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2003-03-20 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesHISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES March 20, 2003 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission was called to order at 3:37 p.m. at the Edmonds Museum. PRESENT ABSENT STAFF PRESENT Darrell Marmion, Chair Greg Arnold Star Campbell, Assistant Planner Stephen Waite Rob Chave, Planning Division Manager Chuck LeWarne Ed Baker Michael Plunkett Barbara Kindness Commissioner Arnold was excused from the meeting. Commissioner LeWarne explained that as per the legislation approved by the City Council to establish the Edmonds Historic Commission, the Commission would always have a member who is a representative of the Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society. At this time, he is fulfilling the role. He said he feels it is appropriate for the Commission to meet at the Museum, which is operated by the Historical Society, upon occasion to discuss possibilities for partnering. He provided each of the Commissioners with a pamphlet created by the Historical Society to provide information about the Museum. It also includes a membership application. He said the Historical Society has a large number of activities in addition to the Museum, and Council Member Plunkett, Chair Marmion and he have all served as board members previously. Commissioner LeWarne introduced Jack Hall, the President of the Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society and Mike Wilcox, the Vice President of the Society. He said that Joni Stein, the Museum Director, was unable to attend the meeting. 2. READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES COMMISSIONER WAITE MOVED TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 13, 2003 AS AMENDED. COMMISSIONER KINDNESS SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA Chair Marmion noted that he previously notified the Commissioners of the necessity to change the standing agenda format. Previously, the agenda included a "Public Hearings" item. However, the types of hearings the Commission will hold are specific to designation reviews and design reviews. Instead of using a generic term for "Public Hearings" they will use the terms "Designation Review" and "Design Review" on the standard agenda. COMMISSIONER KINDNESS MOVED THAT THE COMMISSION ACCEPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. COMMISSIONER WAITE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 4. REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE A member of the audience thanked the Commission for the opportunity to attend the meeting. He said he read an article about the Historic Preservation Commission in THE EDMONDS BEACON, and he decided to find out more about it. 5. DESIGNATION REVIEWS There were no designation reviews scheduled on the agenda. 6. DESIGN REVIEWS There were no design reviews scheduled on the agenda. 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business scheduled on the agenda. 8. NEW BUSINESS a. Administrative Subcommittee Reuort Council Member Plunkett reported that the Administrative Subcommittee has started to look into grant opportunities. He contacted Dave Andersen with the State Office of Community Development Growth Management Program. While he was only seeking further information, he was informed that this organization had funding for a grant titled "Emerging Issues." With the help of Commissioner LeWarne, Ms. Campbell and Mr. Chave, they actually made a request for this grant three days later, and it was received by the State Office within five working days. He referred to the actual grant request that was submitted for $10,000 to begin preliminary work on the inventory. Council Member Plunkett said that about three days after the grant application was received by the State, Mr. Chave was contacted and informed that they had already run out of funding for the grant. However, Mr. Anderson indicated that he might be able to assist the Commission in their application for a Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant. Council Member Plunkett referred the Commission to the letter he sent to Senator Honeyford introducing the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission. The letter also expresses the Commission's desire to be involved with the Legislative Heritage Caucus. Council Member Plunkett advised that both he and Commissioner LeWarne have reviewed the actual CLG Grant Application over the last month, and he doesn't find it daunting at all. He said the Commission has about a month to finalize the narrative and fill in the blanks so that the application can be forwarded to the State by the April 15 deadline. Ms. Campbell noted that Mr. Chave has been working on the grant application, and the Administrative Subcommittee should coordinate their efforts with him. Ms. Campbell announced that the City of Edmonds was notified that they did receive Certified Local Government Status from the Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Council Member Plunkett suggested that the Commission should send a letter to Mayor Haakensen or Mr. Chave, encouraging them to display the CLG Status Certificate in the second floor planning area. The remainder of the Commission agreed, and Ms. Campbell said she would make this request. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 2 Commissioner LeWarne advised that the Administrative Subcommittee also drafted a letter to the Public Facilities District offering their support of Natalie Shippen's idea that some of the bricks from the old high school be incorporated into a monument that would recognize the structure's years as a high school. Chair Marmion added that the letter compliments the Public Facilities District for their effort and expresses the Commission's regret that they have to lose the other building. He said a copy of the letter would be provided to the Commissioners at the next meeting. Chair Marmion referred the Commission to the logo that was designed by the staff to be used on the Commission's letterhead. He asked that the Commissioners provide their comments regarding the proposed design. Commissioner Waite suggested that another font with more character would be better. Chair Marmion suggested that the image used on the letterhead should represent an actual historic structure in Edmonds rather than just a clip art image. Commissioner Kindness said that she has designed letterhead previously, and she would be happy to work further on the design. The Commission agreed, and stated that they would continue to use the City's standard letterhead until a new design is available. b. Communications Subcommittee Report Commissioner Kindness said that three articles related to the Commission were published in the newspaper in the same week. She provided copies of the article that was published in THE EDMONDS BEACON. There was also an article related to the Commission in THE SEATTLE TIMES. In addition, THE ENTERPRISE also published an article about the Commission, and she has asked that this become a monthly column. She noted that one of the articles announced the Commission meeting times, and she cautioned that if changes to the meeting dates and times are made, they need to let the newspapers know of this change. Commissioner Kindness reminded the Commission that they previously discussed the possibility of obtaining grant funding for educational materials and brochures. However, they did not discuss the development of school curriculum and walking tours, and these could provide excellent opportunities for the Commission to educate the public. Chair Marmion advised that the Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society has established a program for walking tours, and they have published informational brochures, as well. Commissioner Kindness said the Communications Subcommittee is working to establish a plan to implement some of the educational programs mentioned above so that they can begin to seek funding opportunities. Commissioner LeWarne said that he was contacted by a reporter from THE SEATTLE TIMES prior to the article that was published in the newspaper. He said he was a little concerned about talking to the reporter because she appeared to be leading him down a controversial path. He questioned whether it would be more appropriate to funnel all publicity through the Communications Subcommittee or the Chair of the Commission. Commissioner Waite agreed with Commissioner LeWarne's suggestion. Commissioner Kindness agreed with the concept and suggested that the appropriate person to handle publicity situations is the Commission Chair. Chair Marmion said he understands the concern but said he is hesitant to say that Commissioners cannot speak on behalf of the Commission. He suggested that if a Commissioner feels uncomfortable with a situation, they could refer the issue to the Commission Chair or the Communication Subcommittee. Ms. Campbell said it would also be appropriate for the Commissioners to direct interviews to the staff. The Commission agreed that since Commissioner Kindness is the person who provides information for publication in the newspapers, she should be the official spokesperson. Ms. Campbell suggested that each of the Commissioners could provide their own personal comments regarding any issue, but they should preface their statements by indicating that they are not speaking on behalf of the entire Commission. C. Historic Subcommittee Report Commissioner Baker reported that he and Chair Marmion met to review some previously submitted nomination forms. Chair Marmion added that at the last meeting, the Commission briefly discussed that the next step, after obtaining CLG Status, is to start working to get properties on their register. It was suggested that they should start with the properties that are already identified on the State or National Registers as test cases. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 3 Chair Marmion reported that during the last month he reviewed the Commission Bylaws to gain a clear understanding of the adopted rules of procedure regarding what is required to place a property on the register and the procedure for making changes to properties that are already on the register. He said the first thing they needed to do was create a nomination form, and Ms. Duvall from the State Office referred him to samples from various jurisdictions. The Historic Subcommittee reviewed the different sample formats and ended up modifying the Tacoma format to make it specific to the City of Edmonds as well as provide the necessary data for the State Inventory Forms. Chair Marmion briefly reviewed the six -page essay format that appears to be fairly easy to fill out. It requests information about the property, suggests some preliminary ideas on how to classify it, and then provides a narrative section for the property owner to indicate which of the criteria for historic properties are applicable to the property and why. The form will also serve as the final document that goes before the Council for review and approval. Chair Marmion said that once an application format was identified, he reviewed the rest of the bylaws to create a roadmap to identify the responsibilities of the applicant, the staff, the Commission and the City Council. He referred the Commissioners to the proposed flowchart that was prepared by the subcommittee to identify the application process. Boxes were provided so that items could be checked off as they are provided or completed. The format includes a space for the applicant to provide information, a space for comments about whether or not the Commission is recommending approval or denial, and a space for the Council's final decision. Council Member Plunkett suggested that the application form include the City's logo. Ms. Campbell said the Commission has been using the City's letterhead, but if they want to use the logo, they should add the words "Historical Preservation Commission." The Commission discussed that any new letterhead they create for the Commission should tie in with the logo used by the City. Chair Marmion said that he had originally thought the Commission had to approve the properties on their register, but that is not the case. They make a recommendation to the City Council, and the City Council makes the final decision. They will need to work out the logistics with the City Council. Council Member Plunkett said the Commission could submit their recommendation to the Council President, and he would determine whether to place the item on the Council's consent agenda or regular agenda. He cautioned that it is not likely that the first Commission recommendations would be placed on the consent agenda. Ms. Campbell clarified that the public hearing would be held as part of the Commission's review. Chair Marmion agreed that the bylaws do not require a public hearing at the City Council level. Commissioner LeWarne said he feels the proposed application is close enough to the application for the Washington Heritage Register and the National Register for Historic Places that the property owner would be able to easily transfer the information. Chair Marmion said his hope is that the application process can be identified this month so that they can begin to consider applications for the register. He noted that the bylaws require a minimum of one month from the time the application is submitted to the time it is presented to the Commission for consideration. He asked that the Commissioners provide their comments about the proposed process and draft application format. Council Member Plunkett suggested that Chair Marmion should also forward a copy of the draft documents to the City Council for review Ms. Campbell said that she has comments she would like to have incorporated into the draft documents, as well. Chair Marmion suggested that the first property nominated for the Edmonds Historic Register should be the Museum property. It is already owned by the City and is one of the more prominent historical properties in the City. He said he does not believe this would be a controversial issue. Chair Marmion asked that the Commissioners and staff review the draft documents during the next month and provide their comments to him as soon as possible so that the application document and flowchart can be finalized so that the next month can be spent reviewing an actual application. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 4 Ms. Campbell said that the requirement of submitting an application one month prior to a meeting is not going to be sufficient because of public notice requirements. The timeline will probably be more like two to three months from the time the application is submitted before the hearing actually takes place. Chair Marmion inquired when notification to adjoining property owners is required. Ms. Campbell said that before notification can be sent out, staff needs to have an opportunity to review the application to make sure all of the necessary information has been provided. The application should not be scheduled on the agenda until after the staff has had the opportunity to review it. d. Incentives Subcommittee Report Commissioner Waite said he recently received a memorandum from the City Attorney, a copy of which was provided in the Commission's packet. The memo is related specifically to the issue of non -conforming buildings. The majority of the Edmonds Community Development Code was written in 1980. Buildings that did not meet the new code requirements but were in existence prior to the adoption of the code were considered non -conforming uses. Specific limitations were placed upon these structures. The City Attorney has noted, and Commissioner Waite said he concurs, that the Community Development Code really encourages replacement of the non -conforming buildings. The City Attorney has suggested that phasing out the non -conforming buildings is detrimental to the owner's economic use, amongst other things. He may be suggesting that while the City cannot deny someone full economic use of their property, the current non -conforming code prohibits changes and alterations to the structure. Commissioner Waite advised that there is also another section in the code that would prohibit the restoration of non- conforming structures destroyed by situations that are considered to be "acts of God." In the memorandum, the City Attorney said that while there are many structures in the City that are not truly historic, they represent a type of building which helps create a neighborhood feel and ambience in the City or which in time could become historic. The City Attorney has suggested that allowing limited remodeling could potentially preserve these neighborhoods. Commissioner Waite said he finds it very encouraging that the City Attorney is bringing these issues up because many of the buildings the Commission might consider for historic preservation would be impacted. There are many examples of non- conforming buildings that are unique to the City. Through ongoing normal maintenance, the buildings could remain. While he is not sure of what the conclusion is, the City Attorney is encouraging the Commission to review the non -conforming section of the Edmonds Community Development Code, which does make reference to historic buildings. The City Attorney is also suggesting that the Commission review other sections of the Code. Commissioner Waite said he agrees with everything the City Attorney has suggested in his memorandum. He suggested that the Commission should review the non -conforming section of the Edmonds Community Development Code. Ms. Campbell said the City is in a position where they would like to make changes to the non -conforming section of the code, but it is not one of their most pressing issues right now. However, the Commission could identify specific issues in the non -conforming chapter that concern them and write a letter to the Planning Board asking them to make their issues a priority. They could schedule a time on the Planning Board's agenda for the Commission to discuss their concerns with them. Commissioner Waite said that since a review of the non -conforming chapter of the Code is not a City priority at this time, the second avenue would be for the Commission to pursue the issue, themselves. Ms. Campbell agreed, but noted that the Planning Board would schedule the issue on their future agenda based on their prioritization of topics before them. Council Member Plunkett suggested that Commissioner Waite write a letter to the Planning Board Chair asking that this issue be placed on the agenda of the Planning Board's upcoming retreat. This letter could recognize the Commission's concerns and desires regarding the non -conforming use section of the Code, and ask that the issue be scheduled on a future agenda for Planning Board discussion. He said it is important that the Commission impress upon the Planning Board the importance of reviewing this issue. 9. NEW BUSINESS Historic Preservation Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 5 a. Report Out on State Grant MeetinL, THERE IS SOMETHING MISSING HERE BECAUSE ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THEY MIGHT RECEIVE FROM A GRANT AND WHETHER OR NOT THE CITY WOULD BE JWLE TO PROVIDE ANY MATCHING FUNDS. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT GRANT THEY ARE TALKING AAJ�& Ms. Campbell said that Mr. Chave was thinking the grant request should be for an amount between $20,000 to $25,000. Mr. Chave has indicated that there is $160,000 available for the grant, and they have never given more than a third to any one organization. The maximum amount they have ever given was $53,300. Chair Marmion suggested that perhaps because the City is a new Certified Local Government, there might be some desire for the State to help. Commissioner LeWarne answered that may or may not be the case. He said there is sometimes a tendency to support jurisdictions that already have their programs going rather than a new CLG that is just trying to get started. On the other hand, they may be interested in helping the new CLG's get started. It all depends upon who is reviewing the applications. Chair Marmion pointed out that the City cannot begin the process of nominating historic structures until they have completed an inventory. The inventory is meant to be a collection of what is possible. A structure does not have to be on the inventory before being nominated to the register. b. Overview of Organization Structure Chair Marmion invited Commissioner LeWarne to provide a brief overview of how the different organizations around the County and State relate to each other. Commissioner LeWarne said that he is familiar with most of the groups and felt it would be helpful to provide a brief overview of each to the Commission. He said he divided the organizations into local, county, state and national groups. He noted that governmental agencies are identified in regular font and the other agencies are in italics. Commissioner LeWarne said the local organizations on the list are the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission and the Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society, which is a private group. At the County level, the Snohomish County Planning Department has a representative to handle issues related to heritage and historical preservation. A new Historic Preservation Committee for the County was established at about the same time as the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission. They meet one time each month. At the County level there is also a non -governmental agency called the Snohomish County Council of Heritage Organization. This is an umbrella group that the Edmonds South Snohomish County Historical Society and other organizations within the County belong to. This group meets monthly and their efforts are to coordinate the work of the different groups. Commissioner LeWarne said the Historic Preservation Officer for the King County Planning Department is Julie Kohler. Ms Cohler has indicated that she would like to come to a future Commission meeting to help them get things started. She is one of the truly knowledgeable people in the County and the State about issues related to historic preservation. Their umbrella organization is the Association of King County Historical Organizations, and most of the organizations in King County belong to this group. Commissioner LeWarne said that at the State level is the Office of Archaeology and Historical Preservation. The advisory council for this group includes nine citizens, and their role is to review applications for the State and National Registers. The Heritage Caucus is another State organization that meets once a week. This group consists of legislators and persons interested in historical and heritage organizations. Two other organizations include the Washington Preservation Counciland the Washington State Historical Society. Commissioner LeWarne said that at the National level, there is an official keeper of the register. In addition, there is the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 6 10. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS Ms. Campbell said that because the Commission is a new organization, getting to an organized level has been a trial for staff. She has been working with the Planning Secretary to keep folders on the various items related to the Historic Preservation Commission activities. All emails she receives are forwarded to the Planning Secretary for inclusion in the folders. There are also notebooks for the agendas and minutes to be filed in. Staff has also started to put together actual packets for the Commissioners, which will be forwarded to the Commissioners about a week before their next meeting. When items are added at the last minute, it is difficult to provide good packets to the Commission. While some situations are unavoidable, she would like to try and send out information related to the agenda items a week ahead of time. If Commissioners want to place something on the next agenda, they should forward this to the chair at least a week and a half before the next meeting. Ms. Campbell said that she receives a lot of emails from the Commissioners, and it is a good way to communicate. She asked that on future emails, the Commissioners should be careful to identify the topic of the email in the subject line. Any letters that are sent out by the Commissioners should be copied and forwarded to staff so that they can become part of the official Historic Preservation Commission record. 11. REVIEW OF NEXT MEETING PROPOSED AGENDA The Commission did not discuss the next meeting agenda. 12. HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Marmion said it is important to understand the relationship between the government and non -government related historic preservation organizations. They can use each other to help promote historic preservation. 13. HISTORIC PRESERVATION MEMBER COMMENTS Commissioner Kindness asked if the Commissioners would be open to her providing a brief profile of each of the Commissioners in upcoming newspaper articles. This profile could provide a description of the background and interests of each of the Commissioners. The Commissioners agreed this would be acceptable and suggested that the profile come from the information each Commissioner provided in his/her application. Commissioner Kindness said she is interested in receiving ideas from Commissioners regarding topics for future press releases. 14. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business on the agenda, the Commission adjourned at 5:20 p.m. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 7