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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-07-20 HPC MINi I I \ i's'Ater THE OIRTIIPLACE OF NINNESOTA HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING July 20, 2022 REGULAR MEETING 7:00 P.M. Chairman Thueson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Present: Chairman Thueson, Commissioners Finwall, Heimdahl, Larson, Summers, Councilmember Junker Absent: Commissioners Holmes and Mino Staff: Community Development Director Gladhill APPROVAL OF MINUTES Possible approval of minutes of June 15, 2022 Regular Meeting Commissioner Summers pointed out that Chairman Thueson, not Chairwoman Mino, called the meeting to order. Chair Thueson asked that the following replace his comments on Scandinavian North: that storefront was one of two storefronts within an overall single building and it was within that building that he thought it was important to consider the context. Motion by Commissioner Heimdahl, seconded by Commissioner Finwall, to approve the minutes of the June 15, 2022 meeting as amended. Motion carried 4-0-1 with Commissioner Larson abstaining. OPEN FORUM There were no public comments. NEW BUSINESS Case No. 2022-50, Design Permit for Masonry Repair at 101 Water St S; Case of Water Street Inn Mr. Gladhill explained the application for a Design Permit for removal and replacement of brick along the south wall of the Water Street Inn, an emergency repair. The brick layer at the top of the building at the parapet wall is pulling away from the parapet with enough separation/void to allow vegetation to begin growing inside the void. The project will also include other masonry repair and tuckpointing throughout the entire south wall. The Chestnut Street Plaza project nearby will begin August 15 so the City will be competing for space for equipment. Staff has been working with the property owner to get the closest possible mortar match. The building owner apologized for his absence due to an out of state commitment. Staff recommends approval with six conditions. Commissioner Larson asked what will be done to replace the coping where there is a cement wash on top of the projecting brick ledge. Stan Ross, project management consultant for Stillwater Restoration, said he has not had much time to consult with Mr. Konigson but has consulted with a skilled mason. There are a number of ways this could be addressed. He would recommend full removal and replacement of the cement wash to prevent penetration of the wall by water. He added there is no intention to change any of the design elements on the building. Street vibrations from the Chestnut Plaza project and risk to people walking below will make property protection critical and speed will be of the essence. Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting July 20, 2022 Community Development Director Gladhill added that preservation will be emphasized over replacement, and where bricks must be replaced, there is leftover stock from the recent expansion of the Water Street Inn which will be a good match. Commissioner Larson said once a solution to creating a better waterproof ledge is proposed, it should come back to staff to determine if it will have any kind of visual impact. He would like to add Condition #7, stating that once determined, the detail of the flashing of the ledges and the copings be brought back before staff for evaluation of visual impact before installation. Chairman Thueson suggested two other Conditions #8 and 9: replacement brick shall match existing brick in design, color, texture, visual qualities and material; and the arrangement of replaced or repaired brick shall match the original in terms of the pattern and alignment. Motion by Commissioner Larson, seconded by Commissioner Heimdahl, to approve Case No. 2022-50, Design Permit for Masonry Repair at 101 Water St S, with the six staff -recommended conditions and Conditions #7-9 stated above. All in favor. CONSENT AGENDA Case No. 2022-52, consider Design Permit for Rooftop improvement at 227 Main St S; Case of 227 Main St S Properties, LLC Request for a Concurrence for Retaining Wall Removal in Downtown Parking District Lots #14 & #15 Chair Thueson asked both cases to be pulled from the Consent Agenda for discussion. Commissioner Summers recused himself from discussion of Case No. 2022-52 because he was involved in the previous iteration of the deck at 227 Main St S. Case No. 2022-52, consider Design Permit for Rooftop improvement at 227 Main St S; 227 Main St S Properties, LLC Mr. Gladhill stated that the rooftop deck is for the building owner's office. Staff is presently discussing the design of the deck, most of which will not be visible from public view. The applicant is adding joists between the steel beams and 2 x 6 deck boards on top. The required guardrail for fall protection will consist of metal tubing with stainless steel cable barriers which is often used on rooftop decks and is consistent with other rooftop decks in the City. He showed existing conditions and stated that staff would require the tubing to be a dark muted color to match existing framing on the building. Staff recommends approval with three conditions. Commissioner Finwall said, if they move the railing back a foot or two from the parapet wall, it could not be seen from the ground at all, correct? and Mr. Gladhill answered possibly. Commissioner Larson suggested that an alternative to mounting the railing on top of the parapet might be to mount it to the inside vertical face of the parapet which would place it further back and reduce damage to the parapet. Chair Thueson suggested adding a condition requiring the color of the finish on the railings to be black or match the existing building trim. Motion by Commissioner Finwall to recommend approval of Case No. 2022-52, Design Permit for Rooftop improvement at 227 Main St S, with the three staff -recommended conditions, adding Condition #4, that the railing on the east side of the wall be set back 1-2 feet so it is not visible from the ground, and Condition #5, that the railing colors be submitted to staff for approval to ensure they are compatible with the building. Commissioner Larson requested an amendment to the motion, rather than saying 1-2 feet, to attach it to the structure below or the back side of the wall. Page 2 of 5 Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting July 20, 2022 Commissioner Finwall agreed to amend the condition stating the railing shall connect to the back side of the parapet or be shifted back and connected to the structure below to reduce visibility from the ground. Commissioner Larson seconded the motion. All in favor. Request for a Concurrence for Retaining Wall Removal in Downtown Parking District Lots #14 & #15 Mr. Gladhill explained the project. Retaining walls in the drycleaner lot and the Teddy Bear Park lot must be replaced due to erosion. He reviewed two options for the public works team to remove and replace both retaining walls. Staff requests direction to authorize preparation of final plans and specs. Chairman Thueson noted that one of the walls may be the west wall of the City's original electrical power plant, shown on Sanborn maps as brick. He noted an objective of the Comprehensive Plan is to use the cultural landscape district documentation as a guide to inventory the City's public stone retaining walls. It may make sense for the Commission to have guidelines for potential replacement of such retaining walls because collectively, they are a distinctive feature of Stillwater history. Councilmember Junker pointed out that Lot #1 next to the boats has a 3' retaining wall made of versa - lock pavers and the Shorty's parking lot has a metal retaining wall; there are not many stone walls in City parking lots. Aesthetically the outcrop stone looks good against the bluff but he questioned the price difference, saying the walls tucked into the bluff will likely be covered by vines. Mr. Gladhill replied that the cut stone similar to that used at Teddy Bear Park, if used for both parking lots, would be $113,970. The outcrop stone would likely be more - staff is waiting for a quote. Commissioner Larson questioned a comment from the consultant regarding Lot 14, stating that the building is no longer there, therefore there are no historic structures to attach this wall to and it no longer has an ability to convey historic significance. He countered that there are walls without historic structures that still have significance. Commissioner Heimdahl agreed that cultural landscapes are significant and he is concerned that removal of these walls could prompt further removal of other culturally historic landscapes rather than investing in their upkeep. He would encourage salvaging any stone from Lot #15 that could be reused for future preservation projects. Commissioner Summers commented when replacing walls with natural stone, wherever possible, locally sourced stone should be used to avoid environmental impacts of trucking long distances. Mr. Gladhill recapped the discussion: adding treatment of retaining walls to the design guidelines and developing a comprehensive inventory of stairs, walls and ruins. Regarding the current request, the consensus is that either option is appropriate though the preference is for the natural outcrop stone. He will share the discussion points with the City Council. PUBLIC HEARINGS There were no public hearings. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS Case No. 2020-27, Update on Design Permit Amendment for rooftop improvements. Property located at 223 Main St S; Case of White Bear Ventures. - Tabled in part from the May Meeting. Postponed at request of Owner at June Meeting Page 3 of 5 Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting July 20, 2022 Mr. Gladhill provided an update on approved construction activities and enforcement actions for construction activities completed but not approved. The applicant is requesting the following amendments to the approved Design Permit: 1) Replacing previous storage shed with private enclosed wet bar with sink and television (partially complete) 2) (New since June HPC Meeting) Glass fence on the parapet wall for the rooftop deck. The deck was raised without approval, resulting in a need for a taller safety barrier than the previous deck. The applicant is requesting formal consideration at the August meeting. Staff has issued a Compliance Letter/Notice of Violation that starts an official enforcement process. The Notice of Violation clarifies that any work on the rooftop moving forward is not authorized until the HPC considers the request for revision to the Design Permit. Any unauthorized work will be subject to Administrative Fines. If the HPC does not approve the requested revisions, these improvements will need to be removed. Case No. 2022-08, Update on Design Permit for 126 Main St S for Store Front Painting; Case of Blue Sun Soda Shop. Commission Request for Update from June Meeting Mr. Gladhill stated that on June 15, 2022, the HPC requested a review of the Design Permit Approval compared to actual completion of storefront painting for Blue Sun Soda Shop. He provided photos showing the project, and documentation of the approved design permit. He showed photos of the color samples that were discussed compared with what was applied to the building. Councilmember Junker stated that the chosen colors really stand out among the other historic buildings. Darker muted colors pictured in the packet do not compare to what was actually used. Commissioner Larson suggested showing the applicant the colors they said they would use which were much more subdued. The colors that went on the building seemed to be a lighter version. Downtown design guidelines discuss color being compatible with the surrounding area and this does not appear to be compatible. He would like to find out from the owner if they ever submitted more muted color samples, per the Commission's request, and if not, they could be asked to submit a more subdued version of the colors for approval. Mr. Gladhill said staff will have a friendly conversation and instruct the applicant to come back to the HPC as part of the corrective action. Discuss moving Regular Meetings to Second Wednesday of the month Mr. Gladhill stated that, based on recent staff vacancies and sufficient support for Commissions, staff would like to discuss moving the regular HPC meeting to the second Wednesday rather than the third Wednesday of each month. Those Commissioners present had no objection. Mr. Gladhill will check with the other Commissioners toward a final decision at the next meeting. Mr. Gladhill also noted a building permit application came in for No Neck Tony's at 231 Myrtle Street for window replacement, which fits within administrative approval. The request is to have sliding windows to accommodate a screen for airflow. Staff is making sure the windows have the same detail and color as existing. He asked if the Commission agrees it may be administratively approved. The consensus of the Commission was to request Commission review, perhaps on the Consent Agenda. FYI Chair Thueson shared that Bud Fowler, who played baseball in Stillwater in 1884, will be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is considered to be the first professional black baseball player. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Heimdahl, seconded by Commissioner Summers, to adjourn. All in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 8:32 p.m. Page 4 of 5 Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting July 20, 2022 ATTEST: Tim ,ladhill, ommunity Development Director Matt Thueson, Chair Page 5 of 5