Proposed ‘monster’ house rankles keepers of Lewes Historic District

Bill and Maria Huntley are looking forward to aging in place.

They bought the property at 323 Park Ave. in Lewes almost three years ago with the goal of building a home that will be their last stop in life. The couple is looking forward to having a five-bedroom house to host family and friends who come to visit.

The Huntleys won approval to have the home that was previously on the lot demolished, although then-Mayor Ted Becker asked them to consider saving the old structure.

They are now proposing to build a 4,000-square-foot house on the 9,600-square-foot lot. The lot coverage and size of the structure are less than what city code allows, but, the location in the heart of the city’s historic district has put the Huntleys at odds with the Lewes Historic Preservation Architectural Review Commission.

The panel has praised the design of the house, singling out the front porch as a nice touch. But, at the same time, HPARC has rejected the structure as being too big to fit into the intimate nature of the historic district.

“This house, at 4,000 square feet, with that long siding on both sides that neighbors can see and can be seen from the street, just looks like a monster house,” said HPARC Chair Barbara Warnell at the March 6 HPARC meeting.

Warnell and other HPARC members said the mass and scale of the proposed structure are out of sync with the rest of Park Avenue.

Huntley has slightly reduced the size of the proposed structure from his first application. But after two applications, three redesigns and four HPARC meetings, Huntley said he is still not sure what the panel is looking for.

“Every time I come here, I make changes and you move the goalposts on me. It’s like, ‘I don’t know what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it,’ Huntley said. Huntley had his attorney, Veronica Faust, by his side at the March 6 meeting.

Warnell read the city code, which states, “Since the scale of the City of Lewes is intimate in nature, any building contrary to that in the streetscape, will be deemed to be out of place.”

Huntley said the notion that Lewes is a town of tiny houses is false.

“I keep hearing about the intimate community of Lewes, but ride around this town and look down the property lines. Virtually every old house in this town has been renovated and large extensions were put on the backs on those houses,” Huntley said. 

Huntley pointed out that HPARC approved an addition to 113 Franklin St., even though the panel also called it massive and out of scale.

HPARC only reviews the exterior of a structure to make sure it is compatible with the streetscape.

Warnell said that even though the proposed structure does meet city code, it must also meet HPARC guidelines.

“We may require a smaller house on a larger piece of property so it follows HPARC code. You’re not entitled to build as much as you can in the historic district just because the lot says you can,” she said.

Warnell said she is not sure if there are homes larger than 4,000 square feet in the historic district, but she believes the Huntleys’ lot is one of the larger ones.

HPARC is currently working on a new standards and design guide, with a goal of letting people know what is and what is not acceptable in the historic district, even before they buy a home or spend money designing additions and renovations.

The guide addresses the advantages and disadvantages of owning a home in the historic district, down to windows and paint colors that are allowed.

A draft version says HPARC must consider the following:

• Building footprint: Does the size of the proposed residence match or harmonize with the existing buildings?

• Building height: Is the height consistent with neighboring structures? Too tall or too short can disrupt the streetscape.

• Rhythm of buildings: Does the mass of the new construction contribute to (or disrupt) the rhythm of building form and spacing along the street?

HPARC has scheduled a second special meeting, Wednesday, March 19, to continue discussion of the guide. The draft version can be seen at lewes.civicweb.net.

The panel tabled a decision on Huntley’s application. It might be discussed at HPARC’s next regular meeting, scheduled for Thursday, April 3.

Huntley said if he is rejected again, he will have to decide whether to go through with another costly redesign, appeal to the board of adjustment or even go to court.

“I’ve got $800,000 invested in this lot so far, and I’m not going to put a little shack on this lot,” Huntley said.