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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-01-15 HPC Packet AGENDA HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers, 216 Fourth Street North January 15th, 2020 REGULAR MEETING 7:00 P.M. I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Possible approval of minutes of December 18th, 2019 regular meeting IV. OPEN FORUM - The Open Forum is a portion of the Commission meeting to address subjects which are not a part of the meeting agenda. The Chairperson may reply at the time of the statement of may give direction to staff regarding investigation of the concerns expressed. Out of respect for others in attendance, please limit your comments to 5 minutes or less. V. CONSENT AGENDA (ROLL CALL) - All items listed under the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the Heritage Preservation Commission and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion on these items unless a commission member or citizen so requests, in which event, the items will be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately. 2. Case No. 2019-31: Consideration of new business signage for the property located at 126 2nd St S in the Downtown Design Review district. Setac Properties, property owner and, Jennifer Noden of 7 Edges Design, applicant. VI. NEW BUSINESS VII. OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. 2020 Preserve MN Conference Session Proposals 4. HPC Ordinance Amendment Update and Projected Schedule 5. 2020 Workplan Update VIII. FYI – VERBAL UPDATE ONLY (NO PACKET MATERIALS) 6. Minutes Update 7. Lowell Park Pavilion HSR Update 8. Valley Ridge Mall Sign Plan Appeal IX. ADJOURNMENT HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING December 18, 2019 7:00 P.M. Chairwoman Mino called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Present: Chairman Mino, Commissioners Finwall, Krakowski, Larson, Steinwall, Thueson, Walls Absent: Council Representative Junker Staff: City Planner Wittman APPROVAL OF MINUTES Possible approval of minutes of November 20, 2019 Meetings Motion by Commissioner Steinwall, seconded by Commissioner Walls, to approve the minutes of the November 20, 2019 special meeting. Motion passed, 7-0. Commissioner Finwall asked how the City formats minutes, noting that some comments are summarized but not others. Ms. Wittman agreed to ask the City Clerk to clarify for the next meeting. Motion by Commissioner Finwall, seconded by Commissioner Larson, to approve the minutes of the November 20, 2019 regular meeting. Motion passed, 7-0. OPEN FORUM There were no public comments. CONSENT AGENDA Resolution HPC 2019-01, Adopting Findings of Fact for HPC Case No. 2019-21 Motion by Commissioner Thueson, seconded by Commissioner Finwall, to adopt the Consent Agenda. Motion passed, 7-0. PUBLIC HEARING There were no public hearings. NEW BUSINESS Case No. 2019-29: Consideration of a Design Permit for exterior changes at the property located at 217 2nd Street North in the Downtown Design Review District. Midnight Real Estate, property owners. City Planner Wittman explained the application. During construction of the Hotel Crosby, Midnight Real Estate LLC acquired the property at 217 2nd Street North to be used as a construction headquarters. After the hotel opened, the building was converted from office space to mixed use and hotel guests were permitted to utilize the building for private events. The applicants are requesting a design permit for: 1. The redesign of the main entrance to include a recessed entryway to accommodate an out-swinging, metal door finished in dark bronze; 2. The installation of a new metal and glass storefront on the rear of the building. The metal is to be finished in dark bronze; and 3. The installation of a 20.7’ by 30’ raised patio in the back portion of the property. The patio has been created from retaining blocks and pavers. A wheelchair lift will be installed. Staff finds the proposed alteration is consistent with the guidelines and recommends approval with five conditions. Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting December 18, 2019 Page 2 of 4 Commissioner Steinwall asked if all work is complete except the wheelchair lift. Chris Diebo, Midnight Real Estate, replied that the new front door is not installed yet; it will be set in but the front façade will not change and the existing brick shouldn’t be damaged. Commissioner Larson pointed out this application is an after-the-fact request. Mr. Diebo explained that once the hotel was complete, offices were moved to the hotel. The back of building was a mess so a retaining wall was installed and they started using it for meeting spaces and events in conjunction with the hotel. After using it for about 8 months they were approached by the City saying there was not a permit for that use. The wheelchair lift will be installed in the spring. They are still researching what will work best. They put up a steel hand rail to accommodate the previous use but will have to add onto it in the spring. Commissioner Larson said his biggest concern is the unknown of what the lift will look like and whether it will be visually intrusive. Ms. Wittman suggested that condition #2 be changed to require that the application be brought back at the time the wheelchair lift design has been determined. Motion by Commissioner Larson, seconded by Commissioner Krakowski, to approve Case No. 2019-29, Design Permit for exterior changes at the property located at 217 2nd Street North, with the five conditions recommended by staff, and modifying Condition #2 to read: “Prior to the installation of the lift, the final design will be brought back to the HPC for review.” Motion passed, 7-0. Case No. 2019-30: Consideration of a Design Permit for an exterior vent pipe on the property located at 123 2nd Street North in the Downtown Design Review District. Judd Sather representing Frederick Real Estate Group, LLC, property owners and Sara Jesperson, applicant. Ms. Wittman stated that in May 2019, Sara Jespersen of the Lumberjack Bar requested a Design Permit for modifications to the building at 123 2nd Street North. The modifications included the installation of a fireplace inside the building, necessitating the installation of a fireplace vent on the east façade. The HPC conditionally approved Case No. 2019-06; a condition of approval was that “any exterior venting shall be painted to match existing stone or brick.” As noted in the May, 2019 staff report, the fireplace may not vent on the eastern property line. As a result, the applicant has amended the design for the fireplace vent and is requesting a Design Permit for the installation of a fireplace vent and ducting on the exterior of the building. Staff finds the proposed alteration is consistent with the guidelines and recommends approval of fireplace vent and ducting with six conditions. However it has come to light today that this design may not work with the chosen fireplace unit, so the applicant is still exploring design alternatives. They are still exploring a flush mounted option, or another option going through the second and third story tenant spaces and out the roof which is the least desirable for the property owner. The applicant and property owner are unable to be here tonight. Commissioner Larson asked if the vent will be coming out of the door opening or poked through the stone. Ms. Wittman replied in the graphic it is shown coming out the stone belt but it may come out the doorway and go along the stone. Commissioner Larson responded that he would not like to see the venting run along the stone belt of the building. He asked about running the vent inside the building to come out the south side. Ms. Wittman replied that the door is common space that accesses the upstairs unit so they are unable to punch it through the interior stairwell because of code requirements. The HVAC installer and the Building Department are seeing design challenges. City staff cannot design it for them. Commissioner Thueson pointed out with the alley being cleaned up, this side of the building will be more visible. The vent would be less intrusive if it were against the brick instead of the stone band. Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting December 18, 2019 Page 3 of 4 Chairwoman Mino agreed it would look better against the brick. Commissioner Larson said he would like the Commission to consider whether it should be allowed at all. There have been a lot of mechanical attachments to buildings brought before the Commission lately. The best solution would be if they could recess the door sufficiently so they would not have to run it to either façade and stay off the property line. Commissioner Finwall asked if the applicant could install an electric fireplace instead. She feels as proposed, the venting would have a significant impact on the building. If approved, it would look better in brick area, but she would be inclined to deny the application. She also noted that when this location came before the Commission previously, they were going to use decorative doorway brackets and that never happened. Ms. Wittman said she will take a look at that issue. Motion by Commissioner Larson, seconded by Commissioner Thueson, to table Case No. 2019-30, Design Permit for an exterior vent pipe on the property located at 123 2nd Street North, suggesting the applicant look for alternatives. Motion passed, 7-0. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS Statewide Historic Preservation Plan Meeting in a Box Ms. Wittman informed the Commission that as part of updating the Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has requested the Stillwater HPC devote a part of a meeting to host a Meeting in a Box, a small group gathering to generate conversation and solicit feedback on the Preservation Plan for Minnesota. She reviewed four worksheets used to help guide discussion. In general, the Commission ranked the top threats to historic preservation: private economic considerations, site vulnerability, public understanding of the value of historic preservation, and too much emphasis on development. Ways to address the threats are: education, investment incentives, carrots, better ordinances, exploration of codes that govern historic rehabilitation, more flexibility in administration of historic tax credits, possibly the creation of a fast track application of historic tax credits for smaller projects. Reasons that illustrate why historic preservation is important: preservation of authenticity, economic vitality, learning/teaching others about Minnesota’s history. Ways that the importance of historic preservation could be better promoted: having better laws and economic incentives, streamlining governmental processes, promoting more examples of success stories from small scale to large scale, and telling the stories of everyday people. Ms. Wittman asked the Commissioners to consider outside of the meeting how a statewide preservation plan could assist individuals, organizations or local governments. FYI Statewide Preservation Conference Ms. Wittman asked the Commission’s thoughts on session proposals for the Conference. One might be neighborhood conservation districts since there are a lot of questions from other communities about this. She has ideas for at least six other sessions that she would like to discuss with a small group. The HPC will have a 1.5 hour meeting in the morning in early January to focus on sessions. A top priority of the January meeting will be determining committees and resources that will be needed. Historic Property Tax Records Ms. Wittman said Commissioner Thueson discovered that there are gaps in the library’s historic tax assessors’ records. He determined which rolls were missing and obtained a grant for the City to acquire the Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting December 18, 2019 Page 4 of 4 missing microfilm records from the State. The City will donate them to the library. Ms. Wittman invited Commissioners to reach out if they see other community needs. Ms. Wittman also stated that Commissioner Thueson will give her a tour of how to research house histories. Architect Mark Balay has offered to do house history research. Guidelines will be developed to help people obtain the information and it may be incorporated into the heirloom homes program. The Heirloom Homes web site will be updated after January 1. Project Updates Ms. Wittman reported that the Third Street house is stable but no work has been done on the site. The sign ordinance is being updated to provide clarification. For instance, the public administration and village commercial districts do not have a signage allotment. The new ordinance also will allow for electronic reader boards along the Highway 36 corridor. She is advocating for minimal to no changes in the Central Business District. Commissioner Finwall suggested that neon strips be addressed in the ordinance, and that it be clarified whether they are considered to be signage. She also would like the ordinance to address dynamic displays. If allowed, there should be a requirement that they stay constant and steady for a certain amount of time, to avoid from the blinking effect which is a distraction to drivers. Commissioner Larson noted that the area near the Main Street stairs now looks like precast concrete. Ms. Wittman replied that project, which is a City project, will come before the HPC in January to determine whether it conforms to standards. She asked the work to be stopped when she learned that the precast wall had been completed. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Walls, seconded by Commissioner Steinwall, to adjourn. Motion passed, 7-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Amy Mino, Chairwoman ATTEST: Abbi Wittman, City Planner PLANNING REPORT TO: Heritage Preservation Commission CASE NO.: 2019-31 REPORT DATE: January 10, 2020 MEETING DATE: January 15, 2020 APPLICANT: Jennifer Noden representing 7 Edges Design LANDOWNER: Jennifer Cates representing Setac Properties REQUEST: Approval of a Design Permit for a six (6) square foot projecting sign LOCATION: 126 2nd Street South DESIGNATION: N/A DISTRICT: Downtown Design Review District REPORT BY: Abbi Jo Wittman, City Planner INTRODUCTION 7 Edges Design would like to place one, six (6) square foot projecting sign on the building. The 22” tall by 39.5” wide 1.5”, white background, High Density Polyurethane sign will have painted lettering to read “Seven Edges” in gray and black and “Commercial + Hospitality Interior Design” in black. The business name and additional information (product/service offered) will be painted. The sign will be installed on the existing arm, approved by the HPC in 2016. Site Location (Source: CONNECT Explorer, May 2, 2018) Case no. 2019-31 Page 2 SPECIFIC REQUEST The applicant is requesting approval of a Design Permit for six (6) square foot projecting sign. ANALYSIS The Downtown Design Review District (DTDRD) guidelines indicate: • The maximum area of the sign and minimum height above the sidewalk is regulated by the sign ordinance. • Use materials consistent with the period, such as wood signboards and metal brackets. The zoning code allows for projecting signs so long as they are not greater than six square feet in size. Traditional placement of projecting signs is (at least) 8’ above the sidewalk. This request is in compliance with the zoning code. The applicant is proposing a foam sign with painted lettering to be hung by a metal arm bracket, placed perpendicular to the building. Though the sign will be a flat panel, the painted lettering, sign material and material thickness will give it a traditional look. In the past the HPC has found that, so long as the sign and its contents are not reflective, this type of sign substantially conform to the intent of the DTDRD guidelines. POSSIBLE ACTIONS The Heritage Preservation Commission has the following options: A. Approve the requested Design Permit with the following conditions: 1. The project shall be completed according to the plans on file in the Community Development Department, unless specifically modified by other conditions of approval. 2. The sign and its lettering shall be non-glossy and non-reflective. 3. No additional permanent, exterior signage shall be permitted without first obtaining a Design Permit. 4. A sign permit shall be obtained prior to the installation of new signage. B. Deny the requested Design Permit. With a denial, findings of fact supporting the decision must be provided. Source: Google Maps (May, 2019) Case no. 2019-31 Page 3 C. Table the request for additional information. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATION Staff finds that, with certain conditions, the proposed request conforms to the City Code and relevant Downtown Design Review District guidelines. Therefore, staff recommends conditional approval of the 7 Edged Design signage for the building at 126 2nd Street South with those conditions outline in Alternative A, above. Attachments: Sign Details Façade Location cc: Jennifer Noden, 7 Edges Design Jennifer Cates, Setac Properties Todd Follis, St. Croix Signs HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING DATE: January 15, 2020 REGARDING: 2020 Preserve MN Conference Session Proposals PREPARED BY: Abbi Jo Wittman, City Planner On January 6, 2020 a portion of the HPC met to discuss desired 2020 Preserve MN Conference Session proposals. A copy of the proposal submission form is attached for review. At the time the following were identified as potential conference sessions. A brief summary of what has occurred to date is included.  Adaptive Reuse in Downtown Stillwater – A walking tour of JX Events, Stillwater Armory, and Hotel Lora: While JX Events is interested in participating, the City has not heard back from representatives of Hotel Lora. Additionally, the Stillwater Armory’s current owner is unsure of the state of the structure in September, 2020. As of right now, the potential for this session is unlikely though staff will continue to work with these property owners to see if some session proposal can be submitted in the submission deadline timeframe.  The Preservation of the Stillwater Liftbrridge – a potential split session (classroom and in-field): Staff has reached out to MNDOT cultural resources staff who will be working with their in-house colleagues on the potential submission of a session proposal.  Stillwater Cultural Landscape District – Staff has reached out to Carole Zellie with Landscape Research. Landscape Research has not committed to submitting a proposal through has indicated they are favorable to discussions about a potential session proposal.  Stillwater’s Non-traditional Preservation Tools – an examination of demolition review and the Neighborhood Conservation District: Commissioner Larson and staff have drafted the session proposal.  Stillwater’s Preservation History: Staff has drafted the session proposal and sent this to Commissioner Thueson for review. Staff has additionally inquired with Brent Peterson about his potential involvement in the development of the session and/or the possibility of his participation in the session presentation. Drafts of the last two session proposals will be available at the meeting. MINNESOTA STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE 50 Sherburne Avenue ▪ Administration Building 203 ▪ Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155 ▪ 651-201-3287 mn.gov/admin/shpo ▪ mnshpo@state.mn.us AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND SERVICE PROVIDER Preserve Minnesota Annual Conference Call for Session Proposals Proposals Due: January 17, 2020 Conference Location: Stillwater Conference Dates: September 16-18, 2020 The Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is currently accepting proposals for speaker sessions for Preserve Minnesota, the 2020 Annual Statewide Historic Preservation Conference. The conference will take place in Stillwater, Minnesota from Wednesday, September 16 to Friday, September 18, 2020. Sessions should highlight topics related to Minnesota preservation, archaeology, history, architectural history, preservation planning, heritage tourism, sustainability, advocacy, incentives for preservation, and other related topics. The conference planning committee is interested in sessions that are relevant to the broader issues facing the preservation community, will stimulate and engage the audience, present new and fresh approaches, and can be applied to a range of attendees from across Minnesota. Proposals MUST include the following six parts. 1. Speaker Contact Information: For each speaker: Name as it would appear in the conference program Affiliation Mailing Address Phone Email 2. Title: Provide a title that will capture the audience's attention. 3. Description: In 250 words or less, describe what the session will be about. This statement will allow the planning committee to understand what is to be achieved and why it is important. 4. Learning Objectives: Specify three learning objectives that will be fulfilled for those who attend your session. Having these will further allow the planning committee to understand your proposal and will assist in having the session considered for continuing education credits from the American Institute of Architects, and/or the American Planning Association/American Institute of Certified Planners. 5. Biography: In 100 words or less, describe each speaker’s education, background, relevant experience, role in the project, etc. 6. Email Speaker Photo (high resolution JPEG preferred Proposal Deadline: Friday, January 17, 2020 Please submit your proposal by email to Michael Koop: michael.koop@state.mn.us If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Michael Koop by email or by phone: 651.201.3291. HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING DATE: January 20, 2020 REGARDING: HPC Ordinance Update and Projected Schedule PREPARED BY: Abbi Jo Wittman, City Planner The City has entered into contract with HKGi for the update to the City’s HPC enabling ordinance. City staff has met with the project leader, Jeff Miller, to discuss existing challenges and opportunities of the existing ordinances. The project scope calls for the creation of an advisory committee to help the HPC, staff and our consulting firm review and update the ordinances. At their last regularly-scheduled meeting, the City Council approved the following individuals to the committee: 1. James Barton 3. Julie Miller 6. Patrick Schmeichel 2. Anne Loff 4. Reid Miller 7. Francis Skamser Lewis 2. Heidi McAllister 5. Dariush Moslemi 8. Jason Timmers These (willing) individuals represent a broad range of interests through the community, having submitted applications to the HPC in 2019 for work in the Stillwater Commercial Historic District, the Neighborhood Conservation District, as well as the West Stillwater Business Park District. The project is slated to follow the attached schedule. While slightly behind schedule, staff does not anticipate this to be an issue. Future meetings with the advisory committee, the HPC, as well as the general public will occur in the coming months. As staff outlines a more definitive schedule, the HPC will be updated. aPProacH & worK Plan Meeting w/City Staff Community Meeting Historic Preservation Commission Planning Commission City Council Meeting Project schedule The schedule below outlines the anticipated timeframe for each task and identifies the meeting schedule as outlined in the request for proposals. Exact meeting dates will be confirmed or revised in collaboration with City staff at the project kick-off meeting in Task 1. dec 19 jan 20 feb mar aPr m ay jUn task 1 - inventory and evaluate ordinances and Guidelines task 2 - recommend ordinance amendments task 3 - Prepare Draft ordinance amendments and consolidated Guidelines manual task 4 - Prepare Final ordinance amendments and Guidelines manual task 5 - conduct review and approval Process Stillwater, MinneSota 14 HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING DATE: January 15, 2020 REGARDING: 2020 Work Plan Update PREPARED BY: Abbi Jo Wittman, City Planner At the regularly-scheduled November, 2019 meeting the HPC discussed the 2020 workplan and focused on identification of any HPC-desired projects to occur in 2020. The following (HPC- related) items have been set for 2020-2022 workplans for Community Development Department staff: Year Staff Project 2020 Development Director Turnblad  Chestnut Street Plaza, Commercial Street Pedestrian Improvements, and Main Street Alteration Design  Bergstein Building Remodeling City Planner Wittman  2020 Preserve MN Conference  HPC Ordinance and Demolition Review Ordinance Updates  Lowell Park Pavilion Historic Structure Report  Bergstein Building Business Plan  Assess H.C. Farmer Sunken Garden  Heirloom Homes Website Update 2021 Development Director Turnblad  Chestnut Street Plaza, Commercial Street Pedestrian Improvements, and Main Street Alteration Construction  Downtown Parking Ramp Design  Bergstein Building Remodeling  Bridgeview Park Design City Planner Wittman  Design Guidelines Update  South Main Archaeological District Preservation & Interpretation Plan  Hersey Bean Wall stabilization 2022 Development Director Turnblad  Downtown Parking Ramp Construction City Planner Wittman  Lowell Park/Sam Bloomer Way Design  Teddy Bear Park Historic Structure Report  South Hill Historic District