Historic District Commission

The day belonged to those who achieved what many considered impossible: finding a design for a modern Circuit Courthouse that wouldn't clash with the ambience of the Annapolis Historic District.Historic preservation groups and officials from Annapolis and the county yesterday hailed the spirit of cooperation that culminated in the Historic District Commission's unanimous approval of a 250,000-square foot courthouse on Church Circle."I feel that the Historic District Commission has been very protective of the city historic character," Annapolis Mayor Alfred Hopkins said of Wednesday night's vote.

The Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning is asking a developer to revise his plans to build office condominiums next to the historic Woodlawn manor house in Columbia. In a letter to Woodlands LLC, the Subdivision Review Committee raises a number of problems with the plan to erect parking lots and a 74,000-square-foot building on the wooded 5-acre property off Bendix Road. The committee states that "the size and architecture of the new building should be compatible with the existing historic structures."

Sykesville opens its doors today with its Historic Christmas tour.From 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., municipal buildings and several residences -- 10 sites in all -- will be open to the public. Tickets are $10 and are available at the 115-year-old Town House, the seat of local government and the tour's first stop at 7547 Main St. Proceeds benefit the Sykesville Historic District Commission.Also open are the Gatehouse Museum, which is filled with town artifacts, and the Schoolhouse, once the only school for blacks in the area.

TOMORROW Independence Day holiday County government offices, courts, libraries, the landfill and the animal shelter will be closed. There will be no trash or recycling service. The next trash pickup for Monday routes will be Tuesday; the next recycling and yard waste pickup for Monday routes will be July 11. Police, fire and 911 are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For emergencies, call 911; for nonemergencies, call 313-2200. For information on the fireworks celebration: Columbia Kiwanis, 410-740-4545.

For the second time in less than two years, developer Michael L. Pfau has appealed a decision by the Historic District Commission that blocks his plans to build in downtown Ellicott City. It's the latest twist in the strained relationship between Pfau and the commission, which has turned down two of his proposals to construct buildings on Fels Lane, in the town's historic district. During the summer, the commission heard his plans to build 10 office units in four buildings on the site, surrounding a 19th-century house that sits in the center of the property.

Ruling against a developer trying to build 27 townhouses in Ellicott City's Historic District, a Howard Circuit Court judge said this week that a county commission acted in time to block the proposed project.Developer Michael Pfau was seeking to build the homes on Fels Lane and applied for a permit before the county's Historic District Commission last year. The commission voted against Pfau's plans Nov. 5, but it did not submit a written denial until Dec. 30 -- nine days after the 45-day deadline.

A bill to ban nonresidents from serving on the Annapolis Historic District Commission has been introduced by Mayor Alfred A. Hopkins, less than two months after a divided city council voted to do just the opposite.The move last week by Hopkins surprised and angered some of his colleagues, who noted that the residency issue was the flash point during the sometimes bitter debate among council members in October.Tonight, the council will hold a public hearing on the mayor's bill."It took us two years to deal with that issue," said Alderman M. Theresa DeGraff, who co-sponsored the original legislation approved by a vote of 6-2. "It's unfortunate that now we have to rehash and reopen all those wounds.

Howard County developer Michael Pfau has withdrawn his controversial plans to build four office buildings off Fels Lane in historic Ellicott City. The buildings, designed to look like an old farmstead, had received mixed reviews at a Historic District Commission hearing several weeks ago. Although the commission's staff had recommended approval of the plans, at least 10 Ellicott City residents attended the hearing to oppose them, saying they would destroy...

5 appointed to Westminster's 1st Historic District CommissionThree women and two men will make up Westminster's first Historic District Commission.The City Council confirmed the appointments Monday night of Carol M. Wiskeman, Laurie E. Walters, Dean R. Camlin, Constance A. Humphrey and Michael Reiner.The commission will review applications from city residents who want to place their properties under historic district zoning classification, and will make recommendations on whether the designation should be granted.

The Annapolis City Council will start 1995 where it left off last year, trying to curb the power of the Historic District Commission, pave the way for sidewalk cafes on Main Street and decide whether to finance a study of a proposed conference center.The conference center issue is the only one likely to be decided when the council meets at 7:30 p.m. today in city hall. The council is to vote on whether to approve a $140,000 study for the development of the center at West Street and Taylor Avenue.

Developers can proceed with plans for the 18th-century Friends meetinghouse in Ellicott City, Howard County's Historic District Commission has ruled. The three commissioners of the five-member board who attended the meeting Monday night voted in support of 10 changes, including removing the garage and adding a dormer to the rear of the simple stone structure where the Quaker pioneers who founded the mill town gathered to worship more than two centuries ago. Although the building, now a residence, has not housed a Quaker congregation for more than 150 years, several members of the Patapsco Friends Meeting were disappointed in the decision.

Ellicott City developer Michael L. Pfau withdrew last week his fourth set of house designs under review by Howard County's Historic District Commission, which must approve the plans before he can begin construction on a 15-home development in the town's historic district. At the developer's request, the commission scheduled an "advisory" meeting Jan. 28 to give Pfau -- president of Trinity Homes Inc. -- more direction on how he can modify the designs to meet the panel's guidelines. "I think it's been an incremental process," said Stephen Lafferty, deputy director of the county Department of Planning and Zoning.

Ellicott City homeowners on Church Road have lost every battle in the past three years to block construction of 15 homes in their historic neighborhood. From Howard County's Planning and Zoning Board to the Board of Appeals to Circuit Court, this tenacious group of about 10 residents could not stop the development. Now Michael L. Pfau, the developer and president of Trinity Homes Inc., is asking the county's Historic District Commission to give the final stamp of approval so he can begin construction on the Woods at Park Place.

The Historic District Commission of Howard County will hear testimony at the end of its meeting tomorrow on proposed revisions to operating procedures and the zoning code pertaining to the commission. Since Howard's first historic district was established in 1974, the commission has been charged with protecting the character of the historic districts in Ellicott City and Lawyers Hill in Elkridge. The commission must review and grant approvals before construction, demolition or alterations to the exteriors of properties in the district can take place.

Workers began grading property in Ellicott City's historic district yesterday after a Howard County Circuit Court judge struck down neighbors' appeal of approval for a 15-home development. "They're going to have neighbors, 15 wonderful neighbors up there," said Michael L. Pfau, president of Trinity Equity Homes Inc., the development company. For three years, residents have opposed the Woods at Park Place, which is planned on nearly 6 acres of a 15-acre tract at Church Road and Park Drive.

Developer tramples on historic district In recent days in Ellicott City's historic district, a developer familiar with the laws of Howard County razed a structure on Church Road without a demolition permit, which can only be issued with approval of the Howard County Historic District Commission. As one of the main developers in Ellicott City (and Howard County), Mr. Reuwer's lack of understanding and unwillingness to learn what "historic" means is creating a noticeably slow erosion of the character of Ellicott City that both residents and visitors love and respect.

The reconstruction of Main Street in Annapolis is three months behind schedule and the City Council wants to blame the Historic District Commission.Some aldermen believe the commission -- which reviews all construction within the historic district and belatedly approved the Main Street project -- has become too powerful. So now the City Council is considering an ordinance that would allow the mayor to dismiss members of the commission at will, expand its membership from five to seven, limit members to one three-year term and prevent commissioners from voting on legislation if an organization to which they belong has taken a position on it.We sympathize with the aldermen's frustrations, and this newspaper has criticized the commission for its nitpicking in the past.

Howard County's Department of Planning and Zoning is investigating the destruction of a nonhistoric shed in the Ellicott City Historic District that was demolished without a permit or approval by the Historic District Commission, planning officials said yesterday. Officials began investigating Thursday, when an anonymous complaint was filed. The complaint included a photograph taken Dec. 31 of construction vehicles demolishing the building, on 4.4 acres between Church Road and Sylvan Lane.

Although unable to stop the wrecking ball from destroying a century-old house last week, Westminster officials are considering a plan that would compel anyone who wants to raze a historic property to hear options before a single brick falls. "Ultimately this process will provide a means to ensure that somebody has to hear all the different perspectives from somebody on a building and hopefully decide not to demolish, having heard those options," said Thomas B. Beyard, the city's director of planning and public works.