Two homeowners in Opelika’s Northside Historic District will ask the city’s Historic Preservation Commission on Thursday, Oct. 8, to sign off on changes to their houses: new porch work on North 10th Street and a sunroom addition on North Sixth Street.
The commission meets at 4:30 p.m. at 300 Martin Luther King Blvd., according to the agenda the city posted on CivicClerk.
313 N. 10th St. Applicant Penny Searcy is seeking a certificate of appropriateness (COA) for a porch roof and railings at the Northside Historic District property.
410 N. Sixth St. Carlton and Brenda Nell are seeking a certificate of appropriateness for a rear sunroom at their Northside Historic District home.
Both requests are listed under new business. No public hearings are scheduled on this month’s agenda.
City staff recommends that the commission approve Searcy’s plan to replace the asphalt-shingle porch roof on the c.1900 Victorian cottage with a standing-seam metal roof, but not her request to replace the porch railings with simple wood pickets. Turned spindles are common on Victorian cottages throughout the Northside district, and the existing railing system should be “preserved and maintained,” according to the staff report.
The Nells want to remove a rear deck from their c.1925 bungalow and build a 14-by-24-foot sunroom with an asphalt-shingle roof and exposed rafter tails to match the house. Staff recommends approval, noting the sunroom is at the rear of the home and not visible from the street.
Commissioners are also scheduled to approve the minutes of their Sept. 10 meeting and to receive an enforcement report and a staff report. The agenda lists the commission’s next meeting as Nov. 12.
How to watch or attend: The meeting is open to the public at 300 Martin Luther King Blvd. The city posts meeting video on its YouTube channel, @opelikacitygov1219. Anyone who needs an accommodation to take part can contact the city’s ADA coordinator at (334) 705-5130 at least 72 hours before the meeting, according to the agenda.
Source: City of Opelika agenda and staff reports via CivicClerk.
