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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-07-06 HPC MIN HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING July 6, 2015 7:00 P.M. Chairman Larson called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Present: Chairman Larson, Commissioners Goodman, Johnson, Mino, Welty, Council Representative Menikheim Absent: Commissioners Branjord and Krakowski Staff: City Planner Wittman APPROVAL OF MINUTES Possible approval of June 1, 2015 meeting minutes Commissioner Welty requested that the minutes reflect that for Case No. 2015-24, the light pole and text should be graphically separated from one another. Motion by Commissioner Welty, seconded by Commissioner Johnson, to approve the minutes of the June 1, 2015 meeting as amended. All in favor, 5-0. OPEN FORUM There were no public comments. CONSENT AGENDA Case No. 2015-28 Design Review for replacement of hotel signage for new Grandstay Hotel, located at 2200 Frontage Road West. Tim Olson, applicant. Commissioner Johnson observed that the sign is already up on the pylon. City Planner Wittman replied the owners had asked staff to grant temporary approval of the signage so it could be in place for a grand reopening of the structure. Motion by Commissioner Welty, seconded by Commissioner Mino, to adopt the Consent Agenda. All in favor, 5-0. PUBLIC HEARINGS Case No. 2015-29 Design Review for construction of a detached garage and accessory dwelling unit located at 912 5th Street South. Eileen Gibson and Larry Wheeler, owners. City Planner Wittman explained the request. The applicants wish to construct a detached garage with accessory dwelling unit. Modifications to the existing structure also are proposed; however, they are not a part of the HPC review. The Special Use Permit will be before the Planning Commission on Wednesday. Staff recommends approval with conditions. Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting July 6, 2015 Page 2 of 6 Chairman Larson opened the public hearing. There were no public comments. The public hearing was closed. Mr. Wheeler explained that a scissor truss design will be used with an energy heel on the truss. Commissioner Johnson complimented Mr. Wheeler on the submission. Mr. Wheeler said he has designed many homes throughout the metro area. Chairman Larson asked if a deck is intended for the rear elevation. Mr. Wheeler confirmed there will be a small deck there, around 10’ x 12’. Commissioner Johnson reminded Mr. Wheeler about setback requirements for the deck. Commissioner Welty asked about the front elevation - is it a false railing over the utility door? Mr. Wheeler replied he wants to put a standing seam metal roof on the small entryway. Commissioner Johnson remarked that he would like to see the window sills treated similar to those on the original home, with framing across the top and sides, and a narrower sill at the bottom. Mr. Wheeler replied he wants the details to be right. Motion by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Chairman Larson, to approve the Design Permit for Case No. 2015-29, a detached garage and accessory dwelling unit located at 912 5th Street South, with the following conditions: 1) Plans shall be consistent with those submitted to the Community Development Department on June 16, 2015 and shall be valid for the garage and accessory dwelling unit only. 2) The materials and colors shall be consistent with the primary residence. 3) A building permit shall be obtained prior to construction. 4) Exterior lighting shall be submitted for approval prior to the issuance of a building permit. 5) Window sills shall be architecturally treated to be consistent with the window sill form of the primary residence. 6) A deck or set of stairs and appropriate railing shall be completed on the dwelling. 7) All minor modifications to the plans shall be approved in advance by the City Planner. All major modifications shall be approved in advance by the HPC. All in favor, 5-0. Commissioner Johnson pointed out the HPC approval deals only with the garage and accessory dwelling unit, not the home itself. Case No. 2015-30 Design Review for construction of a new two-story home with detached tandem car garage, located at 514 St. Croix Avenue West. Jeremy and Sara Imhoff, owners. City Planner Wittman reviewed the application. The applicants wish to construct a single family residence on a vacant lot. Because the property is in the Neighborhood Conservation Design District, an infill design review permit is required for the new home. Staff recommends approval with conditions. Ms. Imhoff explained the front porch wraps around and they wanted a connection between the front and back yard. They want a garden/sitting area in between to provide a buffer with the neighbors. Commissioner Welty asked if they considered putting windows on the garage, to break up the long wall. Ms. Imhoff replied they considered adding windows, but decided not to because of cost. They have about 18” of garage storage along that wall. They could plant some trees along the side of the garage if that would help. They felt the long garage wall would function as sort of a backyard fence. They have discussed their plans Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting July 6, 2015 Page 3 of 6 with their neighbor to the west. City Planner Wittman added that she spoke with that neighbor months ago and he has been very actively keeping up with what was happening on this vacant lot. Chairman Larson opened the public hearing. There were no public comments. The public hearing was closed. Commissioner Johnson commented as far as four sided architecture, it is consistent without windows on the east or west. Some vines or vertical plantings may be more appealing to the neighbor. Commissioner Mino asked about the roof material. Ms. Imhoff replied they would like a standing seam metal roof, to give a modern farmhouse feel. Commissioner Johnson noted the more vertical house and the somewhat over-scaled windows reflect the older houses in the neighborhood, but with a contemporary exaggerated feel. It fits into the neighborhood well. Chairman Larson agreed. He likes the contemporary take on historic massing and detail. Motion by Chairman Larson, seconded by Commissioner Mino, to approve the Design Permit for Case No. 2015- 30, a new two-story home with detached tandem car garage, located at 514 St. Croix Avenue West, with the following conditions: 1) Plans shall be consistent with those submitted to the Community Development Department on June 19, 2015. 2) A building permit shall be obtained prior to the construction of the home. 3) Exterior lighting shall be submitted for approval prior to the issuance of a building permit. 4) All minor modifications shall be approved in advance by the City Planner. All major modifications shall be approved in advance by the HPC. All in favor, 5-0. Case No. 2015-31 Demolition Review for consideration of a partial demolition of additions to the Connolly Shoe Factory, a contributing building in the Commercial Historic District, located at 123 Second Street North. Judd Sather, owner. City Planner Wittman reported that the applicant is requesting approval to demolish an addition to the Connolly Shoe Factory, a Nationally Registered Historic Commercial contributing building. The addition consists of two originally separate structures built between 1906 and 1956 which supported the shoe factory. The older of the two structures was used as an oil house. The newer, smaller structure was constructed between the oil house and the primary structure. This building, which was turned into the oil house, was connected to the leather-findings shop by a single doorway. Demolition is requested to accommodate electrical requirements for mixed use proposed for the main building. The applicant has conditional approval of a Special Use Permit for an events venue on the upper story. Mixed office/practitioner space is planned for the second level and a restaurant space is planned on the lower level. In order to achieve the higher-intensity, multi-use of the building, the owner will need to install a new transformer on the site, new air conditioner units for the separate floors, and lease spaces as well as have a location for enclosed waste receptacles. Staff recommends approval of the demolition permit for the oil house with conditions, and denial of the demolition permit for the leather-findings warehouse. Chairman Larson applauded the applicant on the plans for reuse of the main building. Mr. Sather explained that to partially demolish and then rebuild part of the structure seemed like a waste. The 30” minimum requirement for the transformer was something he had not heard before. The electrical engineer and architect determined where the electrical and air conditioning units should go. One of the conditions of the SUP is that the trash cannot be outside. Currently it is outside in an ugly area with a chain link fence. Behind the dumpsters is an artesian well. It would be difficult to keep the fragile tile wall in tact while demolishing something right next to it. Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting July 6, 2015 Page 4 of 6 Commissioner Johnson suggested the southerly building could be used to store trash. Mr. Sather replied they are building a trash room inside the building and will wheel it out into the alley. Chairman Larson said he had difficulty with the fact that the application doesn’t include plans for the trash enclosure - materials, design, size, or whether there is a roof on it. Mr. Sather replied it probably will not have a roof. There will be a trash enclosure and a transformer on a pad. Commissioner Johnson noted they might be able to put the condenser units on the roof of the southerly building if necessary. Commissioner Welty asked if the well could be rerouted to circulate through the sunken garden. City Planner Wittman replied it would have to travel across a third-party property before getting to the garden - the City probably would not be interested in that. The applicant anticipates a brewer possibly using that water. Chairman Larson opened the public hearing. There were no public comments. The public hearing was closed. Councilmember Menikheim said architect Mark Balay informed him the applicant has been talking with Xcel Energy for months. What is proposed is necessary in order for the use to happen. Personally, he does not know what would be gained by saving the building. It has very little historical value. Maybe the Commission should table it until the new area is re-designed. Chairman Larson reiterated it’s reasonable to want to know what the trash enclosure will look like. That is missing from the application. Commissioner Welty said she would rather see an alley that has solid built up structures. To leave a gap and not know what the gap is going to look like is less of a sure thing than having the tile building there. Commissioner Johnson stated the Commission’s charge is to look at demolitions only when there is no feasible alternative to demolition. The visual appeal or lack of it is beside the point. He would have a hard time approving the demolition of both structures because the southerly one was very closely associated in the time of construction and use of the original building and it is pretty much in its original condition. Commissioner Goodman noted that preservation would involve approximately 25% of the original façade of the alley-facing side. Chairman Larson suggested the Commission should table it because 1) it has to be clear that maintaining the building is not feasible - the Commission needs to ask the applicant to demonstrate with diagrams why it’s not feasible to maintain that building; and 2) it needs to be clear as to what would be in its place - materials, elevations, height and design. Motion by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Goodman, to approve the demolition permit for the oil house, as depicted on the 1924-1956 Sanborn maps, and with necessary attachments to the primary structure located at 123 Second Street South with the following conditions: 1) The applicant shall provide 20 amp electrical service to the City of Stillwater for the water pump located at the Sunken Gardens a contributing historic site in the Commercial Historic District, located adjacent to the building. 2) Documentation shall be provided of the exterior drain flows. In the event the drain is connected to the municipal sanitary system, the drain shall be disconnected and connected to the building. Documentation of the disconnection shall be provided. Connection to the municipal storm sewer system is encouraged to address stormwater drainage in this location. Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting July 6, 2015 Page 5 of 6 3) Documentation, according to the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) standards, of the interior and exterior dimensions and conditions, including heights, width, and materials, shall be submitted to the HPC and kept on file as a portion of the historical and architectural inventory for all portions of structures approved for demolition. Documentation shall be submitted prior to the release of a demolition permit by the Building Official. 4) The HPC will continue the discussion of the demolition permit for the leather-findings clay tile warehouse, as depicted on the 1924-1956 Sanborn Map and noted as the oil house on the 1910 Sanborn Map to explore other feasible alternatives including, but not limited to, equipment layout and screening, enclosure materials and all other site improvements. All in favor, 5-0. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. NEW BUSINESS Case No. 2015-27 Design Review to reface front office portion of building and create front entry door, located at 1792 Greeley Street South. Randy Jennssen, owner. City Planner Wittman stated the applicant is requesting a Design Permit for a proposed addition and upgrade to portions of the exterior façade which include: 1) installation of a 14’ x 6’ portico on the front (east) façade; 2) a stone veneer to be placed on the bottom of the existing front façade and wrap around 2’ on the north and along the south façade of the structure’s addition; 3) new lap siding to be placed above the stone veneer; 4) a new cedar pergola and patio area to be constructed on the south end of the structure’s addition, filling in a portion of open space at the southeast corner of the structure; 5) three new tempered glass picture windows to be installed on the east and north sides of the existing addition. The proposal would reduce the non-conformity of the existing concrete block and dress up the entrance. No lighting plan was submitted. Staff recommends approval with conditions. Applicant Randy Jennssen and his partner Greg Johnson provided color selections for the roofing, trim, siding and stone. The space will be used as a remodelers’ showroom. The warehouse portion will be leased out. They have no plans to change that portion of the building. Motion by Commissioner Mino, seconded by Commissioner Goodman, to approve the Design Permit for Case No. 2015-27, refacing of front office portion of building and creation of new front entry door located at 1792 Greeley Street South, with the following conditions: 1) The stone veneer shall be extended along the north façade up to the point of the concrete block façade and consistent with the lap siding extension. 2) The installation of new lighting shall be directed down and shielded from adjacent properties or roadways. All lights shall be contained on the property. 3) A total of 204 square feet of new landscaped area shall be created onsite. Landscaping shall be a combination of trees, shrubs, flower and ground cover. 4) In the event the Community Development Director determines substantial alterations are proposed for future phases of façade renovation, staff shall bring the proposed modifications before the HPC for design review. 5) Color palette and materials shall be consistent with those submitted at the July 6, 2015 HPC meeting. All in favor, 5-0. OTHER ITEMS OF DISCUSSION Preservation Training Opportunities Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting July 6, 2015 Page 6 of 6 City Planner Wittman mentioned two training opportunities and asked Commissioners to let her know soon if they wish to attend so she can seek out grants and scholarships: the Annual State Preservation Conference, September 17-18, 2015, Little Falls, MN; and the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Forum, July 27-31, 2016, Mobile, AL. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Goodman, seconded by Chairman Larson, to adjourn. All in favor, 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:48 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Julie Kink Recording Secretary