Madison historic board elects officers, approves three projects including HUD-approved manufactured home

The Madison Historic District Board of Review on Feb. 2 elected Chris Cody chair and Bill Jewell vice chair and approved several property applications after brief deliberations.

James Grant, owner of the property at 887 Vine Street, told the board he bought the lot to build and selected a 2026 HUD-approved manufactured home after experiencing long wait times for a stick-built house. "I looked at the building standards. They're all HUD approved," Grant said, adding he had reviewed the unit's interior and exterior photos and felt it to be "neighborhood appropriate." Staff noted the model is on the city's list of accepted HUD-approved units. Board members discussed the general suitability of manufactured homes in the historic district, and one member said privately that while they prefer fewer manufactured homes in the district they had no formal objection. The board approved the application by roll call; the applicant was directed to pick up paperwork and obtain building permits before starting construction.

At 424 East Street, homeowner Karen Harrell described her mid-century house and asked to replace failing aluminum sliding windows with vinyl sliders that match the original dimensions and appearance. Staff said the building is a non-contributing structure per the survey and is zoned historic-district residential. Board members praised Harrell's intent to retain character-defining features and voted to approve the replacement windows.

The board also approved a new duplex at 215 West 1st Street. Applicant Ryan Rogers recused himself from the vote. Rogers said he simplified the design and moved the garage to meet setback requirements, adding the house is oriented to the river with large rear-facing windows. The board offered minor design suggestions and approved the application by roll call.

Procedural notes: the board approved prior meeting minutes at the start of the session and handled routine roll-call votes for elections. Several other agenda items were tabled for further review.