Historic commission defers decision on after-the-fact remodel at 511 Belmont Avenue

The Shelbyville Historic Zoning Commission on Thursday deferred for 30 days a decision on an after-the-fact certificate of appropriateness for 511 Belmont Avenue after staff reported multiple nonconforming alterations and incomplete application materials.

Mr. Bachelor, presenting the staff report, told commissioners the property — within the locally designated Belmont Historic District — showed vinyl siding installed over older asbestos-type siding, replacement of original wood windows with vinyl, changes from tin shingles to asphalt roofing and a new gravel drive that removed the front yard landscape. "This is an after the fact approval of a certificate of appropriateness for a remodel," he said, noting contradictory records about the building's construction date and documentation of zoning violations and a prior unpermitted remodel at a related address.

Staff recommended the commission defer action so the applicant could provide a detailed list of materials and the reasons they were chosen. "Without understanding the reason behind it, we can only speculate," Mr. Bachelor said, adding that vinyl is not permitted under the commission's design guidelines and that the application was substantially incomplete.

Contractor Brennan Sanders, speaking for owner Brett McDonald, said the owner proceeded without permits because he believed permits were not required for the work. "We don't want to take anything away from the historical aspect of it. We just want to know what we need to do to do it right," Sanders said, and described work to stabilize foundation piers, to reframe interiors and to install new, energy-efficient fiberglass windows and vinyl siding for cost and performance reasons. Sanders said the owner has invested significant funds to restore the building rather than demolish it and provided measurements and a materials list for staff.

Commissioners asked staff and the contractor about interior progress, fire protection for a planned triplex layout, utility records that indicated a 2021 consolidation to a single account (a zoning matter) and the stop-work order that prompted the certificate application. Mr. Bachelor said those issues span historic-design review, zoning enforcement and building-safety reviews and would require additional research.

A motion to defer the application for 30 days passed unanimously in a roll call vote. When the commission called the roll, Member Puit, Councilwoman Euing, Mayor Carol, Member Landers and Chairwoman (recorded in the transcript as Huitt) answered yes. Staff said it would follow up with the applicant and could schedule a meeting to walk through the required documentation.

The commission's next steps are administrative: the applicant must provide the full materials list, photographic documentation and justification for any departures from the design guidelines; staff will also examine zoning, parking and fire-protection requirements that were flagged during the discussion. If the applicant does not supply satisfactory information, staff had noted the application could be recommended for denial.