Aiken Design Review Board's renovation approval of Rice Cottage challenged
Jun. 14—Another Aiken Design Review Board decision has been challenged in the Aiken County Court of Common Pleas.
Luis Rinaldini filed an appeal June 7 challenging the board's approval of renovations to a home located at 411 South Boundary Ave. The residence is known as Rice Cottage.
Rice Cottage is located in the Historic Aiken Overlay District, giving the Design Review Board jurisdiction over changes made to the exterior of the home that are visible on the street.
Rice Cottage owners Thomas and Catherine Nance petitioned the Design Review Board on March 28 seeking permission to enlarge a front room by moving an exterior wall 7 feet closer to the property line, remove siding from the ground floor, replace rotting wood on the front porch with bricks and to enlarge an upstairs bathroom by extending an existing small roof.
Catherine Nance said Tuesday the planned renovations will not change the exterior appearance of the house, which is ultimately why the Design Review Board granted permission for the renovations.
The Nances attended the April 4 Design Review Board work session and spoke with the board. At the meeting, Chairman McDonald Law suggested a tour to see the reason and the need for the renovations.
The board met at 4 p.m. May 2 for a special work session to tour the home . The board then discussed the renovation plans in a 5:30 p.m. work session and during the 6:30 p.m. regular meeting on May 2.
Rinaldini spoke in opposition to the renovation plans at the meeting. According to the minutes, he said the Design Review Board guidelines do not allow the board to allow a home owner to change the front façade of a home.
Board member Faith Hawks made the motion to approve the renovation plans. Vice Chairman John McMichael seconded her motion. The board voted 5-0 to approve the renovation plans.
In his pro se 43-page appeal, Rinaldini argued the board didn't follow the proper standards or procedures, that the board ignored previous unapproved alterations made by the Nances, that the Board didn't follow state law, that the board didn't follow the city's zoning ordinance and the board failed to act as a quasi-judicial body.
Rinaldini said last week the Design Review Board "just got a bunch of things wrong" with the approval and he was asking the board to rehear the approval.
"It is astounding to me that someone who just moved to Aiken in January 2021 would target a resident who has tried to maintain the historical integrity of their home since 1999," Catherine Nance said.
The Design Review Board is also a defendant in the July 5, 2022 lawsuit challenging the city's actions regarding the since-failed Project Pascalis. The Design Review Board decision at issue in that case is the conditional approval of a demolition permit for the Hotel Aiken and Beckman Building.
Rinaldini is a plaintiff in that suit.
