HRAB 05-17-16 Meeting MinutesFrederick County Historic Resources Advisory Board (HRAB)
May 17, 2016
Board of Supervisors Executive Session Room of the County
Administrative Building
107 North Kent Street, Winchester, VA
Members Present: Lauren Murphy, Elizabeth Fravel, Chris Oldham, Gary Crawford, and Maral Kalbian
Members Absent: Denny Perry, David O’Neil, Dr. Robert R. Meadows, William Schuller, and Clint Jones
Planning Commission Liaison: Larry Ambrogi
Staff Present: Candice Perkins, Tyler Klein
Agenda Items:
Call to order at 6:00 p.m.
Item 1: October 2015 HRAB Minutes
The minutes were approved as presented.
Item 2: Review of the Conditional Use Permit Application for Verizon Wireless
The Frederick County Historic Resources Advisory Board (HRAB) considered the above-referenced
Verizon Commercial Telecommunications Facility Conditional Use Permit application. The HRAB
considered information from the Study of Civil War Sites in the Shenandoah Valley, the Rural Landmarks
Survey Report, information from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and information
provided by the Applicant’s representative. This application seeks to construct a 155-foot monopole
telecommunications tower with an accessory equipment building. The property is located at 143
Greenwood Road, Winchester.
Historic Resources Advisory Board Concerns
The Study of Civil War Sites in the Shenandoah Valley published by the National Park Service identifies
this property as core battlefield area for the Battle of Third Winchester (Opequon) with lost integrity.
The Rural Landmarks Survey Report for Frederick County Virginia identifies one mapped property and
two mapped battlefield boundaries within the immediate area of the subject site:
Wood-Sibell House (#34-1065) – potentially significant
Second/Third Battle of Winchester Site (#34-0456 and #34-5023) – eligible for the National
Register
After reviewing this information and the Applicant’s materials, the Historic Resources Advisory Board
(HRAB) recommended the conditional use permit be sent forward to the Planning Commission and
Board of Supervisors for review with no comments. The HRAB felt that this area had already been
heavily impacted by development and therefore had no recommendations.
Other:
The HRAB requested updated copies of the 2035 Draft Historic Chapter, depicting the HRAB edits, be
sent out to the Committee.
Clowser House
The HRAB had a discussion on the Clowser House and requested staff draft a letter offering the HRAB’s
assistance if desired. The HRAB also noted that if the structure is to be demolished, the site needs to be
surveyed and documented property beforehand.
The HRAB discussed possible uses for the structure, and the need to stabilize the structure. The key is to
find a suitable use for the site for the long term. It was noted that the house is eligible for the register.
The HRAB should make a recommendation to the BOS about this structure.
Meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.