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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-11-20 HPC MIN HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING November 20, 2019 7:00 P.M. Chairwoman Mino called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Present: Chairman Mino, Commissioners Finwall, Krakowski, Larson, Steinwall, Thueson, Walls, Council Representative Junker Absent: None Staff: City Planner Wittman APPROVAL OF MINUTES Possible approval of minutes of October 16, 2019 Motion by Commissioner Steinwall, seconded by Commissioner Walls, to approve the minutes of the October 16, 2019 meeting. Motion passed, 7-0. OPEN FORUM There were no public comments. CONSENT AGENDA There were no items on the Consent Agenda. PUBLIC HEARING There were no public hearings. NEW BUSINESS Case No. 2019-28: Consideration of a Design permit to remodel the existing storefront at 218 Main St N in the Downtown Design Review District. Michael Lynskey Sr., and Lee Bjerk, property owners, and Dariush and Sarah Moslemi, applicants. City Planner Wittman explained the application. Dariush Moslemi is planning to open a new restaurant, to be known as the Rusty Mile, at 218 Main Street North. The Design Permit involves: 1) a new hollow metal service door on the south elevation to match the existing service door; 2) a 4’ tall , 40 square foot Rooftop Unit (RTU) and 4’ tall, 17’ long Makeup Air Unit (MAU) that will have two condensers on top of it; 3) a 40” wide, circular hood exhaust fan to extend three feet beyond the south wall elevation; 4) a set of two wall signs, 24” tall by 10’ wide, proposed to utilize the existing sign brackets. Constructed of metal, the signs will have raised lettering and a burnt orange, white and black color scheme to read “Rusty Mile Roadhouse and Nostalgia Bar” as well as possibly “HWY 95 Stillwater EST. 2019”; 5) a 52” black graphic design (i.e. mural/painted wall) sign to look like a bottle cap. The mural is proposed to advertise the business name with the same language, color and font as the front façade’s wall sign. She stated that the applicant expressed willingness to comply with the staff-recommended conditions, however the property owner objects to screening the rooftop units. Staff finds with certain conditions the proposed improvements conform to the standards set forth for design review and therefore recommends approval with 12 conditions. Dariush Moslemi, applicant, shared emails that property owner Michael Lynskey sent him objecting to the screening, including pictures of other buildings whose HVAC systems have not been required to Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting November 20, 2019 Page 2 of 4 be screened. The proposed location for the rooftop unit is in the center and back of the building so the property owner feels it will be minimally visible from Main Street. Mr. Moslemi asked if he could install the HVAC and then determine after installation whether it is visible and needs to be screened. Commissioner Larson pointed out there are two ways to screen rooftop units - buy a unit that the screen can hang off, which may be too late to do after installation, or put supports around it. Mr. Moslemi said he will talk to engineers to see if the unit can be pushed further away from the south side so it would be less visible. He also said he plans to remove the awning across the first floor of the building and center the new sign sign on the building. Regarding the bottlecap sign, he asked if it could include something such as “Stillwater, Birthplace of Minnesota” and the word “Roadhouse” without exceeding signage restrictions. He plans to do a mural on the south side of the building. Commissioner Larson noted that the Commission would encourage a mural as described. Ms. Wittman added that murals are allowed provided they have a historic theme and do not advertise an existing business or company. Commissioner Finwall asked if outdoor seating is planned. Mr. Moslemi replied he does not plan for outdoor seating at present but he may come back requesting outdoor seating for a second phase. He also would like to place a circular projecting sign on the south side. Ms. Wittman confirmed that a request for exterior seating would have to come back to the HPC. She suggested the Commission may want to table approval of the projecting sign until applicant comes back with another request. Commissioner Larson expressed concern about the side vent/hood on the south elevation sticking out perpendicular to Main Street where it will be visible. Mr. Moslemi said the vent can’t go through the building internally as staff recommended, due to the existing business upstairs. He would rather have it go up at an angle without having it go all the way up to the rooftop. He might move it further to the west, away from the second story window. Commissioner Larson asked if the vent could be run to the back of the building. Mr. Moslemi replied the issue is the property line. He will try to incorporate the vent into the mural design somehow. Motion by Commissioner Larson, seconded by Commissioner Finwall, to approve Case No. 2019-28, Design Permit to remodel the existing storefront at 218 Main St N, with the 12 staff-recommended conditions, changing Condition #8 to state that the kitchen hood shall be incorporated into a mural, and changing Condition #9 requiring that the rooftop units be screened from public view on south and east elevations at a minimum, though screening on all four sides is preferred. Motion passed, 7-0. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Case No. 2019-21: Consideration of a Design Permit for a multi-tenant sign plan for the property located at 1400 (1570) Frontage Rd W in the West Stillwater Business Park District. Valley Ridge Holdings, LLC, property owner and Gordon Skamser Jr., applicant. Ms. Wittman stated that in September the HPC reviewed a Design Permit request from Gordon Skamser Jr. of Norman Quacks to amend the multi-tenant sign plan for Valley Ridge Mall. If approved, the specific amendments would allow Norman Quacks to keep their illegally installed, nonconforming neon sign in place on the building, on an architectural feature and above the parapet line. At the meeting the HPC determined the sign may not obscure the architectural feature. The HPC tabled consideration of the Design Permit for a multi-tenant sign plan for the property and directed staff to work with the applicant on amendments that would not jeopardize staff’s ability to administer the Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting November 20, 2019 Page 3 of 4 plan but would allow for increased signage opportunities for this business given its uniqueness. Staff met with the applicant to discuss potential changes to the sign plan and advised the applicant to work on the development of a new zone for their tenant space that could be incorporated into the approved multi-tenant sign plan. Staff also indicated they would work to see if there are options for modification of the plan that may be more fair and equitable to all tenants in the building. Later that same day staff asked the applicant and the owner’s representative to clarify the tenant map on file. The applicant asked if it would be wise to move forward with their request if staff was exploring options for a sign plan amendment. Staff advised they should proceed with the development of their desirable zone changes. On October 9 staff requested the applicant submit their desired changes as soon as possible for the October 16 HPC packet release. On October 10 staff advised material submission (for the October meeting) was needed that day in order for the HPC to consider the amended request at the October 16 HPC meeting. The applicant indicated they needed additional time. Staff advised a deadline of noon on November 6 for inclusion in the HPC’s November meeting packet. On November 11 staff emailed the applicant asking for an updated proposal. To the date of memo development, the applicant has not submitted any updated plans for staff. Because of State statutory requirements, the HPC must take action on the original request. As the amendments to the multi-tenant sign plan do not conform to City Code nor the approved multi-tenant sign plan, staff recommends denial of Design Permit No. 2019-21. Gordon Skamser Jr., applicant, explained that in September, guided by City staff, he made a concerted effort to adjust the sign plan for Valley Ridge Mall with permission from the ownership group. After meeting with the HPC, he met with Ms. Wittman. He left that meeting feeling like he might have a blueprint to go forward, but he did not get the amendments that staff said they may work on. Therefore he didn’t feel it was prudent to come up with an entirely different zone plan. He asked if there is a path for him to make his case before the City Council. He thinks it’s a great sign that brightens the corner where it is placed. Commissioner Junker agreed it’s a nice sign, but because it is a multi tenant building, he is concerned about making an exception for one business. He would rather see a smaller sign that conforms to the sign plan. Mr. Skamser stated that the current sign plan does not correctly identify the 5,000 square feet of space he has as anything other than just another in-mall space. The other businesses have different business models and different sign needs. It is not logical for that corner space to not have a sign facing east. He also does not understand the critical nature of the sign band. He thought when he did not get those amendment changes from staff, it was probably going to be another month. Ms. Wittman stated that she said she could look to see how the sign plan could be amended, but there are 30 tenants and she does not feel it is staff’s role to amend the sign plan. The applicant also has a variance that has been tabled pending the HPC’s application, which has to go before the Planning Commission next week. If the applicant would like to appeal, he could do so before the City Council provided both bodies deny the application. Motion by Commissioner Steinwall, seconded by Commissioner Larson, to deny a Design Permit for a multi-tenant sign plan for the property located at 1400 (1570) Frontage Rd W, Case 2019-21. Motion passed, 7-0. OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS 2020 Preserve MN Conference Committee Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office’s CLG Coordinator & Historic Preservation Specialist Michael Koop led discussion of the planning process for the 2020 Preserve MN Conference. He offered to meet with the conference committee monthly if desired. He solicited input on recommended sites for the Friday tours. Ms. Wittman’s recommendations for tour topics are: lumbering in the St. Croix Valley, early social life, Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting November 20, 2019 Page 4 of 4 government, and the conservation district. The tours must have good quality, well known informed presenters. An alternative to using buses would be a walking tour that would last about 3 hours. For a keynote speaker, he suggested Autumn Rierson Michael of Davidson, NC. He encouraged Commissioners and City Councilmembers to participate in the sessions. Scholarships are available for elected officials and commissioners to cover the $100 registration fee. The City has a $13,800 certified local government grant that will be used to pay for the keynote speaker, her travel expenses and other expenses. Ms. Wittman encouraged the commissioners to think about session topics and keynote speaker content. There will be a conference committee planning meeting at 6 pm December 18, one hour before the regular HPC meeting. Chamber, Convention and Visitors Bureau and Independent Business Association representatives will be invited to attend. HPC Enabling Ordinance Consultant Recommendation Ms. Wittman said the City received two qualified proposals to update the HPC enabling ordinance and consolidate design guidelines at a not-to-exceed fee of $26,000. She reviewed the proposals. Staff recommends the entering into a contract with HKGi and Landscape Research LLC. Motion by Commissioner Larson, seconded by Commissioner Steinwall, to recommend that the Council enter a contract with HKGi and Landscape Research LLC. Motion passed, 7-0. 2020 Work Plan Ms. Wittman stated that the City has preliminarily budgeted $5,000 for the HPC for 2020 projects and programs. As the Community Development Department updates its five-year work plan and 2020 projects, staff would like HPC input on how to best direct 2020 resources. Commissioner Steinwall suggested using the Comprehensive Plan to determine projects for the coming year. Ms. Wittman added that the Comprehensive Plan includes, over the next 1-3 years: revising regulations, consolidating guidelines and standards, and analyzing and prioritizing designation opportunities. Staff could review sites that are nationally listed with a view toward prioritizing efforts to list them locally. She also noted the Hersey Bean wall stabilization, developing an overarching downtown interpretation plan, and a plan for the Bergstein Buildings. Discussion will continue at the next meeting. 2020 HPC Meeting Schedule Ms. Wittman noted that the September 16, 2020 HPC meeting conflicts with the first day of the 2020 Preserve MN conference. The Commission agreed to change the September meeting to September 22, 2020. FYI 2040 Comprehensive Plan Adoption Ms. Wittman reported that the Council formally adopted the Comprehensive Plan. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Walls, seconded by Commissioner Steinwall, to adjourn. Motion passed, 7-0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Julie Kink, Recording Secretary