the special character of the district and requested staff and counsel to prepare the written decision. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
    • 118 Mallette St · no matching parcel on file
    • Pin 9788-26-3196 · Clark Joseph Brian · assessed $1,276,000
  5. Candidate Interview
    Other Appointments and personnel
  6. 7. Candidate Interview
    Appointment Appointments and personnel
    The commission interviews Sandra Sider, an applicant for a seat on the commission, ahead of a recommendation to Town Council.
    approved · Pass · A motion was made by Vice-Chair Daniels, seconded by Chair Tise,to recommend forwarding the application to the Town Council for appointment. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
  7. Discussion
    Discussion item
  8. 8. Design Standards
    Discussion item Historic preservation
    A draft rewrite of the levels-of-review table would set which minor exterior changes -- fences, walkways, foundation vents and similar work -- staff can approve directly, and which still require a full commission hearing.
  9. Adjournment
    Procedural
  10. 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
  11. [26-0184] 111 Ridge Lane
    Discussion item Historic preservation
    approved · Pass · A motion was made by Connolly, seconded by Moore, that the application is not incongruous with the special character of the district and requested staff and counsel to prepare the written decision. The motion carried by the following vote:
    • 111 Ridge Ln · no matching parcel on file
    • Pin 9788-87-2202 · Smith Nancy · assessed $1,230,600
  12. Discussion
    Discussion item
    Commissioners decided to hold a special meeting on June 22 at 3 p.m. to vote on written decisions from the June 9 meeting.
    Commissioners decided to hold a special meeting on June 22 at 3 p.m. to vote on written decisions from June 9 meeting.

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