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2003-12-11 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesHISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES December 11.) 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 3rd Floor Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5t1i Avenue North. PRESENT ABSENT Gregg Arnold, Vice Chair Darrell Marmion Stephen Waite Ed Baker Barbara Kindness Michael Plunkett Chuck LeWarne 2. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA No changes were made to the proposed agenda. 3. READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES STAFF PRESENT Star Campbell, Planner Rob Chave, Planning Division Manager The Commission discussed whether or not the minutes should list the members of the public who are present at each meeting. COMMISSIONER WAITE MOVED THAT THE MINUTES NOTE THE NUMBER OF GUESTS. IF GUESTS SPEAK, THEY SHOULD GIVE THEIR NAME AND ADDRESS SIMILAR TO THE CITY COUNCIL. COMMISSIONER KINDNESS SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. COMMISSIONER LEWARNE MOVED TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 13, 2003 AS CORRECTED. COMMISSIONER KINDNESS SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 4. REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE There was one guest present in the audience. Jessica Holiday said she is interested in the changes that are happening in Edmonds, and that is why she is in attendance at the meeting. Commissioner Arnold thanked Ms. Holiday for coming to the meeting. He said the Commission is very interested in getting the community involved in historic preservation. 5. DESIGNATION REVIEWS There were no designation reviews scheduled on the agenda. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business scheduled on the agenda. 7. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS a. Administrative Subcommittee Report Commissioner LeWarne said that as a member of the Administrative Subcommittee he was given the assignment of listing some of the resources that the inventory consultant would need to complete the inventory. He provided a couple of copies of the list he prepared for the Commission's review. He noted that the lists are not ready to be printed yet, but they identify articles and books that are available, as well as individuals who would be good sources, general libraries and research facilities. Vice Chair Arnold inquired if the Administrative Committee would be contracting with the consultant who will be doing the inventory. Commissioner LeWarne said he would assume the Commission, as a whole, would decide on the selection of the consultant after interviews have occurred. Vice Chair Arnold inquired if anyone on the Commission has done any work to identify possible consultants. Ms. Campbell answered that staff is in the process of finding a consultant as per the grant requirements. Commissioner LeWarne inquired if there would be an interview process for the consultant. Ms. Campbell said she would seek input from Mr. Chave regarding this question and provide an answer at the next meeting. Vice Chair Arnold suggested that this issue be scheduled on the January 8' meeting so that the Commission could become involved and do their part. The remainder of the Commission agreed that this should be scheduled as part of the Administrative Subcommittee Report. Vice Chair Arnold suggested that the list that Commissioner LeWarne prepared should be emailed to all of the Commissioners. Commissioner LeWarne agreed to email the list to the Commissioners so that they can provide any additional ideas they might have. Ms. Campbell advised that she made copies for each Commissioner of a document that was addressed to Commissioner LeWarne from Linda Carl, Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, regarding the administration of the grant. This document identifies the organizations that would be receiving funds from this group in 2004. Council Member Plunkett referred to the document from the Lodging Advisory Committee regarding the distribution of funds for 2004. He said he assumes that the Commission would like to keep on their agenda an application for grant funding in 2005. The Commission needs to work to get some of this funding in the future. He suggested that perhaps sometime during the coming year, they could invite the Councilmember who will be sitting on the committee in 2004 to attend a Commission Meeting. Chair Arnold noted that $31,000 was identified for the Chamber of Commerce. However, he explained that the Chamber of Commerce will be acting as the Committee's agency for tourism, marketing, etc. and the money will be used for that purpose. In addition, $14,000 is committed under a City resolution. There is only $11,000 remaining to support groups such as the Historic Preservation Commission. Commissioner Kindness recalled that in the initial notebook each of the Commissioners received, there were some other grant opportunities identified. She suggested that perhaps individual Commissioner should forward any ideas they might have on other avenues for grant funding to the Administrative Subcommittee. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes December 11, 2003 Page 2 b. Communications Subcommittee Report Commissioner Kindness recalled that the Commission previously discussed the idea of having a public forum at some point. She said she would like to schedule at least two public forums on the 2004 calendar so that the Communications Subcommittee could promote the events well in advance. Now that there has been more information regarding historic preservation in the newspaper and they have actually held a Designation Review, the public is more aware of the Commission's efforts. A forum would provide an opportunity for the public to obtain more information. She suggested that perhaps by the end of the first quarter of 2004, the Commission should hold some type of open house or question and answer meeting. Perhaps the first forum could be scheduled in early March. This would provide ample time to get literature and publicity out to the public. It would also allow the Commission to place the event on the Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce calendars. Council Member Plunkett recalled that Commissioner Kindness also mentioned opportunities for the Commission to go to the various service groups in the community. Commissioner Kindness said it is her intent to invite the Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce to encourage attendance at the public forum. Commissioner LeWarne suggested that the Commission consider the option of holding some type of a public celebration at the time that the first site is placed on the register of historic places, thus inaugurating the register. He noted that the City held a massive celebration for the opening of the walkway along the waterfront. While he does not believe the Commission's event would attract that much attention, at least some public notoriety could be achieved. He suggested that another option would be to wait until there are several sites on the register. Council Member Plunkett agreed that a celebration/forum should be held. They could celebrate by giving official recognition to a couple of private properties. He noted that there could be a private house and a private building coming forward in the near future. Even if the designation takes place prior to the celebration, they could tie the designation into a celebration/forum. The remainder of the Commission agreed. Vice Chair LeWarne inquired if a plaque had been placed on the library to indicate its historic significance. Commissioner LeWarne answered that there are at least two plaques on the building now. One notes that it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The other plaque is similar to the other plaques the museum has placed around the City to identify historic sites. There may be other plaques on the building, as well. Council Member Plunkett suggested that the Communications Subcommittee should outline ideas for the Commission to consider. Vice Chair Arnold agreed that this should be placed on the January 8' agenda. Commissioner Waite suggested that the Commission should consider whether or not they want to create a policy requiring an individual property owner of property on the register to purchase their own plaque of a certain standard and style. Commissioner Kindness recalled that the Commission discussed this at one of their early meetings, but no one has researched the cost of the plaques and how they could be funded. Commissioner Waite suggested that it would be beneficial to require the plaques if the City were ever to establish a walking tour. Vice Chair Arnold suggested that perhaps the Incentives Subcommittee should talk to the Rotary Club about the possibility of them fund the plaques. He said he believes it is tacky to ask a property owner to place their property on the register and then require them to purchase their own plaque. He said there are service clubs within the City that might be interested in funding the plaques. Commissioner LeWarne said that in the State of Washington, property owners of properties on the National Register purchase their own plaques. The plaques the Edmonds/South Snohomish County Historical Society place around the City are 12 x 18 inches in size and made of brass. Generally, they cost about $350, but smaller plaques could probably be purchased for about $150. Council Member Plunkett said he believes the Commission could raise money from the community to pay for the plaques rather than asking the individual property owners to purchase them. The Commission gave the Incentives Subcommittee the assignment to come back with a recommendation for a plaque design, a source for purchasing the plaques, and the cost. The Administrative Subcommittee agreed to take the next step to come up with money to pay for the plaques. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes December 11, 2003 Page 3 Vice Chair Arnold shared a sample draft brochure for the Commission's review. He recalled that the Commission discussed the need to provide some type of a walking brochure. But they also agreed that they needed some simple brochure that could be distributed to the public for general information. This brochure could be done on a copy machine or laser printer using regular paper, and could be produced within the City office. Vice Chair Arnold said he would like the Commissioners to provide feedback on the draft brochure, identifying things that need to be changed or added. He asked that this feedback be provided to him before the next meeting so that an updated draft could be provided to the Commission for review at their next meeting. He also suggested that the Commission could discuss their ideas regarding the draft now, as well. Vice Chair Arnold said that once the Commission decides to go forward with the brochure, he would like to have a professional designer do the cover. After the cover, the brochure would explain why historic preservation is important and why the community should be concerned. The center of the brochure would provide a call to action for property owners and citizens, as well as background regarding the Historic Preservation Commission. Pictures would be strategically placed throughout the brochure to tell the story of what happens when there is no historic preservation. Commissioner Kindness suggested that an address for each of the pictures should be provided in the brochure so that people could drive by the site and see the development that replaced the historic structure. Commissioner Waite suggested that the pictures should include a fairly recent situation, such as the Christian Science Church or other structures that used to be located on Dayton Street. Vice Chair Arnold agreed that a more recent photograph could be included in the brochure, but he asked that someone on the Commission make a commitment to provide the photograph to him so that the project could move forward. Ms. Campbell said she would send an email to Vice Chair Arnold with numerous photographs that could be used in the brochure. Commissioner LeWarne said he feels it is important to include at least one photograph of a historic structure that has been saved. While the Museum would be an obvious one, in the near future there could be other sites on the register, as well. Council Member Plunkett said that even though the photos are of great buildings, the prime target really isn't the person who looks at the buildings and wishes they were still there. The target should be the people who still own historic structures to make sure they understand the importance of historic preservation. Perhaps they should include some photographs of active structures that could be lost in the future, such as the Reliable Floor building, Chantelle's and the Theater. Pictures of historic houses would also be appropriate. He noted that City staff has raised the question of how long these property owners would be able to keep their buildings if something is not done soon. Commissioner Waite cautioned that it is important that the Commission not place undue pressure on property owners. They should obtain permission from property owners before they include pictures of their buildings in the brochure. The remainder of the Commission agreed. Vice Chair Arnold said he would review the video that was put together before the Commission was formed to identify a few historic houses in the City. He could then contact the owners to request permission to include a picture in the brochure. Commissioner LeWarne suggested that the brochure provide more specific information about how a person would go about getting their property on the register. Commissioner Kindness suggested that the brochure could summarize the process identified on the chart provided by Chair Marmion at the last meeting. Vice Chair Arnold and Council Member Plunkett suggested that perhaps it would be more effective to provide a number for a property owner to call to obtain information regarding the application process. Ms. Campbell said the City Planning Department has the applications in their office. The brochure could merely state that if a property owner is interested in applying for nomination on the City's Register of Historic Places, they should contact the City Planning Department on the Second Floor of City Hall. They could provide the phone number and office hours, as well. Vice Chair Arnold asked that Ms. Campbell email him this information for inclusion in the brochure Vice Chair Arnold said he would also like the brochure to invite property owners to contact the Commission for additional help. It is important to make the process as easy as possible. He suggested that perhaps at least some of the Commissioners could provide their email address or phone number on the Commission's website. Commissioner LeWarne said the draft brochure provides a good summary. He noted that the Commission does have a logo that should be provided on the front cover. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes December 11, 2003 Page 4 Council Member Plunkett thanked Commissioner Kindness and Vice Chair Arnold for all of their hard work on the brochure. He urged the Commission to move forward with the brochure so that it could be printed and distributed. If money is needed to produce the brochure, he felt the Commission would be able to find the necessary funding. Perhaps they could even find funding to upgrade the brochure, if appropriate. Vice Chair Arnold distributed copies of a storyboard he prepared, with the help of Council Member Plunkett, for the proposed Commission Video that would be aired on Channel 21. He asked that the Commissioners provide feedback regarding necessary changes, etc. It is important to get this project moving forward. He said the objective of the storyboard is to get the community involved. He briefly reviewed the proposed storyboard plans, and asked the Commissioners to provide their comments. Commissioner LeWarne inquired how long the proposed video would run and if there is a time limit. Council Member Plunkett said there is no specific time limit. Vice Chair Arnold said that right now, the City broadcasts their City Council meetings and provides announcements. Commissioner LeWarne said it is important that the video not only focus on the downtown business blocks since there are outlying sites that have historic significance. He noted that there are homes of historic significance near Pine Street Park. In fact, one of the oldest buildings in town is located in this area. Commissioner Waite said that in addition to the ten or so buildings that are featured on the video, the Commission might also want to consider including historical sites. This would let the community know that they are also interested in protecting archeological and historical sites, as well. Vice Chair Arnold asked that the Commissioners provide specific recommendations for sites to include in the brochure. Ms. Campbell said she would send Vice Chair Arnold numerous pictures of houses and other historic structures in the City. Council Member Plunkett emphasized that other Commissioners are welcome to participate in the video, as well. If Commissioners are interested in being in the video, they should speak up now. Commissioner LeWarne inquired if the video would have to only feature Commissioners, or if some of the old time citizens could be invited to participate. The Commission agreed this would be appropriate, and Vice Chair Arnold asked that the Commissioners identify who these individuals are now so they can move forward with the production of the video. Council Member Plunkett said he believes the video could have a significant impact on the Commission's efforts. Vice Chair Arnold referred to the last page of the storyboard, which identifies a "to do list." The first job is to provide feedback on the overall approach, message and content. The next step would be to select final properties to feature on the video. He inquired if a Commissioner would be willing to work with Ms. Campbell to pick out properties for the presentation. Commissioner Waite volunteered for this task. Next, a draft would be provided for Chair Marmion's commentary related to each of the buildings being featured. Commissioners Waite and LeWarne volunteered to draft the copy points. Council Member Plunkett suggested that perhaps a contact number could be run along the bottom through a fair amount of the video. The remainder of the Commission agreed. Vice Chair Arnold said he would continue to gather Commission input and further refine the draft. Council Member Plunkett would be responsible for lining up the production equipment. Commissioner Kindness said she would announce to the public via the newspaper that the Commission is in the process of putting together a video presentation for the public channel. C. Historic Register Subcommittee Report Historic Preservation Commission Minutes December 11, 2003 Page 5 None of the Historic Register Subcommittee members were present to provide a report. d. Incentives Subcommittee Reuort Commissioner Waite said he has spent a great deal of time speaking with representatives from building departments in the area about last month's memorandum from the Edmonds Build*n Official related to historic preservation building code issues. He particularly noted that he spoke with Louise , who works in the Snohomish County Planning Department and now heads the Snohomish County Historic Preservation Commission. He said that because of her experience, she is able to see the big picture of how commissions and city building departments can work together as a team to foster historic preservation and make it more palatable to building owners. They discussed that the main focus should be getting building owners to want to preserve their structures and make it economically feasible. This happens everywhere in the country because there are building codes that are written specifically for historical structures. While these building codes are not any less safe, they provide tools for planning departments to use to execute the rehabilitation of structures. Commissioner Waite said to invite to a gentleman to a future Commission meeting who has done some unique things in Spokane in partnerships with building owners. This gentleman delivered a speech to the American Planning Association in October regarding the importance of everyone getting on board as a team. Commissioner Waite distributed copies of this presentation to each of the Commissioners, and said this is the same type of approach the Incentives Subcommittee is trying to pursue. Commissioner Waite reported that he and Commissioner Baker would meet with the Edmonds Building Official to discuss the possibility of utilizing some of the other documents that are available for historic preservation. He recalled that in the memorandum from the Edmonds Building Official, she suggested that staff would draft written policies and procedures for implementing the suggested staff recommendations. He said he forwarded a memorandum to her indicating that he and Commissioner Baker would like to work together with the staff. Commissioner Waite distributed He emphasized that codes are available that can be specifically applied to historic preservation situations, and building owners are looking to utilize them as they do in many other municipalities. He noted that Louise Lundgren indicated that the Snohomish County Preservation Commission's rules and procedures reference some of these code documents. He suggested that it is important for the Commission to have standards and guidelines in place to use when reviewing requests to change properties that have been included on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. Other preservation boards have referred to and use these other codes that are already available as guidelines. The codes could also be used by the Commission when making the decision of whether or not a property should be included on the Register. Commissioner Waite concluded that the Incentives Subcommittee would continue to build a relationship with the building department. He emphasized that it is not the Commission's role to enforce the codes, but it is important for them to be familiar with the ordinances, rules and procedures that have been established by the State, as well as other documents that are available. He noted that Ms. Lundgren indicated that the Washington State Advisory Council's Standards for the Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Historic Properties is a one -page document that has been adopted by most preservation commissions. The Incentives Subcommittee would like the City staff to send a message that they are encouraging people to preserve their structures. In order to do this, there must be written documents to specifically address that goal. He said the City's written Historic Preservation Policy should be written in a positive fashion to make it clear that the Commission and City staff are available to help property owners, and that is the positive attitude the Incentives Subcommittee would like to work with City staff to create. This same type of approach has worked well in other municipalities. Council Member Plunkett recalled that the Building Official distributed a document at the last meeting. She asked that the Commission review the document and then provide feedback as to whether or not they want staff to move forward with drafting written policies and procedures for the Commission's review to implement the suggested staff recommendations. Council Member Plunkett inquired if the Commission would like the staff to draft written policies and procedures to integrate historic preservation codes and/or highlight historic preservation codes within the building department. He noted that these codes would only relate to properties that are on the Historic Register. Commissioner Waite answered that the Incentives Historic Preservation Commission Minutes December 11, 2003 Page 6 Subcommittee recommends that further discussions between the committee and the staff should take place. However, they do not necessarily agree with what has been preliminarily recommended. Ms. Campbell requested further clarification as to what the Commission is asking the Building Official to do. Commissioner Waite recalled that in the memorandum from the Building Official, several staff recommendations were provided. The Commission will be forwarding a response to the Building Official that they have reviewed the staff s recommendations. While they agree that staff should draft policies and procedures, they would like consideration of actual historic codes that are already available. It is also important that the Commission has a lot of input into the policies that are drafted. While they realize they are not responsible for code enforcement, they are available to work together with the Building Department staff. Council Member Plunkett summarized that the letter from the Commission Chair to the Building Official would encourage the staff to begin to write up some draft proposals and then the Commission would work with the staff in reviewing the recommendations to integrate them in a more official capacity. The Commission agreed that the Incentives Subcommittee should forward a letter to the Building Official as per the Commission's discussion. 8. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business scheduled on the agenda. 9. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS Ms. Campbell said that in response to questions raised at the last meeting, she provided a contact sheet that identifies each of the Commissioners appointment and expiration dates. Vice Chair Arnold referred to the time sheets that the Commissioners are required to fill out as per the grant funding requirement. He inquired if the time he has spent working on the brochure and the video should be identified on the time sheet. Ms. Campbell explained that only time spent on work related specifically to the inventory process can be reported on the time sheet. She said she would forward the reporting sheet to each of the Commissioners via the email. She would also bring blank forms to each meeting for the Commission's convenience. 10. REVIEW OF NEXT MEETING PROPOSED AGENDA Ms. Campbell explained that while each agenda would include an opportunity for subcommittee reports, if a subcommittee has a particular topic they want to discuss at the next meeting, it should be specifically identified on the agenda. She said the next agenda would include a discussion by the Communications Subcommittee regarding public forum/celebration ideas. Vice Chair Arnold added that the Communications Subcommittee would also be prepared to discuss the brochure and video production. Ms. Campbell reminded the Commission that they might also have a designation review on January 8t1i. If the agenda becomes too full, the Commission may have to push some of these items to the next agenda. Vice Chair Arnold encouraged each of the subcommittees to try and get as much done as they can between meetings. He applauded Commissioner Waite for all of the work he has done as a member of the Incentives Subcommittee. Ms. Campbell said the next agenda would also include a report by the Incentives Subcommittee regarding building code issues. In addition, staff would provide an update regarding the process of hiring a consultant to do the inventory. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes December 11, 2003 Page 7 11. HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS Vice Chair Arnold complimented the Commission for getting so much work done. He feels the Commission is really starting to get going. He also thanked their guest for coming to the meeting, and he encouraged her to continue to participate. 12. HISTORIC PRESERVATION MEMBER COMMENTS Commissioner LeWarne thanked Vice Chair Arnold for the work he has done as a member of the Communications Subcommittee, as well. Commissioner LeWarne noted that in the Snohomish County Supplement of The Seattle Times a few nights ago, there was an article re orting that the Snohomish County Historic Preservation Commission had placed their first site on their register, it is e several miles north of Arlington. This is a private business that is still operating, but harkens back to the "good old days" of a very small country store. 13. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to address, the Commission adjourned at 5:04 p.m. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes December 11, 2003 Page 8