2003-02-13 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesHISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES
February 13, 2003
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
The meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission was called to order at 3:30 p.m. in the 31 Floor Fourtner
Room of City Hall, 121 — 51 Avenue North.
PRESENT ABSENT STAFF PRESENT
Darrell Marmion, Chair Gregg Arnold, Vice Chair Star Campbell, Assistant Planner
Michael Plunkett Barbara Kindness
Stephen Waite (arrived at about 3:50 p.m.)
Chuck LeWarne
Ed Baker
2. READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The Commission briefly reviewed the minutes, but they did not approve them since a quorum was not available.
3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA
No changes were made to the proposed agenda.
4. REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
There was no one in the audience to address the Commission during this portion of the meeting.
5. PUBLIC HEARINGS
There were no public hearings scheduled on the agenda.
6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Commissioner LeWarne recalled that Natalie Shippen had requested that the Commission write a letter in support of her idea
to use bricks from the old high school for a memorial. At the last meeting the Commission briefly discussed this request and
whether or not it was appropriate for the Commission to write a letter. Because the Commission's charge includes "fostering
awareness," he felt it would be appropriate for the Commission to accommodate Ms. Shippen's request.
Ms. Campbell said that Mr. Chave has agreed that it would be appropriate for the Commission to approach the developer of
the public facility district through a letter asking that they consider Ms. Shippen's request.
Chair Marmion advised that he would provide a copy of Ms. Shippen's letter to the Administrative Subcommittee so that
they could draft a response letter for the Commission's review at the next meeting.
7. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
a. Administrative Subcommittee Reuort
Council Member Plunkett recalled that the Commission has discussed the issue of grant funding on a number of occasions.
He suggested that the first and most important grant they should pursue is the one from the State to help with the inventory
process. He noted that there is a meeting related to this grant opportunity in Olympia on March 13. The Commission agreed
that Commissioner Kindness would attend the meeting on behalf of the Commission. If she is unable to attend, Council
Member Plunkett indicated that he could do so.
Council Member Plunkett said he recently became acquainted with Senator Honeyford, who is the chair of the Heritage
Caucus of legislators interested in heritage, and they meet on a regular basis. He suggested that the Administrative
Subcommittee send Senator Honeyford a letter opening communications between the Edmonds Historic Preservation
Commission and the Heritage Caucus. The Commission agreed.
Council Member Plunkett said he just received the web site and e-mail address for The Preservation Alliance. He would
communicate with this national group, as well. The Snohomish County Historic Commission is going to become part of the
Alliance soon. He said he would report back to the Commission regarding what this group has to offer.
Commissioner LeWarne referred to the letter from the Snohomish County Historic Preservation Commission, which is also
going through the process of obtaining CLG status. In the letter reference was made to a number of different groups and
individuals. He suggested that it would be helpful for the Commissioners to understand how these groups relate to each
other. He said he is relatively familiar with the groups and individuals, and he would be glad to present this information at
the April meeting. The Commission agreed this would be helpful, and Chair Marmion encouraged Commissioner LeWarne
to prepare a written description for the Commission, as well. The Commissioners were asked to direct any questions they
have regarding the issue to Commissioner LeWarne prior to the April meeting.
Commissioner LeWarne inquired if the Commission would be interested in holding a meeting with the Edmonds South
Snohomish County Historical Society and allow the director of the Society to describe some of their activities and goals.
Because they have museum hours, they would prefer that the meeting start after 4:00 p.m. after the museum closes. The
Commission agreed that they would hold the April meeting at the Museum at 4:00 p.m.
Council Member Plunkett advised that the Administrative Subcommittee discussed the idea of partnering with the Snohomish
County Historic Commission. In talking with Ms. Lundgren about this partnership possibility, she indicated that the
advantage for smaller cities that partner with larger groups is that the larger groups already have staff on board to work
specifically on historic preservation issues. He commented that right now, the City staff can provide everything the
Commission needs, and there is a lot of historic preservation experience available amongst the Commissioners. This type of
partnership might be something that is considered down the road.
Council Member Plunkett emphasized the importance of having a Commission Representative at the State meeting on March
13 regarding the grant opportunity. They must get the grant application together quickly since the deadline is April 18. Ms.
Campbell suggested that the March 13 meeting should include a specific agenda item to make Commission assignments for
documents needed for the grant application. She noted that staff involvement with the grant application would be very
minimal, and this means that the Commissioners will have to complete the tasks themselves.
Council Member Plunkett said he would come to the March 13 meeting with a clear understanding of what the Commission
needs to do for the grant application. Once Commissioner Kindness provides the information she receives from the State
meeting, the Administrative Subcommittee, in conjunction with the Commission, can review the necessary tasks.
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Ms. Campbell referred the Commissioners to the information the staff received from Megan Duvall regarding the grant
application. She said she forwarded the document to each of them via the e-mail. Ms. Duvall made reference to the grant
manual that comes out every year. The first 25 pages of this document provides a step-by-step process for making a grant
application. The Commission has a hard copy of last year's manual that can be used to guide the Commission through the
grant writing process, since the new manual will not be available until the end of February. Council Member Plunkett asked
that staff provide a copy of the first 25 pages of this document for each of the Administrative Subcommittee members. He
asked that the staff also provide as much direction as possible.
Chair Marmion inquired regarding the status of the CLG application. Ms. Campbell reported that the Mayor signed the
certification agreement and forwarded it to the State. Ms. Duvall has indicated that, with the receipt of the certification, the
application would be forwarded to the National Parks Services. However, she has not heard anything further.
Ms. Campbell advised that when she e-mails draft minutes, agendas and handouts to the Commission they should print them
and keep copies of each of the items in their notebooks. Because there is no specific money budgeted for the Commission
she will e-mail the agendas and draft minutes rather than printing and mailing out packets. Ms. Campbell said that in the first
four to six months of the Commission's existence, she was not as good as she could have been in being organized. Now that
she has a good system down for keeping the packets from meetings together, this should improve.
b. Communications Subcommittee Report
Chair Marmion advised that Commissioner Kindness reported to him that she is still working to arrange a meeting with the
editor of THE ENTERPRISE to figure out how to get a series of articles published in the newspaper. She will continue to
work on this project.
C. Historic Register Subcommittee Reuort
Chair Marmion said that in conjunction with the Commission's plans to seek grant funding from the State, he requested a list
from Megan Duvall of firms that do inventories. He contacted some of the firms, and found Historical Research Associates
very eager to help and provide guidance as to the threshold the Commission should consider for structures of historic
significance. Historic Research Associates indicated that it would cost between $20 to $40 per inventory form for them to do
the research and provide the proper documentation, so it would be beneficial for the Commission to narrow down the list of
historic structures before they start the actual inventory. However, he suggested that it would be difficult to have this work
done before the grant application deadline.
Commissioner LeWarne suggested that the Commission could establish their register fairly soon using just the eight or nine
properties that are on the State and National Registers. This could become the nucleus of the local register. He suggested
that they hold some type of reception at which the Mayor could take part. Someone from the State Office could be invited, as
well. This could provide publicity opportunities, and once the public becomes more aware, others may seek to have their
sites added to the register.
Council Member Plunkett agreed that Commissioner LeWarne's recommendation is a good idea, and he suggested that the
Historic Subcommittee take responsibility for this task. The remainder of the Commission agreed, and Chair Marmion
indicated that the subcommittee would report back at the next meeting.
Commissioner Waite suggested that there is an opportunity for publicity associated with identifying structures on the local
register that are already on the State or National registers. Once this is done, there will likely be more applications because
people will have something to identify with.
d. Incentives Subcommittee Report
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Commissioner Waite reported that he met with Duane Bowman, City of Edmonds Director of Development Services,
recently. The purpose of the meeting was to identify any incentives that could be pursued by working with the City staff.
Because many of the historic buildings are private structures, a public benefit can be derived by offering incentives for
historic preservation. Mr. Bowman agreed that perhaps the permit fees could be reduced for property owners who indicate
an interest in being on the historic register. When asked about the possibility of expediting permits for historic structure, Mr.
Bowman answered that this would require an internal policy decision.
Commissioner Waite advised that he and Mr. Bowman discussed other items that would entail amendments to the Edmonds
Community Development Code to provide language related to historic structures. He cautioned that it will take a great deal
of time for the Commission to review the entire Code and propose amendments. However, Mr. Bowman agreed that the City
would be willing to work with the Commission in this effort.
Commissioner Waite said he suggested that another type of incentive could be a reduction in property taxes, and Mr.
Bowman agreed. Council Member Plunkett said he would research to find out if it is possible to offer a reduction in property
taxes to individuals who designate their property on the historic register.
Commissioner Waite said another option is to approach the public to find out what types of incentives would compel them to
restore or preserve their buildings. They might be able to get a lot of ideas from the public, particularly those in the
downtown area.
Council Member Plunkett advised that on January 27th, the Lynnwood City Council heard a presentation regarding
preservation ordinances that was presented by their Historic Preservation Commission. Lynnwood amendments deal with
reducing requirements for building setback, parking, landscaping, and lot coverage of a building if a building is identified on
the historic register. He suggested that Commissioner Waite obtain a copy of the minutes from that meeting.
Council Member Plunkett suggested that the Incentives Subcommittee come before the Commission at the March 13 meeting
with a few recommended code changes for them to consider. Perhaps it would be better to take on a few at a time rather than
trying to make all the changes at once. If the Commission agrees with the recommended code changes, they can forward
them to the Community Services Committee of the City Council for consideration. If the Community Services Committee
indicates that they would like to consider the amendments further, they will be forwarded to the Planning Board for review
and a public hearing. The Planning Board would be charged with making a recommendation of support or denial to the City
Council. Ms. Campbell said that to make an actual application for a code amendment, the Commission would have to submit
a form that is available in the Planning and Development Services Office.
Commissioner Waite inquired how long it takes for an amendment to the code to go through the process. Ms. Campbell
answered that it will take between six to eight months to get through the process. Commissioner Waite requested that the
Commission provide more direction as to the types of incentives that will be effective to encourage historic preservation.
Ms. Campbell suggested that Commissioner Waite contact Steve Bullock, Edmonds Senior Planner, regarding ideas he has
collected in speaking with people at the counter regarding non -conforming structures and historic preservation.
Ms. Campbell said she spoke with a planner who is the historic preservation contact for the City of Lynnwood Preservation
Commission. This individual is working with his commission to put through some code amendments that involve the
relaxation of zoning codes for historic preservation. Council Member Plunkett advised that this topic was discussed by the
Lynnwood City Council on January 271. Again, he encouraged the Incentives Subcommittee to obtain a copy of the minutes
from the meeting.
Council Member Plunkett referred to Page 3 of the document from the City Attorney to the City Council. The second
paragraph states "a second area where attention is required is review of your non -conforming use and variance provisions.
As we have discussed in the past, these provisions were enacted in 1980 and represent a particular policy perspective that
non -conforming use provisions are designed to phase out non -conforming uses." The City Attorney further states that the
non -conforming use and variance provisions are not conducive to the preservation of historic structures.
Council Member Plunkett summarized that the City Attorney believes that taking care of the non -conforming provision in the
code would have a huge impact on the community as far as historical preservation. Perhaps the Incentive Subcommittee
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should start by tackling this provisions first to determine what changes can be made to affect historical preservation right
now.
Chair Marmion clarified that Council Member Plunkett appears to be suggesting that rather than reviewing the code and
making all the changes they want related to historic preservation at one time, they should start by making application to
amend a piece of the code at the time. Council Member Plunkett said it might be easier to take care of a few easy and
obvious code amendments first. He recommended that the Incentives Subcommittee provide a review of what they think the
Commission should tackle first. The remainder of the Commission concurred.
e. Communications Subcommittee Report Continued
Councilmember Plunkett recalled that there has been significant discussion amongst the Commission regarding how they
want to present themselves to the community (i.e. videotape, brochure, etc.) He recalled that the Communications
Subcommittee was charged with coming back with a plan for increasing community awareness of the Historic Preservation
Commission. While there have been some good press releases published in the local newspapers, they still need to have
some type of written brochure or document to distribute to the public. He questioned if the Committee has come up with a
way to accomplish this goal, yet.
Chair Marmion recalled that at the last meeting the Commission agreed that a Master Plan for communications is necessary
in order for the Commission to focus their efforts. However, he did not remember that the Communications Subcommittee
was directed to specifically work on the plan. He thought this was going to be done by the full Commission.
8. NEW BUSINESS
a. Appointment of Commission Representative to Attend Grant WritinE Meeting in March
Chair Marmion reminded the Commission that they appointed Commissioner Kindness to attend the meeting on behalf of the
Commission, and she has indicated her acceptance of the assignment. If for some reason she is unable to attend, Council
Member Plunkett would go in her place.
b. Plan for Council Report Out
Chair Marmion recalled that the Commission has discussed previously the need to plan for a City Council Report Out. He
suggested that the Commission has progressed to the point that it would be worth providing an update to the Council.
Council Member Plunkett recalled that this report was going to be done in conjunction with the report on the CLG status,
which is pending. Chair Marmion agreed, and said that because the Commission could be notified any day that they have
received CLG Status, it might be a good idea to have a plan as to what they want to report to the Council rather than having
to wait for another month.
Chair Marmion said his vision of the report out is a five to ten-minute presentation before the City Council to update them on
the projects the Commission is working on. Commissioner LeWarne inquired if the ordinance requires the Commission to
make presentations to the City Council on a regular basis. Chair Marmion said no time frame was established for the reports.
Council Member Plunkett said the first thing they should do in the presentation is announce that they have obtained CLG
status. Then each subcommittee could provide a brief report on their activities. The Commission agreed that at the next
meeting, each subcommittee would provide an overview of what they plan to present to the City Council. Once CLG Status
is obtained, they can provide the report to the City Council.
9. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
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COMMISSIONER LEWARNE MOVED THAT THE MINUTES OF JANUARY 9, 2003 BE APPROVED AS
CORRECTED. COMMISSIONER WAITE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
10. REVIEW OF NEXT MEETING AGENDA
The Commission agreed that the next meeting agenda would include a City Council presentation review. Council Member
Plunkett said he would also provide additional information regarding the grant application process.
Because Commissioner Kindness would be attending the State grant meeting on the same day as the next Commission
meeting, the Commission discussed the option of changing the meeting to March 20, 2003.
COMMISSIONER LEWARNE MOVED THAT THE COMMISSION BY-LAWS BE SUSPENDED TO ENABLE THEM
TO MEET ON MARCH 20, 2003 AT 4:00 P.M. AT THE MUSEUM RATHER THAN THE REGULAR MEETING DATE
OF MARCH 13, 2003. COMMISSIONER WAITE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED
UNANIMOUSLY.
11. HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS
Chair Marmion provided no additional comments during this portion of the agenda.
12. HISTORIC PRESERVATION MEMBER COMMENTS
Commissioner LeWarne advised that in this week's copy of THE ARLINGTON TIMES there was an article about the
Snohomish County Historic Preservation Commission holding a workshop on design review at its regular meeting on
February 18. He found this article interesting.
13. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to address, the Commission adjourned the meeting at 4:20 p.m.
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