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Historic District Commission Regular Meeting

Town of Hillsborough · Historic District Commission
Wednesday, August 6, 2025 at 6:30 pm

Regular meeting Historic preservationEnvironment and sustainabilityLitigation and settlements

Agenda document Full packet Minutes Meeting page Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved 4Minutes review and approval: July 16, 2025 special meeting Approved 5-0
  2. Approved 6.ACertificate of Appropriateness: 326 N. Cameron St. - rear dormer and screened porch Approved 5-0
  3. Continued 6.BCertificate of Appropriateness: 311 W. Orange St. - new construction house Continued to the September meeting, 5-0

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

Hillsborough's Historic District Commission heard two Certificate of Appropriateness applications: a rear dormer and screened-porch addition at 326 N. Cameron St., and a new house at 311 W. Orange St. that would remove five large trees and include a garage prominent on the front elevation.

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 326 N. Cameron St. addition unanimously after finding it consistent with the district's design standards, accepting the applicant's explanation that the chimney and skylight being removed were not character-defining and that the new porch would sit on the existing greenhouse's footprint. On 311 W. Orange St., nobody appeared for the applicant. The commission reviewed the plans anyway, raising concerns about the roof's height and pitch, a garage that would extend in front of the house's front line, mismatched brick and siding on the front facade, and the removal of four trees over 24 inches in diameter plus a fifth for the septic drain field. A neighboring resident raised concerns about stormwater runoff from the tree removal. The commission voted to continue the application to its September meeting and strongly encouraged the applicant to attend and address the tree removal, garage design, and roofline. In general updates, the town attorney reported that the applicants for a previously approved after-the-fact Certificate of Appropriateness at 117 N. Wake St. have appealed that decision to North Carolina Superior Court, and staff noted a property at 207 W. Corbin St. has since replaced non-compliant vinyl windows and received its certificate of occupancy.

How the votes went

The July 16 special meeting minutes and written decision were each approved 5-0. The 326 N. Cameron St. application's findings of fact and approval both passed 5-0. The motion to continue the 311 W. Orange St. application to September passed 5-0.

From the published minutes.

Who spoke

1 member of the public spoke.

  1. A neighboring resident raised concerns about the removal of large trees for the proposed house and its effect on neighborhood stormwater drainage.

One neighboring resident spoke during the 311 W. Orange St. hearing, raising concerns about tree removal and stormwater drainage.

Read from the records the government published after the meeting. Members of the public are private residents and are not named or indexed.

Speaking at this meeting

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

Agenda items (5)

Public hearing · 2Minutes approval · 1Procedural · 1Staff or committee report · 1
  1. 4 Minutes review and approval: July 16, 2025 special meeting
    Minutes approval
    Approved 5-0
  2. 5 Written decision review and approval: July 16, 2025 special meeting
    Procedural
    Approved 5-0
  3. 6.A Certificate of Appropriateness: 326 N. Cameron St. - rear dormer and screened porch
    Public hearing Historic preservation
    The commission found the proposed second-story shed dormer and a screened porch replacing a non-historic greenhouse consistent with the historic district's design standards.
    Approved 5-0
    • 326 N Cameron St · no matching parcel on file
    • Pin 9874185204 · Greene Geoffrey J Trustee · assessed $624,400
  4. 6.B Certificate of Appropriateness: 311 W. Orange St. - new construction house
    Public hearing Environment and sustainabilityHistoric preservation
    The commission raised concerns about a roof taller and narrower-pitched than neighboring houses, a garage that would dominate the front elevation, mismatched brick and siding, and removal of five large trees. Nobody appeared for the applicant.
    Continued to the September meeting, 5-0
    • 311 W Orange St · no matching parcel on file
    • Pin 9864883297 · Hoeken Design Build, LLC · assessed $129,000
  5. 8 General updates: 117 N. Wake St. appeal and 207 W. Corbin St. compliance
    Staff or committee report Historic preservationLitigation and settlements
    The town attorney reported that the applicants for a previously approved Certificate of Appropriateness at 117 N. Wake St. have appealed that decision to North Carolina Superior Court. Staff also reported that a property at 207 W. Corbin St. has replaced non-compliant vinyl windows and received its certificate of occupancy.
    • 117 N Wake St · no matching parcel on file
    • 207 W Corbin St · no matching parcel on file

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