HPCA 26-00074 Heritage Hills New House

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names may be misheard.

What: application for a certificate of appropriateness to build a new two-story house, a two-story three-car garage and a driveway on a vacant corner lot at 20th and Robinson in Heritage Hills (Ward 6).
Where it stands: staff recommended continuance; on 2026-10-16 the commission voted to continue all three items to the December 2 meeting.
Next: the designer returns with a neighborhood survey, height and setback comparisons and a revised front elevation.

Holly Hunt of HJH Design presented a colonial-style brick house on a 60-ft-wide lot (the block is mostly 50 ft), with side setbacks of 7 ft and 11 ft. She said there is no finished attic, only a finished basement.
Staff estimated the house is about 10 ft wider and 20 ft longer than others on the block and noted there is no height comparison. The garage is two stories and about 450 square feet; staff found no historic two-story or three-car garages nearby and no justification for the size.
The driveway would keep an existing shared curb cut on the side street that also serves the neighboring property to the south.

Garage size and height. One commissioner said Sanborn maps show a one-story historic garage and that he would not vote for a two-story garage; staff said new construction on a vacant lot gets more flexibility but size and height parameters still apply.
Front elevation: commissioners suggested stronger symmetry, a single front door in place of French doors, and column spacing that coordinates with the house (flexibility toward the corners).
A commissioner questioned whether the commission should give design advice at all, urging the applicant to work with staff.
Neighbors and the neighborhood association asked for setback and height comparisons and said the garage will be the sticking point; a neighboring owner said the driveway sits on the rear lot and that larger corner houses and garages exist in the area.
A separate fence application for the neighboring property needs to be coordinated with this one.

About 27 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-16 - Historic Preservation Commission Special Meeting	27

2026-10-16 - Historic Preservation Commission Special Meeting - Commission voted to continue items 1 through 3 to the December 2 meeting after staff recommended continuance; applicant Holly Hunt agreed to bring a neighborhood survey and revisions.