The owners of Richmond Summit Apartments must immediately remove a stucco facade covering several storefront windows after the Augusta-Richmond County Historic Preservation Commission decided Thursday the owners had violated federal and local historic design guidelines by changing the building's appearance.
Commissioners unanimously voted not to issue Ambling Development Partners LLC, the owners of the subsidized apartment complex, a certificate of appropriateness, which is required for work involving a material change in the exterior appearance of a designated property.
Commissioners also said Ambling executives violated federal law when they failed to inform the Department of Housing and Urban Development of the changes, as required by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Section 106 stipulates that federal agencies must review all actions which might affect a property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Richmond Summit, in the 700 block of Broad Street, is a HUD-funded project, Planning Commission Director George Patty said.
Ambling spokesman Darien Lee apologized to commissioners and said the company had boarded up the alcove of the building for security reasons. Without the new facade, vagrants could easily access the building's alcove, he said.
"I can assure you, it was not our intention to side-step any regulations," Mr. Lee said.
Mr. Patty said Ambling has 15 days to appeal to the city government, but hoped they wouldn't because company officials had signed a document agreeing to take down the facade if the Historic Preservation Commission required it.
"They must now remove what they put in," said Sonny Pittman, the commission chairman.
The longer Ambling waits to remove the facade, the bigger the risk it runs of being cited by the city's License and Inspection Department, commissioner George D. Bush said.
Reach Kate Lewis at (706) 823-3215 or kate.lewis@augustachronicle.com.
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