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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. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes February 13, 2003 Page 2 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 Historic Preservation Commission Minutes February 13, 2003 Page 3 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 Historic Preservation Commission Minutes February 13, 2003 Page 4 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 Historic Preservation Commission Minutes February 13, 2003 Page 5 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. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes February 13, 2003 Page 6