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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-12-01 HPC MIN City of Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission December 1, 2008 Present: Howard Lieberman, Chair, Phil Eastwood, Gayle Hudak, Jeff Johnson, Larry Nelson and Roger Tomten Staff present: Planner Mike Pogge Absent: Scott Zahren Chair Lieberman called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Approval of minutes: The minutes of Nov. 3, 2008, were unanimously approved on a motion by Ms. Hudak. PUBLIC HEARINGS Case No. DEM/08-54 A demolition request for a garage at 1225 Fourth St. S. in the RB, Two Family Residential District. Christopher and Sarah Muehleck, applicant. Mr. Muehleck was present. He explained their request to demolish a second garage on their property. He said the garage is from a house that was destroyed in a fire; the proposal is demolish and not replace the second garage. Mr. Johnson said he thought the application was complete, with the exception of a firm cost estimate from a contractor. Mr. Muehleck said the entire structure is collapsing, and the contractor was reluctant to give any cost estimate. Mr. Tomten asked if there had been any response to the newspaper ad; Mr. Muehleck said he had a couple of calls regarding possible salvage material, but noted there is not a lot of good salvageable material in the structure. Mr. Lieberman noted that the Heritage Preservation Commission takes all demolition requests under serious consideration. Mr. Lieberman opened the public hearing. No comments were received, and the hearing was closed. Mr. Lieberman, seconded by Mr. Eastwood, moved approval of the demolition request as submitted; motion passed unanimously. DESIGN REVIEWS Case No. 08-55 Design review of final phase of Maple Island Development. Mainstream Development LLC, applicant. Vern and Tim Stefan of Mainstream Development were present. Mr. Lieberman noted this is the fifth version of the proposed building that has been presented to the HPC. The fifth iteration is a three story structure with a flat roof; the fourth version was a three story structure with a gable roof, but was an infill structure which would have required a height variance, he noted. Tim Kuntz, attorney representing Mainstream Development, stated this is the last major development for the former Maple Island site and the applicants are prepared to begin construction with this final approval. Mr. Kuntz noted that the HPC had approved the general design of the building on three occasions. He noted the exterior of the building has not changed; the only change from the last proposal is a flat roof versus a gable roof. He stated the applicant has reviewed the 17 conditions of approval and accepts and will meet those conditions. 1 City of Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission December 1, 2008 Mr. Lieberman noted that this is not an adversarial situation and it is “atypical” to have an attorney at the table. Mr. Lieberman pointed out that the HPC is not represented by counsel and asked Mr. Kuntz to step from the table and sit in the audience. Ms. Hudak told the Commission that Vern Stefan had contacted her by phone to remind her of the Dec. 1 meeting; other members indicated they, too, had been contacted by Mr. Stefan. Tim Stefan took Mr. Kuntz’s place at the table. Mr. Stefan stated the site plan is unchanged, except the new building is now 4’ away from the adjacent structure. He stated the materials also are the same – what has changed is the flat roof. Mr. Stefan reviewed the proposed building materials and colors. He said there will be a wrought iron fence between the new building and the adjacent building to the south. He said he is still concerned about the “punched down” appearance and is trying to keep as much volume as possible on the first floor. Mr. Nelson asked about trash storage. Mr. Stefan stated all trash would be enclosed inside. Mr. Johnson noted an error in elevation in one of the maps – should be 629 rather than 692. Mr. Johnson asked about the view from Pioneer Park. Mr. Stefan said they are trying to utilize geothermal heat and believes they will be able to keep the number of condenser units at 6 as shown in the drawings, but noted that mechanical design work has not been completed at this time. Mr. Eastwood expressed a concern about the view from Pioneer Park and asked about the possibility of having a low sloped roof to provide better screening of roof top units. Mr. Lieberman asked how some type of roof structure for screening would impact the height restriction. Mr. Pogge pointed out the residents of Stillwater Mills are opposed to any variance for height. Mr. Stefan provided a sight section depicting the views from the Mills buildings, noting that only residents of the top floors will have their view impacted. Mr. Lieberman noted that this was not a public hearing but invited comments from the audience. George Nelson, resident of Stillwater Mills and member of the Mills board of directors, spoke of the loophole, a separation of 3’ from the adjacent building, which allows the addition of another story. Mr. Nelson reiterated concerns made at previous discussions regarding the view of the structure to those driving into the City from the north; the view of the structure from the St. Croix River; and the approved parking variance. Mr. Nelson questioned what say the City has in the use and the viability of the project should the developers not be able fill the building with the proposed office use and revert to retail instead. Chris Angel, representing Dick and Judy Diedrich, residents of Stillwater Mills, was prepared to address the Commission. Mr. Lieberman reiterated his position regarding attorney participation in these proceedings and stated he would prefer that Mr. Angel not present any testimony. No other comments were received, and the discussion was returned to the table. There was additional discussion about the possibility of some type of roof structure to screen the mechanicals. Mr. Pogge noted that ultimately that issue is a discussion between the Planning Commission and HPC, and he pointed out the Planning Commission likely will be a “tough sell” for any height variance. Mr. Johnson suggested it might help views if the north-south dimension of the mechanicals are minimized; he suggested screening the equipment and keeping the mechanical placement to one-fourth of the building dimension so there is more of a mechanical penthouse, rather than having the units spread out on the rooftop. Tim Stefan said he thought 2 City of Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission December 1, 2008 that might be possible and said he would be willing to come back to the HPC with a roof plan. Mr. Tomten noted that the key to Mr. Johnson’s suggestion is getting the mechanical design completed. Mr. Tomten also stated he did not think larger screening would be more advantageous regarding the view from Pioneer Park; he suggesting simply painting the equipment to match the roof. Ms. Hudak asked about the material/color of the garage doors. Tim Stefan said the doors will be insulated metal doors perhaps with several view windows and will be the same color green as the other building trim. Mr. Johnson asked about the color of the mechanical equipment and screening. Mr. Stefan said the mechanical equipment will be the same color as the roofing material and the screening will match the parapet color. Mr. Tomten asked about the rain garden. Mr. Stefan said the rain garden is in the final plans as it is a requirement of the Middle St. Croix Water Management Organization; he said he did not think the rain garden would impact the patio or stairs. Mr. Tomten moved to give final design approval as conditioned, striking conditions 1 and 2 with the condition that the applicant come back to the HPC with a plan indicating the number and location of rooftop units based on comments made at the meeting. Mr. Pogge asked if that was a requirement prior to issuance of a building permit; consensus was in the affirmative. Mr. Johnson asked about amending the motion to require that the mechanicals be kept to one- fourth of the total building dimension. Mr. Tomten declined to formally amend his motion to include that. Mr. Johnson asked that the applicant take that direction into consideration in developing the rooftop plan. Ms. Hudak seconded Mr. Tomten’s motion; motion passed unanimously. On a question by George Nelson, Mr. Pogge told those in the audience, there is a 10-day time period in which to appeal this decision. Mr. Nelson reiterated several of his concerns, specifically concerns about the viability of the project and possible change in use and the parking variance. Mr. Pogge noted that any change in use would require the applicant to request such a change from the Planning Commission. Mr. Tomten spoke to the difficulty of trying to impose suburban parking requirements on a pre-automobile shopping district such as downtown Stillwater, and he spoke to the need for flexibility in order to ensure economic viability. OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Pogge distributed meeting calendars for 2009. Mr. Lieberman stated he will not be resigning from the Commission. Mr. Nelson said he has decided not to seek reappointment and stated he has enjoyed his time working with the group. Mr. Tomten said he is seeking reappointment to another term. Mr. Eastwood asked about Mr. Lieberman’s position regarding attorney participation. Mr. Lieberman explained that he is not comfortable with having attorney participation as the Commission does not have legal representation present. Mr. Lieberman said if the Commission is notified in advance that someone will be bringing legal representation, the Commission could ask that City Attorney Magnuson be present, in which case he would have no problem with allowing that to take place. 3 City of Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission December 1, 2008 Meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. on a motion by Mr. Lieberman, seconded by Mr. Eastwood. Respectfully submitted, Sharon Baker Recording Secretary 4